Marriage Feast Room, Matching
| Marriage Feast Room | |
|
Essex | |
|---|---|
 The Marriage Feast Room, Matching | |
| Type: | Feasting hall |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TL52491195 |
| Location: | 51°47’8"N, -0°12’34"E |
| Village: | Matching |
| History | |
| Built 1480 | |
| For: | William Chimney |
| Feasting hall | |
| Information | |
The Marriage Feast Room is a mediæval hall in the village of Matching in Essex. It was built by William Chimney in 1480, according to a notice on the building, of unknown provenance.
The hall stands close by the parish church, St Mary's. It is a detached timber-framed building on two storeys, and today a Grade-II* listed building.[1][2]
The main structure is of the late-fifteenth century and early-sixteenth, so bearing a resemblance to a later Tudor style. It also has 19th- and 20th-century extensions
Morant wrote in 1768 that the Marriage Feast Room was:
| “ | A house, close to the church yard, said to be built by one - Chimney, was designed for the entertainment of poor people on their wedding day. It seems to be very ancient, but ruinous. | ” |
He did not supply Chimney's Christian name nor the date he built the hall. The design is plain, consistent with construction in the late 15th or early 16th century.[1]
Structure and appearance
The exterior is plastered plainly over its timber frame. The roof tiled as originally with handmade tiles of local red clay. Inside, on one wall is a Victorian chimney stack.
Two plain boarded doors form the entrance, on which side windows have horizontally sliding sashes of 16 panes, four on both floors, and one 20th-century casement window on the first floor. Facing the church are two small 20th-century casement windows, whereas the first floor has four 19th-century neo-Gothic cast-iron casement windows. Some framing remains exposed internally. On the ground floor, at the north-west end a stairway rises from one external door to the first floor. At the south-east end an original studded partition separates one bay from the remainder — the main section is open.
Inside are visible the transverse and axial beams, plain chamfered except in the service end with joists lathed and plastered to soffits. There are grooves for sliding shutters. The first floor is open from end to end and to collars. Posts are jowled with cambered tie-beams with arched braces. Plain crownposts have axial braces, much restored. Upstairs are two large rooms.[1]
History
The Hall was built for use of local brides for their wedding breakfast. It was last used for this purpose in 1936 but the privilege remains.
The jutting façade of the hall faces away from the church, which is suggestive of its having been built as a secular hall: similar buildings designed as the meeting places of religious guilds would have a jutting midsection facing towards the church.[1] It is known though that there was a guild in Matching in the time of Queen Elizabeth I.[3]
In the 18th century it was as an almshouse, with inserted partitions and chimneys, most of which have been removed, and it has served as a school.
In the tithe award of 1843, the Marriage Feat Room was described as 2 tenements with gardens, belonging to the parish of Matching, both unoccupied.[4]
The inaugural meeting of Matching Women's Institute was held in the Feast Room in 1919 and they then ran the village library from there too. More recently the hall has provided living accommodation for the church organist. It is in a good state of preservation and it is regularly used for various Church functions including coffee after services.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 National Heritage List 1166130: Marriage Feast Room
- ↑ National Heritage List 1166130: Marriage Feast Room
- ↑ Calendar of Letters Patent, 12 Elizabeth 268
- ↑ Essex Record Office D/CT 236
- ↑ Matching Parish Profile - Diocese of Chelmsford