RYE HOUSE

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Site of a 15th century fortified manor house. The gatehouse, moat, two stretches of walling and two chimneys survive. The house was built circa 1443 and in 1683 was the scene of the Rye House Plot to murder Charles II. It had been converted for use as the parish workhouse by 1834. Circa 1868, Henry Teale developed the site as a pleasure garden, turning the moat into an ornamental feature. The gatehouse is a fine example of early brick construction, with a number of significant features including the very early use of moulded bricks. It is a two storey structure, now roofless, with a museum on the ground floor. The two stretches of rubble walling stand on the inner side of the moat, to the west and south east of the gatehouse. They presumably formed part of the 15th century house and were repositioned circa 1868. The two brick chimneys currently act as gateposts and were probably repositioned at the same time as the walls. The spiral, fluted chimneys are about 3 metres high and stand to the south of the gatehouse.

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(TL 38550994) Rye House (NR) (1)

License to empark and build a castle at Rye was granted to Andrew Ogard in 1440 by King Henry VI. All that now remains is a large 16th c gatehouse, a long low wooden building (possibly of the 17th c) and a moat.

TL 38570995. The partially restored Gatehouse is the only standing remains of Rye House. The wooden building is demolished.

The moat is now an ornamental feature, and the north east arm is a cutting; almost certainly not on the old alignment. The moat covers an area about 90.0m by 60.0m and the arms vary from 4.0m to 10.0m in width.

Published survey (1/1250) revised. (2-4)

TL 385100. Rye House - scheduled. (5)

The gatehouse of Rye House, part of an originally much larger complex, is an early dated example of brick building and possesses a number of interesting and significant features, notably in its very early employment of moulded bricks.
Full history and architectural description of the site. (6)

Gatehouse to Rye House (demolished), Lower part used as a museum. C15 for Sir Andrew Ogard a naturalised Dane (license to crenellate 1443) on this moated site beside the river. 1683 scene of the Rye House Plot to murder Charles II. Rebuilt except gatehouse at end of C17 (RCHM Typescript). Said to have been used as the parish Workhouse before 1834. Site made into a pleasure garden for London trippers c1868 by Henry Teale (1806 - 76). Site cleared and gatehouse restored recently for Lee Valley Park. The gatehouse is the only complete C15 part standing. Red brick in English-bond with some diaper ornament in black headers, and carved stonework to string courses and main entrance. Roofless upper storey. 2 high storeys and crenellated parapet to roof. A tall rectangular block standing on the inner edge of the moat, facing E. SW corner carried up as stair turret above parapet. A hollow moulded stone string course runs around the building at the base of the parapet and is decorated by grotesque heads at intervals. A similar string runs around the top of the stair turret with a head at each corner. Decorative elements are concentrated on the E front with a secondary elevation on the W formerly facing into the courtyard. E front nearly symmetrical with
a moulded stone pointed gateway with carved spandrels in a rectangular frame. Boarded wooden double doors. Small upright windows to each side with elaborate moulded brick jambs and head and label dripmould. Above the door false machicolations in corbelled arched brickwork with relieving arch over. Advanced wallface patterned with diaper in black brick. Central merlon decorated by a raised rib and merlons each side pierced by arrow loops. False machicolations with intersecting arched corbels at a lower level on each side carry projecting diapered panels with moulded brick frame and large corbelled oriel windows with canted returns. These have large brick mullioned and transomed windows, 2-light on left but 3-light on right, and castellated tops. Large 1st floor window on left hand return with square head, moulded jambs and label. W elevation has a large pointed brick gateway in 2 chamfered orders, a small upright window on the left with moulded jambs, rectangular head, and label. Corbelled 1st floor chimney rises above parapet in a tall composite barley-sugar shaft with moulded cap and base. Small unemphasised stair window to right. Front wall of an attached small wing set back
on N end with a 3-centred arched doorway into the main gatehouse at the upper level, the springing of a tunnel vault over the ground floor, and a small window in the front wall, with 3-centred rere arch, at 2 levels. (RCHM 1911) 210: Archaeological Journal132(1975) 111-150). Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Remains of window and wall near inner edge of moat SE of Rye House Gatehouse (Formerly listed as remains of window and wall on edge of moat SE of Rye House). Fragment of wall with jambs and part of head of window. Probably architectural features from Rye House c1443 repositioned c1868 by Henry Teale as part of his public pleasure garden. Limestone with some brick in the walling which is rendered on the E face. The jambs, sill and part of the arched head of a 3-light Decorated period Gothic window. Deep chamfered jambs and mullion bases. Cusped head to pointed arch. Rebates for jambs and mullion supporting iron work. Wall faced in stone on W face. Part of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Remains of window and wall near inner edge of moat west of Rye House Gatehouse. Fragment of wall with jambs and sill of window. Probably architecturalfeatures from Rye House c1443 repositioned c1868 by Henry Teale as part of his public pleasure garden. Limestone with some brick in the walling, rendered on the W face but stone faced on E. The jambs and sill of a Gothic stone window with deep chamfered members. Rebates for glazing and iron supports. Stone moulded string course below sill on E has ball ornaments in a hollow chamfer. Part of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Gateposts to S of Rye House Gatehouse on the causeway at the SW corner of the moat (Formerly listed as Gateposts to S of Rye House). A pair of moulded chimneys used as gateposts. Probably architectural features from Rye House c1443 repostioned c1868 by Henry Teale as part of his public pleasure garden. Red brick with stone cappings, about 3 metres high. 2 spiral fluted tall chimneys of moulded brick, with moulded base and capitals similar to that surviving on the gatehouse (q.v.). Square moulded stone capping on top. Part of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. (7)

Listed as a strong house by Cathcart King. (8)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1960

( 2) Transactions of the East Hertfordshire Archaeological Society

EHAST 2 1902-4 32-45 88-89 (R T Andrews) 2 Page(s)32-45 88-89

( 3) Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England) 1910 An inventory of the historical monuments in Hertfordshire

RCHM Herts 1910 210-211 Page(s)210-11

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 JRL 13-OCT-75

( 5) by Department of the Environment, Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings London 1978 List of ancient monuments in England: Volume 1, Northern England; Volume 2, Southern England; Volume 3, East Anglia and the Midlands

DOE(IAM) List Anc Mons 3 1978 53 3 Page(s)53

( 6) Royal Archaeological Institute The archaeological journal

Arch J 132 1975 111-150 plans illusts (T P Smith) 132 Page(s)111-150

( 7) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

DOE(HHR) East Herts Dist Herts Sept 1983 84-6

(8) by David J Cathcart King 1983 Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the islands. Volume I : Anglesey - Montgomery

Page(s)221

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