Building record MAB23995 - CHAPLAIN'S CHAMBERS

House, reconstructed in 1718 incorporating remains of the 16th century Chaplain's House.

House, reconstructed in 1718 incorporating remains of the 16th century Chaplain's House. The Chaplain's Chambers was a square court with towers at each corner, built in 1519 by Bishop Gavin Dunbar. Entry was through a pend from the Chanonry. It contained the chambers of 20 vicars or chaplains who served the cathedral. After the Reformation it was converted to a Divinity College. The site is now partly occupied by private gardens and a 17th century house (20, Chanonry) which includes relics of the 16th century buildings. The present house is 3-storey, part rubble and part ashlar construction, with coped chimneys and crowsteps; the lower wings are part pantiled. There is a pinned rubble boundary wall and a moulded pend arch with the Bishop's Arms over the arch. Test pitting was carried out by MAS in July 2005 in the south garden which occupies the site of one of the corner towers of the 16th Century Chaplain's Court, in order to assess survival of archaeological deposits ahead of creation of a new garden proposed replacement of railings. There was little evidence for undisturbed archaeology. A watching brief and building survey was carried out by MAS between May 2013 and April 2014 during extensive renovations to 20 Chanonry, which is the remaining part of the Chaplain's Court. The present property comprises the pend arch with chamber above, the north half of the west range and the northwest tower. This part of the building had been raised and altered significantly during the building works in 1718 and the 19th century, but much of the 16th/17th century structure remains. The recording of the east face of the west range during temporary removal of the harling and excavation for a new pathway confirmed the position and width of the former north range. The building survey also recorded a number of blocked features on the walls of the west range. Internally removal of the 19th century fireplace revealed a blocked 16th century fireplace behind it. Geophysical survey in July 2013 by Rose Geophysical Consultants confirmed the length of the north range and position of the east range. The survey results suggest flooring within the courtyard may survive. Potential structures were also recorded along the northwest limits of the survey area, although it is not clear whether these relate to the Bishop's Garden or are of more recent origin. Two test pits were excavated by MAS in July 2015 in the small garden area on the corner of Chanonry and Don Street prior to redesign of the garden which covers the site of a corner tower of the 16th century building. No significant features were observed. A watching brief was also maintained by MAS in May and June 2016 on groundworks for the foundations of new railings and lowering of the ground within the garden. There was no evidence of surviving wall footings of the south tower. Some disturbed features may represent robbed out walling possibly of internal walls associated with the south tower, although the groundworks only uncovered the top of these so their date and function could not be conclusively determined. A total of 5 sherds of late medieval or post-medieval pottery were recovered; in some areas of the trench structural rubble was mixed with 19th century pottery and other domestic rubbish. A test pit was excavated by MAS in 2018 alongside the north boundary wall of the Upper Garden, an area in which the 2013 geophysical survey recorded an anomaly. This recorded a scatter of small stones, probably 'waste' from building work related to the Bishop's Palace. Two conjoined sherds of 12th-13th century greyware cooking pot were recovered suggesting the scatter was at or near the medieval ground surface.

Period Notes
Boundary wall Listed 12/01/1967.

SMITH, A, 1875, A NEW HISTORY OF ABERDEENSHIRE, pp1089-90 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1794.

ROSE GEOPHYSICAL CONSULTANTS, 2013, GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY REPORT: CHAPLAIN'S COURT, OLD ABERDEEN, Geophysical survey (Bibliographic reference). SAB3124.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2014, CHAPLAIN'S COURT, 20 THE CHANONRY, OLD ABERDEEN: STANDING BUILDING RECORDING AND WATCHING BRIEF, SBS and WB report (Bibliographic reference). SAB7328.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2014, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 14, 2013, p. 10 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5483.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2015, SOUTH GARDEN AREA PART 2, CHAPLAIN'S COURT, 20 THE CHANONRY, OLD ABERDEE: WATCHING BRIEF, WB report (Bibliographic reference). SAB7329.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2016, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 16, 2015, p. 9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6502.

ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL, 2016, OLD ABERDEEN TRAIL: A GUIDE TO OLD ABERDEEN (Bibliographic reference). SAB8368.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2016, SOUTH GARDEN AREA, CHAPLAIN'S COURT, 20 THE CHANONRY, OLD ABERDEEN: TEST PITS AND RECORDING, Test pits (Bibliographic reference). SAB7330.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2018, CHAPLAIN'S COURT UPPER GARDEN: ARCHAEOLOGICAL TEST PIT, Test pit (Bibliographic reference). SAB7422.

Record last edited

Dec 12 2022 2:35PM