Stydd Hall

Description

The site of a preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers and includes the standing remains of the 13th century chapel of St Mary and St John the Baptist, the buried remains of other buildings of the preceptory which, together with the chapel, lie within a moated site, and a fishpond which lies adjacent to the north eastern corner of the moat. The moat is fed by a stream which enters it at its north western corner and leaves it at its north eastern corner. Next to the north eastern corner it has been artificially widened in the medieval period to create a fishpond. The remains of the preceptory chapel, which are listed Grade I, include part of the north wall which stands to roof height. The upstanding remains exhibit fluted columns on the inside of the chapel and carved heads and oak leaves on the outside. There are three surviving pointed-arch windows with the remains of another two flanking. The preceptory was founded during the reign of Richard I (1189-99) and was dissolved in 1540. (PastScape 307702)

Stydd Hall is C17 tower house which stands at the centre of the moated site of the medieval preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers. The house is built on medieval foundations and also includes a substantial quantity of upstanding medieval masonry in its south wall. These medieval elements represent the remains of one of the domestic buildings of the preceptory. The house is constructed from coursed sandstone rubble with red brick and stone dressings under shallow pitched slate roofs. (PastScape 513214)

The site at Stydd Hall is a good example of a moated preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers and the upstanding remains include parts of a medieval domestic building incorporated into a later house and a 13th century chapel which survives well and exhibits well preserved architectural detail. Although the moated site has been disturbed in the past by rotovating, the destructive effects of this practice will have been limited to surface disturbance and the buried remains of buildings and other features of the preceptory will survive throughout. Moreover, well preserved organic and environmental remains, such as wood, leather, bone and plant material, will survive in the water-logged deposits of the moat and fishpond which have suffered only limited disturbance from modern drainage works.
The monument is the site of a preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers and includes the standing remains of the 13th century chapel of St Mary and St John the Baptist, the buried remains of other buildings of the preceptory which, together with the chapel, lie within a moated site, and a fishpond which lies adjacent to the north eastern corner of the moat. At the centre of the moated site is Stydd Hall which is a 17th century house altered in the mid-19th century and built on medieval foundations. In addition to these, it includes a substantial quantity of upstanding medieval masonry in its south wall and, together, these medieval elements represent the remains of one of the domestic buildings of the preceptory. The hall is not included in the scheduling, however, as it is currently occupied and more appropriately protected by its status as a Grade II-star Listed Building. Further remains relating to the preceptory, such as enclosures and the buried foundations of such ancillary buildings as barns and workshops, will survive outside the moated site but have also not been included in the scheduling as their extent and state of preservation is not sufficiently understood.
The moated site includes a platform measuring c.80m square surrounded by a moat which is c.12m wide across the top and up to c.2m deep. The moat, which acted as a drain for the site and may also have been utilised as one or more fishponds during the Middle Ages, is fed by a stream which enters it at its north western corner and leaves it at its north eastern corner. Next to the north eastern corner it has been artificially widened in the medieval period to create a roughly rectangular fishpond measuring c.30m by 10m. This fishpond is now separated from the moat by a modern causeway but will originally have been linked by a sluice whose remains will survive beneath the causeway. To the south of Stydd Hall is the site of the preceptory chapel whose upstanding remains are a Grade I Listed Building and include part of the north wall which stands to roof height and was probably retained by later owners of Stydd Hall as a Romantic garden feature. The upstanding remains exhibit fluted columns on the inside of the chapel and carved heads and oak leaves on the outside. There are three surviving pointed-arch windows with the remains of another two flanking. A string course separates the windows from a battered footing (sloping plinth) measuring c.1.5m high which incorporates a doorway. The remains were partially restored in 1933 by the Derbyshire Archaeological Society and capped with modern red pantiles. The ground floor plan of the chapel is also preserved as a buried feature. (Scheduling Report)

Comments

The moated preceptory of the Knights Templar will have contained buildings and contents worth protecting and would possibly have been dressed up with martial symbols, such as battlements, to reflect the status of the order. Stydd Hall stands on medieval foundations, although the nature of the medieval buildings is not really clear but a small tower is possible. Stydd Hall itself, whilst C17, is a fine example of the continuation of 'martial' architecture forms beyond the medieval period.