An Inn, A Restoration, and A 17th Century Wheeler Dealer
- Alice Standen
- Aug 30, 2020
- 7 min read
In my last article I left us with a view of St Mary’s in the 1470s as a large four-sided courtyard inn possibly built by William Waynflete the Bishop of Winchester. St. Mary’s would have been prosperous as a courtyard inn, ideally situated next to the enormous stone-built Bramber Bridge, with a chapel dedicated to St. Mary, which would have provided a steady flow of visitors to the inn. The ground floor would have had a large communal space, whilst the rooms above, accessed from a gallery in the courtyard, would have provided lodgings for travellers and merchants.
This example of a Medieval Inn in Gloucester shows how the 1st floor rooms of St. Mary's would have been accessed from the courtyard via an external gallery.
Days of Decay
The next owner of the inn was Francis Shirley, descended from the Shirleys of Wiston. In 1569 we find him the Lessee of “the chappill House or Seller” on the south side of Bramber Bridge.[1] Granted to him by the College of St. Mary Magdalen, Oxford, which we know Waynflete (the previous owner of St. Mary’s) was the founder. It is likely Shirley would have rented this property as his primary residence was at West Grinstead Park, a grand manor house that has since been demolished.
The lease document paints St. Mary’s in a poor state, with the land being flooded and ‘Francis S. to carry out all necessary repairs…dowtful how any building may be set or builded uppon the same.”[2] As we know today only the east wing of the four sided courtyard inn survives – could this have been the moment that St. Mary’s fell into disrepair? We may never know how the other wings were lost, but it certainly occurred before 1636, as a sketch by Dunstall of 1636 shows St. Mary’s as a singular eastern wing.[3] Note the tree growing up through Bramber Bridge too – clearly Bramber was not as grand or prosperous as it once was.
A Grand Rebuilding
Despite St. Mary’s falling into disrepair, it seems the inn was still functioning to some extent. There were two known inns in Bramber in the 16th century, one was the White Lion (now the Castle Inn) and the other presumably - from the building’s form - St. Mary’s.[4] Two wine licenses for these inns were given to a Peter Cheeseman in 1570 and William Francis in 1585, conceivably St. Mary’s still functioned as an inn, albeit in a much diminished building.[5] By the early 17th century, however, only one wine license is found, for the White Lion…St. Mary’s had ceased to function as an inn.
However, all was not lost, and in the late 1500s and 1600s St. Mary’s underwent an incredible transformation. The inn was transformed into a richly furnished and sumptuously decorated domestic dwelling, and largely represents the house that we see today.
'The King's Room' at St. Mary's House
In the 16th century the house was stabilised and made comfortable as a domestic dwelling. A huge chimneystack was inserted in the late 16th century, visible in Dunstall’s sketch of 1636.[6] The ground floor rooms were divided from one large open space into a series of smaller rooms. These rooms were panelled with small square panelling, a feature that was usually reserved for only the finest room of the house, but its abundance throughout St. Mary’s indicating an extremely wealthy owner. This type of panelling was popular between 1580 -1660 and was probably installed as the same time as the fireplace.[7]
A photograph of the Monks’ parlour showing the inserted 16th century fireplace and contemporary small square panelling.
In the 16th/17th centuries the south wall of the house was rebuilt in stone and stone mullion ovolo moulded windows were installed throughout the house. The ovolo shape was fashionable from the mid-16th century, and the height of the window transoms (the horizontal divides of a window) tell us that these were likely inserted in the late 16th century or early 17th century.[8] The catslide roof would also have been installed at this time, enclosing the house and masking its courtyard inn beginnings.
A photograph showing the south façade of St. Mary’s which was rebuilt in stone in the late-16th century. The ovolo moulded windows were fashionable in this period.
In the early 17th century an attic floor also was inserted. Although attics are a feature most houses today have, they didn’t really emerge in early houses until around 1550. [9] Attics were used for a variety of things, but most commonly as storage spaces (quite a few historic documents mention cheese)…was anything stored away in the safety of the St. Mary’s attic spaces?
A photo taken c.1960 showing the stairs up to the gallery/attic floor.
So at the end of the 16th century into the 17th century we see St. Mary’s being restored and transformed into a comfortable and spacious domestic house.
Extravagance, Naval Battles and Dutch Connections...?
But what of the elaborate painted room, the carved oak staircase, and the unique gilded leather? Well this seems to have come slightly later in the 17th Century. And its elaborate display of wealth either implies that the then owner of St. Mary’s came into some money, or a new wealthier owner embellished the property further.
The stair is carved from oak and has turned balusters, their carved vase shape along with the chunky handrail became fashionable from the period immediately following the Restoration (1660).[10] The stair at St. Mary’s looks remarkably similar to this example from Peasholme Green, York, of a similar date:
Mid-17th Century staircase from The Black Swan, Peasholme Green, York
The Painted Room is one of the most famous rooms of the house, and contains a unique scheme not found anywhere else in the country. The room deserves a whole article of its own, but I will attempt to do justice to its unique qualities here.
The Painted Room at St. Mary's House
Each trompe l’oeil panel is painted to imitate walnut, and contains a small painted scene, designed to make the viewer feel as if they are looking out of a window onto a scene unfolding in the landscape. Some of the scenes appear to be local – the wattle and daub huts mirror those that would have been used at the salterns across from St. Mary’s.[11] The wooden overmantel with its intricately carved classical arches also dates from the 17th century, and Linda Hall notes that these were only used by high status households – once more confirming the wealth of St. Mary’s owner.
The 17th Century overmantel depicting an unknown naval combat scene
The boats in combat painted onto the overmantel also appear to date from the period immediately after the restoration…although the scene of naval combat has never been correctly identified. Could it be a local scene too? Privateers attacking enemy Dutch ships? Was the owner of the house a captain or merchant? All questions that we are yet to answer, and we are always looking for new suggestions.
The ships depicted in the painted room are not the only Dutch connection found in the house from this time. The panelling in the drawing room, which has fielded panels inlaid with ebony, also dates from the mid-17th century and shows remarkable similarity to Dutch panelling and furniture of the same period.
The drawing room at St. Mary’s with mid-17th century fielded panels inlaid with ebony
3 examples of mid-17th century Dutch oak armoire cabinets with ebony inlay, notice how similar their style of panelling is to that of the drawing room in St. Mary’s.
The extremely rare gilded leather that attracts many visitors to the house also has Dutch connections. Although gilt leather was sometimes made in England, it flourished mostly in the 17th Century Dutch republic, particularly in Amsterdam, The Hague, and Middleburg.[12] These products were shipped all over the world, and the majority of surviving pieces in English country houses are Flemish or Dutch in origin. The flowing foliate forms of St. Mary’s with is curved ‘C’ shape acanthus leaves is typical of the Baroque period (c.1600-1750). The origins of the gilt leather may never be known, but the wealth needed to purchase a product of such high quality and expense indicates that whoever owned St. Mary’s possessed a great deal of money, and wished to show it.
The Baroque Gilded Leather Located at St. Mary's House
A 17th Century Wheeler Dealer
The final piece of St. Mary’s 17th century history leaves us with the next known owner, a Dr Nicholas Barbon. Barbon bought the house in the later 17th Century, buying up 16 plots in Bramber in order to cement his right to be elected as MP in 1690 and 1695.[13] Barbon was something of a 17th century wheeler-dealer, a far cry from his Puritan father Praise-God Barebones, and his uncle Christ-came-into-the-world-to-save Barbones (yes, those were their real names). After the fire of London Barbon saw an opportunity to buy up land and rebuild houses, becoming the equivalent of a 17th century property developer. He was also the founder of the first fire insurance companies, which saw him cement his fortune and place within society.
A portrait of Dr Nicholas Barbon, the owner of St. Mary’s c.1690
This brings me to the end of St. Mary’s 16th and 17th century history, I hope you have enjoyed seeing the house transformed from a dilapidated inn into a lavish home filled with unique treasures and historical mysteries. There are still many more secrets to unlock, including the grand Victorian music room, a certain tale of Sherlock Holmes, and a secret tunnel beneath the house...keep an eye out for my next article to learn more about St. Mary's and its intriguing history.
[1] Oxford, Magdalen College Archive, EL/6: Ledger ‘F’, Fol.75 [2] Oxford, Magdalen College Archive, EL/6: Ledger ‘F’, Fol.75 [3] J. Farrant, Sussex Depicted, p 169 [4] Janet Pennington, The Inns and Taverns of Western Sussex, 1550-1700, p 205 [5] Pennington, p 205
[6] J. Farrant, Sussex Depicted, p 169
[7] Linda Hall, Period Houses Fixtures and Fittings, p 137
[8] Linda Hall, Period Houses Fixtures and Fittings, p 69
[9] H M Barley, The English Farmhouse and Cottage, p 145
[11] Steyning, Historic Character Assessment Report, August 2004
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