NHER 8444 (Building record) - St James' Hospital

Hospital for pilgrims, travellers, poor aged and sick. Founded 1153, dissolved 1539. Last pilgrimage stop before St Benet's. Remaining building probably the chapel. Squared flint with stone trimmings and panelling on buttresses (mostly gone). Brick putlog holes. Pointed stone door in west wall; above it a pointed stone window, now converted to a brick louvre. In apex of gable blocked small window or niche. Three large pointed windows in south wall, two in north (the central one having been replaced by barn doors) one east window; all blocked in 18th century brick. Diagonal buttresses at each corner and two buttresses on each side. Much brick patching in walls, presumably blocking holes from use as barn; large patches above and below east window, between west window and door; blocked round-headed culvert or doorway at east end of north wall, and smaller one through southwest buttress. Later thatched roof.
Date probably 14th century.
See (S1).
E. Rose (NAU), 16 March 1979.

March 2012. Report produced as part of Natural England Higher Level Stewardship Management Plan.
The available map evidence charts the various lean-tos and additions to the chapel building. Early 19th-century maps show an addition to the south western corner. Mid 19th-century maps show a further addition to the east end. By 1889, there were 2 long ranges to the south and 2 lean-to additions to the north.

The building is primarily of coursed knapped flint with ashlar dressings. There are areas of high quality knapped and galleted flint, notably on the western entrance façade and the southern façade. The interior of the building contains a number of recesses of varying size that are difficult to interpret but more notably occur in the eastern half of the building. Two small recesses at either side of the east window are suggestive of aumbry cupboards.
See (S2) for further details.
A. Yardy (HES), 17 July 2012.

October 2012.
Section 17 agreement set-up, including making-up the ground level and installation of drainage to the east of the building and masonry protection.
See (S3).
D. Robertson (HES), 23 July 2013.

June 2013. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of drainage improvement works and excavation of cable trench.
Two stone-packed linear features of medieval date were revealed on the south side of the chapel, and were tentatively interpreted as pads or footings for a structure. A large medieval ditch running NNE-SSW under the north-west corner of the chapel suggests reorganisation of land-use, perhaps coinciding with a rebuilding programme following fire damage to an earlier building in the 1340s. A small area of the southern chapel wall footings was exposed, showing a fairly shallow footing constructed upon a foundation trench containing mortar debris. The remnants of two 19th century lean-to agricultural buildings were also recorded.
See report (S4) and NHER 61887 for further information.
A. Cattermole (HES), 15 October 2014. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 26 October 2016.