CLAVERING GUILDHALL
 

Pre-reformation Clavering had at least two guilds, dedicated to St John the Baptist and St  Katherine. In 1570 Hugh Counsell and Robert Pistor obtained from the crown a grant of 'the guilde hall in the churchyard in Claveringe' and the building started its gentle decline. By the 18th century it was described as having been an almshouse 'for time out of mind'. In 1764 the Vestry Minutes agreed that the Overseer should remove and sell the old tiles from the building and replace them with thatch. In 1836 its residents paupers were removed to the Saffron Walden Union workhouse and it was thereafter subdivided into cottages.

Earlier this century SPAB acquired the guildhall as a bequest. In 1982 the Society decided to dispose of the building and it was acquired by Essex County Council as part of the Revolving Funding programme. Under the direction of James Boutwood, then the County’s conservation architect, it was converted to a single dwelling and sold on.

On the night of 11 December 1991 a sudden gush of smoke into the house from the main stack announced disaster. The owners were fortunate to escape, plucking their children from their beds,just before the thatched roof went up in flames. The thatch burned fiercely, taking with it most of the oak roof which finally collapsed into the building. By morning the smouldering ruins could be assessed. Only the spiky blackened remains of the principal roof trusses and the studded gables remained sticking up above the wall-plate. One of the (later) stacks had fallen. It was not until the piles of charred debris had been cleared away that it was possible to distinguish, with relief, that below wall plate level, most of the framing seemed to be intact, albeit severely charred in places. The first floor was worst affected, damage downstairs being restricted to blackening and some charring in the area of the staircases.

Barker and Associates Chartered Surveyors were brought in and the process of taking stock began. The first things to be done were to protect the building from further damage, and to prevent possible injury to passers by. This was made easier by the fact that the building adjoins only the path to the church. This was immediately closed to the public. The gables (which the fire brigade wanted to take down) and stacks were propped and a scaffolding roof erected. Work then began on preparing a full photographic and drawn measured survey. This was intended to form a record of all features of timber frame which might be lost or concealed and to form the basis of repair specification drawings.

So far so good. Next a meeting was held of all involved parties (the client, his surveyor with consultant James Boutwood; District and County Council representatives and English Heritage) and the philosophical and technical wrangles began. First the importance of preserving the timber framing wherever possible was established. This finally resulted in the end gables and two trusses being strengthened (by plating with timber) and incorporated into the new roof. Replication of the queen post roof in oak was not considered to be necessarily the most valid approach, but was in fact carried out at the preference of client and surveyor.

The question of thatching became far more controversial. Initially, in spite of the client’s severe qualms, it was accepted that the roof would go back in Norfolk reed as it had been before (with added fire proofing). But there were problems. The roof had been designed for tiles (which had been removed in 1764), it had sprocketed eaves and the pitch was too shallow for the native longstraw which was why reed had been previously used. It was not ideal even for reed, and problems had been experienced before. The thatcher Peter Brocket was called in to advise and a new eaves detail was prepared. Eventually, the client decided to apply for listed building consent to change to plain tiles. Uttlesford District Council has a clear policy of supporting its longstraw thatching tradition, but in this case members decided that there were valid grounds for allowing the change. English Heritage made no objection.

The other great problem was how to treat the severely charred timbers. The client was keen to keep them exposed internally as before, but initially this seemed impossible in view of the extent of charring. Conservators who had worked at Uppark were called in to advise. The first option of replacement in new timber was rejected except where it was burned so severely as to leave no alternative. Consolidation using resin was rejected after inspection of sample panels. Not only were there philosophical objections to this approach, but it proved unsightly and ineffective in consolidating the cuboid surface of the oak.

Sandblasting (used at Hampton Court for unexposed timbers) was considered and rejected as too damaging. Reluctantly therefore, plastering over or boxing in most of the frame was accepted, in spite of the resultant loss of character. But once the surveyor started to draw up details the technical drawbacks of this approach, especially with the arched braced tie beams, became evident. The carpenter then experimented by removing a section of surface charring with a draw knife. It became apparent that the surface wood, in charring and expanding, had in fact protected the oak beneath. This method appeared to be successful in retaining the existing chamfered profile of the tie beam. In the event this approach seems to have met with varied success and has in some areas produced a slightly melted effect.

The guiding principle was to respect the archaeology of the building by keeping original fabric wherever it survived. The exterior, apart from the dramatic change to the roof covering, now looks exactly as before. It was already faced in rather hard render which it did not prove possible to replace for both financial and technical reasons. Thankfully most of its fine carved timber work was saved.

Before and after photographs of Clavering Guildhall and the aftermath of the fire in December 1991
 

Note: one of the finest buildings in Clavering is the old Guildhall next to the church gate. Its history is described in Eileen Ludgate's book, Clavering & Langley 1783-1983. The present building has been well restored from a disastrous fire which occurred in December 1991. In this article, reprinted with permission from the Institute of Historic Building Conservation journal, Judy Cligman, who works for Essex County Council, describes the building and the work that was so successfully carried out after the fire.

by Judy Cligman