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The Fifteenth-Century Garner at Leadenhall, London

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2011

Mark Samuel
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Extract

Excavation and observations from 1984–6 on the Leadenhall Court site in the City of London revealed elements of the fifteenth-century market building known as ‘The Leadenhall’. The truncated foundations were located in various areas of the site; 177 medieval moulded stones were found reused in later cellar walls; and a fragment of the west wall survived to its full height of 11.17m encased between Victorian buildings. The recording and subsequent study of these features, together with a reassessment of such plans and drawings of the building as have survived, established the ground plan of the quadrangle and chapel, and made possible a complete reconstruction of the north range of this important civic building. The methodology used in the reconstructions is described with particular emphasis upon the analysis of the moulded stones. In conclusion, both the design of the structure and the documentary sources are studied to show how it may have been intended to function.

The arcaded ground floor functioned as part of a common market, while the upper floors were intended to be a granary. For convenience, however, this dual-purpose building is referred to as the ‘garner’ throughout the text.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 69 , Issue 1 , March 1989 , pp. 119 - 153
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1989

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References

NOTES

1 Masters, B. R., The Public Markets of the City of London, surveyed by William Leybourn in 1677, London Topogr. Soc, 117 (London, 1974).Google Scholar The original is held in plan drawer 92c, The Corporation of London Record Office.

2 ‘Design for improving the Leather Market at Leadenhall (?)’ 1794, Surveyor's City Lands Buildings. Plan 1194, Corporation of London Record Office.

3 Stow, J., Survay of London (1598), Kingsford, C. L. (ed.), 2 vols. (Oxford, 1908, reprinted 1971), 1, 153.Google Scholar

4 Thomas, A. H., ‘Notes on the history of the Leaden-hall, 1195–1488’, London Topogr. Ree. 13 (1923), 1–23.Google Scholar

5 Masters, op. cit. (note 1).

6 The 1878 Ordnance Survey is the only dimensionally accurate record of the dense fabric of the post-fire City, much of which has now been obliterated. It can therefore be used as a base map for the redrawing of Ogilby and Morgan's survey (1a) and Horwood's 1799 Survey (1b). The effect of the 1666 fire upon the surrounding topography of the garner is further discussed in Milne, G., The Great Fire of London (London, (1986).Google Scholar

7 Prockter, A. and Taylor, R., The A-Z of Elizabethan London, London Topog. Soc, 122 (London, 1979).Google Scholar

8 ‘Letters patent granted to enclose me passage from Leadenhall St. to the Market’, 9 February 1793) Compt. CL Deeds, Box 36, No. 1, Corporation of London Record Office.

9 F. Cottrill, 83–7 Gracechurch Street (field notes 1934), GM70, Museum of London Archive (ex-Guildhall Museum).

10 It should be noted that the complex sequence of demolition and survival, outlined here, was developed with hindsight after the recent excavations, and that the discovery of the west range wall fragment in 1985 was not predicted.

11 This work was generously funded by the Legal and General Assurance Co. and The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, with additional funds from the City of London Archaeological Trust Fund.

12 Masters, op. cit. (note 1).

13 Brigham, T., ‘A reassessment of the second basilica in London, AD 100–400’, Britannia 21 (forthcoming).Google Scholar

14 The Guildhall Library (GL) Print Room, 343/LEA.

15 Smith, J. T., Ancient Topography of London (London, 1815)Google Scholar, ‘Sacred Architecture, north-east view of parts of the Chapel and Granary of Leadenhall’.

16 Op. cit. (note 7).

17 Wilkinson, R., Londina Illustrata (London, 1825)Google Scholar, ‘View of the Skin Market in Leadenhall’, Dale after Samuel.

18 Context 3058, Group 62, Kingston Ware cooking pot, 1250–1350.

19 I. Betts, ‘The building material’ in J. Schofield, P. Allen and C. Taylor, Medieval Buildings and Property Development in the Area of Cheapside (forthcoming).

20 GL Print Room.

21 Op. cit. (note 2).

22 Plan of vaults under the Leather Market at Leadenhall, Comptroller's City Lands Plan 530, (1794), Corporation of London Record Office.

23 For the methodology of recognizing, cleaning, marking and drawing of moulded stone, see Recording Worked Stones Joint DUA-DGLA Guidelines (London, 1989).

24 For the first (sub-group) stage of interpretation, the drawings were reduced on a photocopier to 1:8. 1:10 would be more convenient if a variable reduction copier is available.

25 Op. cit. (note 22).

26 GL Print Room.

27 J. Carter ‘North-east view of Leaden-Hall’, pencil sketch, drawn in 1785. This is certainly the drawing upon which he later based his engraving (GL Print Room).

28 Carter, J., Views of Ancient Buildings in England (1785–1793).Google Scholar

29 ‘The great Court of Leaden hall Market’, pencil sketch signed and dated by ‘H. Nash, 1806’; because it was drawn after the demolition of the north range, it must be looking towards the south end of the courtyard (GL Print Room).

30 ‘A plan of the premises demised to Nicholas Goodwin’ (drawn by John Olloy, 1716). Plan of City Lands and Bridgehouse properties, vol. 1, no. 42, Corporation of London Record Office.

31 ‘Lease to Christs Hospital’ (1679), Comp. Deed, Box 66, no. 8. Corporation of London Record Office.

32 ‘The Counterpart to the City's lease to the Governors of Christ Hospitall’ (plan drawn by George Dance, 1741) Comp. Deed, Box 14, no. 7, Corporation of London Record Office.

33 Wilkinson, op. cit. (note 17).

34 Smith, op. cit. (note 15), ‘Sacred Architecture, Leadenhall Chapel’.

35 GL Print Room.

36 Dollman, F. T., The Priory of St Mary Overie, Southwark, (London, 1881)Google Scholar, fig. no. 11. This lost entrance was very similar to Croxton's west door at the Guildhall Chapel, and could also be his work. Another entrance in the priory buildings north of the church was apparently closely related to the garner arcade (including the ‘tonguing’ between the pier and arch mouldings).

37 Barron, C. M., The Medieval Guildhall of London (London, 1974), 35.Google Scholar

38 Stow, , op. cit. (note 3), 1, 155.Google Scholar

39 The provisional reconstructions of the lost timber components were kindly checked by Cecil Hewett (pers. comm.).

40 Pen and ink drawing by Carter of chapel entrance, showing first floor joists (1785?) (GL Print Room).

41 The ceiling of the Post Room, Lambeth Palace (1435) is a possible parallel (J. Schofield, pers. comm.).

42 Smith, op. cit. (note 15).

43 Thomas, , op. cit. (note 4), 17.Google Scholar

44 ‘N. E. View of the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, Leadenhall’, by Dale after J. Whichele (1805), (from Wilkinson, R., Londina Illustrata, London, 1825).Google Scholar In reality, the lower half of the chapel was completely concealed by lean-to shops, and the spacious piazza depicted was a narrow alley hemmed in by shops.

45 Pencil sketch by J. Carter (probably 1785) annotated in ink ‘east window’ and ‘Chapel Leaden Hall’ Print Room.

46 Pen and wash drawing by Hodge (1882), ‘Leadenhall—a fragment of north wall of chapel—next crypt—below present ground level’; this is probably a ‘tidied’ copy of his field records made two years after its revelation and destruction (GL Print Room).

47 The plan of the entrance was reconstructed at a large scale and reduced for publication (fig. 11); it is therefore much simplified in the drawing.

48 Smith, op. cit. (note 15), ‘The Manor, Chapel and Market at Leadenhall, Lime Street Ward’, 8.

49 Samuel, M. W., ‘The undercroft at 34 Watling Street’, London Archaeol., vol. 5, no. 11 (1987), 286–90.Google Scholar

50 St Alphege, London Wall. The pier moulding employed at this church is identical to that of the garner piers, although the proportions are slightly larger. The dressing technique suggests it is the work of the same masons.

51 Salzman, L. F., Building in England down to 1540 (Oxford, 1952), 136.Google Scholar

52 B. Watson and M. R. Gavin, PIC 87 (54–56 Carter Lane), Archive Report, Museum of London.

53 Clifton Taylor, A. and Ireson, A. S., English Stone Building (London, 1983), 16.Google Scholar

54 Thomas, , op. cit. (note 4), 6.Google Scholar

55 Masters, , op. cit. (note 1), 25.Google Scholar

56 Thomas, , op. cit. (note 4), 2.Google Scholar

57 Ibid., 1.

58 Ibid., 8.

59 Ibid., 20.

60 Ibid., 18.

61 G. Milne (ed.), The Roman Basilica Site in London (in preparation).

62 Context 9004 (Group S78) produced the following dating evidence in its backfill: Coarse Border Ware jug 1250–1500, Cheam cooking pot 1380–1550, London Type Ware baluster jug 1150–1350, Red Painted Ware pitcher 950–1250, Siegburg Stoneware beaker 1300–1550 + Roman residual.

63 Barron, C. M., ‘The Government of London and its Relationship with the Crown 1400–1450’, unpublished Ph. D thesis, University of London, 1970.Google Scholar

64 Stow, , op. cit. (note 3), 1, 153.Google Scholar

65 Thomas, , op. cit. (note 4), 17.Google Scholar

66 (18 December 1442), Letter Book K, fol. 206, Corporation of London Records Office.

67 Barron, , op. cit. (note 37), 25.Google Scholar

68 Harvey, J., English Medieval Architects (London, 1954), 121.Google Scholar

69 Thomas, , op. cit. (note 4), 17.Google Scholar

70 Barron, , op. cit. (note 37), 38.Google Scholar The foundations of this important civic building have also been recently excavated by the Museum of London Department of Urban Archaeology, GAG 87, Guildhall Yard Archive Report: N. Bateman, M. Samuel.

71 Harvey, , op. cit. (note 68), 79.Google Scholar

72 Thomas, , op. cit. (note 4), 18.Google Scholar

73 Ibid., 18.

74 Ibid., 18.

75 Ibid., 19.

76 Harvey, , op. cit. (note 68), 79.Google Scholar

77 Thomas, , op. cit. (note 4), 19.Google Scholar

78 Ibid., 19.

79 Ibid., 19.

80 Op. cit. (note 22).

81 Stow, , op. cit. (note 3), 1, 154.Google Scholar Stow records that Simon Eyre left three thousand marks with the Company of Drapers to establish divine service within it, and to provide free schools in grammar, writing and song. His will was never executed and Stow could not trace the fate of the legacy.

82 Thomas, , op. cit. (note 4), 20Google Scholar

83 Stow, , op. cit. (note 3), 1, 159.Google Scholar

84 Masters, op. cit. (note 1).

85 Stow, , op. cit. (note 3), 1, 159.Google Scholar

86 Thomas, , op. cit. (note 4), 20.Google Scholar

87 Stow, , op. cit. (note 3), 1, 159.Google Scholar