SAINT NICHOLAS'
CHAPEL
Saint Nicholas' Chapel, from the south east
Formerly the `cappela extra portas' (outer gatehouse chapel)
of the Abbey, where visitors would say a quick prayer
before imposing on the house's hospitality, Saint
Nicholas' Chapel dates from about 1220,
putting it in one of the last phases of the abbey's creation.
It is often described as the earliest (complete and
unaltered) brick-built building in Britain, but is mainly made of flint rubble,
with brick and tile openings and quoins, some of them with chamfers or
mouldings. Their use in this chapel, especially in the mouldings of the eastern
and western windows, is remarkable. These bricks are the famous Coggeshall bricks,
considered to be the earliest post-Roman bricks made in these lands. See the page on
Coggeshall Abbey for more on this subject.
Some claim that this structure was built to compete with Coggeshall's
parish church, which the Abbey lost control over in 1223; in support of this, remains of a font
were found inside during 19th century restoration. However, its layout is very
simple, with no aisles, transepts or even a chancel. As such, it
does more closely resemble a typical Cistercian gatehouse chapel.
FEATURES IN THE CHAPEL
 The
chapel measures 43 x 20 feet internally, with walls 3 feet thick, and was originally
coated inside and out with plaster. Some of the southern lancet windows have higher
sills, to make room internally for a credence, piscina and sedilia (a receptacle
for the bread and wine, a washbasin, and a row of three benches), which are all
inset into the south wall. They are lined with brick with a little stonework
here and there, and were originally plastered. The credence (shown to the left
in this sketch) has a limestone arch; perhaps the bread and wine demanded
something a little better than mere brick to shelter it.
The chapel's interior was
originally decorated in colour; faint traces visible in 1890 included the
remains of a red-coloured cruciform design in the central sedile, an emerald
green glaze on the string-course running round the entire chapel, and a gridwork
of horizontal lines painted 5 inches apart above the string-course, in a
chocolate brown colour, broken with vertical 'runners' so as to represent the
mortar joints between fanciful stonework. The green string-course has been
heavily restored.
 THE CHAPEL AS A BARN
Curiously,
the chapel survived the dissolution, intact but divorced from its former
companions, much as the 'midnight chapel' or 'potato cellar' at Waltham Abbey
(actually a slype, or connecting corridor) had also remained standing. The
reason given at Coggeshall is that as the abbey was being destroyed, the chapel
was in use as a barn. Its religious purpose thus erased, there was therefore no
need to actually demolish it.
It does, however, seem a little strange that the
abbey should have turned its welcoming chapel into a mere barn before the end of
its days,
whilst it was no doubt still struggling to avoid being closed down. Maybe the visitor
numbers had dropped a bit.
Nevertheless, there is no doubt
that it was a barn after the Dissolution, and remained a barn for over 300 years
- as many years as it had spent being a chapel. Needless to say, it gradually
declined
into quaint disrepair, like Dickens' Aged P, yet strangely even in this dishevelled state it was
sometimes mistaken for the remains of the Abbey itself - as this old print of
1833 shows.
The chapel as a barn, in an idyllic pastoral
setting. Print dated 1833.
At some point after 1639, the chapel's roof, which is shown
tiled in an estate map of that year
(see the Coggeshall Abbey page), was replaced with thatch, and a midstrey (gabled porch) was
added (see the print above). No doubt, the tiles had been purloined for re-use
on some nearby grander building or other. At the same time, enough of the chapel's south wall,
including its main doorway,
was knocked out to allow the farmer's wagon to enter.
RESTORATION
In 1860, the Vicar of the parish church managed to buy the
chapel and its plot of land, and restoration work was begun straight away. By
1863 the roof was re-thatched, the midstrey had been swept away, and the
 south
wall had been repaired. A stone Perpendicular
door was installed, seated upon the brick jambs of the original doorway (as
shown in this photo).
One wonders whether more of the original arch would have
been made of brick, especially considering the very sparing use of stone in the
credence. Evidently, the wealth generated later by the wool trade had not yet
been felt by the abbey at the time of this chapel's construction.
By
1890, the chapel was in need of further restoration. The thatched roof was
replaced with tiles and the window surrounds restored with specially moulded
bricks, hand-made to match the originals, and then the windows were
glazed.
The chapel was re-dedicated and a curate appointed,
and for a time St. Nicholas acted
as a parish church for the villagers of Little Coggeshall
- i.e. that part of Coggeshall which lies south of the River Blackwater.
In 1940, a bomb fell directly onto St. Peter-ad-Vincula in
the town, destroying the nave roof, the north arcade, the roof of the north
aisle, and most of the stained glass. Part of the tower was badly hit and it had
to be demolished, though its bells were successfully rescued.
The chapel of St. Nicholas was then brought into service as a
temporary parish church for the whole of the town, and remained so for many
years. Repairs to St. Peter-ad-Vincula began in 1953 and took three years to
complete. At its re-dedication in 1956, the chapel went back to its former
status.
GUIDED TOUR:
Saint Nicholas' Chapel stands on the lane leading to Abbey
Farm, and we will be dropping in to see it on our way there, after lunch. It is
normally kept closed, though Eucharist is held there
on the first Sunday of each month. The Vicar of St.
Peter-ad-Vincula has kindly allowed us access, and Shirley Ratcliffe will speak
briefly on the history of the chapel for us.
SOME EXTERNAL LINKS:
St. Nicholas' Chapel (SEAX archaeological overview)
St
Nicholas' Chapel & Coggeshall Abbey (Museum website)
A History of Coggeshall (G F Beaumont, 1890) (downloadable e-book)
- contains probably the fullest account of
the chapel
A History
of Coggeshall (Beaumont) - limited edition reprint
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Images:
All photos on this page
© Copyright
Lawrence Greenall / WAHS 2008.
Old print: Essex Record Office, ref. I/Mp 89/1/2
(described as "Coggeshall Abbey")
Interior sketch: A History of Coggeshall, G F Beaumont 1890, p.101
(detail)
For More Information please Contact WAHS
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