NHER 40581 (Building record) - Old Vicarage, Chapel Street, New Buckenham

Vicarage, now a private house, previously guildhall. Stepped west gable with four small windows in wall either side of a clear chimney, bulging at base behind fireplace. (S1) states that the south range is 15th century timber framed with wattle and daub infill and 19th century brick infill.
See (S1) for further information.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 12 July 2004.

[1] notes that this building is a 15th century hall house with sooted roof, the west chimney is 16th century but the brick gable wall was built out flush with it in the 17th century, It has a 19th century rear wing but the eastern half of the original block was demolished in the 1940s.
See full details of building in file.
E. Rose (NLA), 7 November 1983.

June 2002. Building Survey.
A survey of the timber frame revealed the remains of a large open hall and possible service room, both originally open to the roof. The central truss of the open hall was of very decorative character, suggesting that identification of this building as a Guildhall may be correct.
See (S2), drawings and photographs in file.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 26th July 2004.

Previously NHER 9200 context 11.

There were two parish guilds in New Buckenham. St Mary's guild is documented by bequests from 1450 and that of St Martin from 1461. It is not known of which guild this was the hall. After the dissolution of religious guilds in 1540 it was acquired by the community. The kitchen is refered to in 1567 and 1571 and by 1605 to 1606 the town had established a 'maultery'. Major reconstruction was carried out between 1612 and 1614, the date of the present roof and spectacular stepped gable end. Later it housed the minister of the parish, a perpetual curate not a beneficed priest. The brick front was added about 1867 and the eastern end was demolished by the ecclesiastical authorities in 1949.
See (S3).
M. Dennis (NLA), 10 May 2006.

May 2004. Dendrochronological analysis.
Six samples were obtained, all of which proved usable. The sample complete to bark edge was felled in the winter of 1451-2 and the other samples appear to be contemporaneous and from a single phase of construction. The timbers were used green, so it is reasonable to assume a date of construction shortly after the felling date. This building has produced the earliest tree ring date obtained within the parish.
See (S4) for further information.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 10 July 2009.