The following text is from the original listed building designation:
ROCHESTER THE PRECINCT TQ 7468 SW 9/203 The Archdeaconry 24-10-50 GV II House. C18 re-modelling of an earlier building, with later alterations. Some timber framing; mainly brick in Flemish bond, Kent tile hipped roof. Originally a 3-room, cross-passage plan, much altered and disguised. Main range (under irregular roof line) with large central ridge stack; to left, a mid C18 cross- wing with 2 shallow , tall external lateral stacks; to right another cross wing (with lateral stacks) projecting forward as a storeyed coachhouse (now garage). 2 storeys (3 to rear, except left (E) wing which is 2 storeys throughout). Front: 3 distinct elements; central 5 window range, regular, with entrance (in moulded architrave under swan-necked pediment) to left; chamfered brick plinth. All windows (except centre, 1st floor which is blocked) with 12-pane sashes. Dentilled cornice. 2 hipped dormers. To left, taller 2-window cross-wing. Moulded and dentilled cornice (returns to all sides) symmetrical, 12-pane sash windows under rubbed brick arches. To right, lower coachhouse range, renewed elliptical arched vehicle opening to front wall, and 2 1st floor 12-pane sash windoiis to left return (ie inner face of wing). Rear: irregular fenestration (except to C18 crosswing which is as to front); the rear largely weatherboarded. Gable bay with 2-light stair window over 12-pane sash, window bays to left with 3-light casemerts to ground and 2nd floor, 16-pane sash to 1st; to right, tripartite sash over doorway with wooden architrave (fluted pilasters, dentilled entablature with triglyphs), the whole entrance bay under a moulded cornice. Interior not inspected.
Listing NGR: TQ7417468344 (1)


The present building appears to date to no earlier than the mid-17th century. It is believed that Archdeacon Lee had the house built during this time. This original house appears to have been an entirely timber-framed structure, though very little of this early fabric has survived later phases of rebuilding. What does remain forms part of the central range of a much larger property, after subsequent alterations and additions to the north, south and west. The evidence suggests that Lee's house was comprised of three bays, though it is possible that more bays did originally exist. In terms of fixtures and fittings from this period, the only survival is a plank-and-ledge door in the south attic bedroom. A surviving east-west aligned brick wall and chimney suggest the existence of a lost wing at the north end of the house; the brickwork, red, thin and irregularly formed, laid in a rough Flemish bond, suggests a late 17th century date for this wing.

A large three-storey stair tower appears to have been added in the early 18th century. The tower is timber-framed, though this framing is currently concealed by lath and plaster internally and weatherboards externally. Its roof is also currently inaccessible, so little is known of this feature's original construction. The stair tower has nine original entrances, all still in use today, and most still fitted with their original pine plank-and-ledge doors. The stairs are lit by two windows in the tower's west wall. Whether these are original is unknown, as both are fitted with later frames.

The house's present Georgian façade was constructed during the mid-18th century, removing most of the timber-framed frontage of the original structure. The symmetry of the façade is typical of the period, with five windows on the first floor and four and a door on the ground floor with equal spacing. The front door and doorcase have been replaced during the 19th century. A sketch by Canon Wheatley drawn in the 1930s suggests that the former doorcase had a fanlight, giving it a late 18th century date and suggesting that this too was a replacement. The extant rear entrance hall is of similar construction to the façade and is likely to have been built at a similar date. The central range was almost certainly refurbished during this period. A map of 1772 shows the Archdeaconry as an 'L'-shaped building with a projecting wing at the north end. The current wing in this location is of an early to mid-19th century date, implying that it was built as a replacement of a now lost earlier wing.

Archdeacon Law appears to have altered the house again shortly after taking office, and is thought to have added the large south wing at this time. Wheatley's sketch of Wylde's c.1800 painting clearly shows the new wing, as does the architect Daniel Asher Alexander's survey of the precinct in 1801. The structure is brick built, with the bricks larger and much more regular in shape than the earlier brickwork. All of the original windows of this wing are located in the east and west walls, and have recessed sash boxes, unlike those of the Georgian façade, which are flush with the brickwork. The ground floor of the south wing contains two reception rooms, the first floor two bedrooms, a dressing room and a small landing.

It is probable that the present two-storey north wing dates from the mid-18th century. It is brick built, aligned east-west and its entrance and original windows faced north towards the stables, suggesting that this wing was originally intended for service use. Though it is likely that the ground floor originally contained a single kitchen room, modern partitions have removed any potential evidence for original partitioning. The south wall appears to have included a large hearth, now replaced by an Aga. The wing is covered by a four-bay king-post roof with typical early to mid-19th century framing.The roof is hipped at both ends and has a low pitch.

The front and rear entrance halls were likely to have been refurbished during the late 19th century, by Archdeacon Samuel Cheetham, who took office in 1883. Cheetham is also credited with inserting a partition into the first floor of the north wing to form a new room. A small brick toilet was added to the rear of the north wing on the first floor, supported by brick piers and arches at ground level.

During the 20th century, the ground floor of the north wing was converted into a garage. A wide, double-doored, entrance was formed in the wing's east wall. In the early 21st century this was again converted into a kitchen, and the garage door blocked internally. (2)

<1> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<2> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2011, The Old Archdeaconry, The Precincts, Rochester, Kent: An historic buiilding appraisal (Unpublished document). SKE32407.