Origins
The abbey was founded in 1095 by Eudo Dapifer, William the Conqueror’s High Steward and Constable of Colchester Castle. From its inception the abbey made a major contribution to the development of medieval Colchester and became a wealthy and privileged house, despite losing part of its buildings to fire in 1133.
In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, perhaps as a result of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, the abbey strengthened its defences and the gatehouse was added as part of this revamping around 1400.
St John’s was one of a handful of abbeys that refused to surrender to Henry VIII’s Commissioners during the Dissolution, succumbing only after the execution of the abbot for treason.
The property was eventually acquired by the Lucas family who converted some of the abbey buildings into a house. It remained their family seat until the mid-17th century, but it suffered considerable damage as a Royalist stronghold during the siege of Colchester in 1648. The gatehouse itself was stormed by Parliamentary troops and their artillery damaged the vaulted roof and destroyed part of the upper storey.
The site was used to house Dutch prisoners in the 1660s, after which the remaining abbey buildings appear to have been demolished; there are no references to occupation after the mid-18th century.
Description
The two-storey gatehouse with its battlemented roof would have made a powerful statement about the strength of the abbey. It has turrets at each corner – higher on the north front – with large pinnacles. The north front is the most richly decorated, with flintwork panels and ornamented niches for statues.
The gatehouse is principally built of flint and brick with limestone dressings, though Roman and medieval brick has been used at the back of the building. It consists of a gate hall and a porter’s lodge. There is a pedestrian gate alongside the main carriage entrance.
Both carriageway and pedestrian access have ribbed stone vaulting springing from moulded corbels carved with human heads and lions. A doorway in the east wall gives access to the porter’s lodge, which is now roofless. A doorway in the west wall once led into a now-destroyed adjacent building; a blocked door in the south-west turret once connected this building with the upper room of the gatehouse.
The lower part of the structure is mostly original, including the elaborate vaulting. The upper chamber, northern facade and turrets were heavily restored in the mid-19th century, but are believed to be faithful copies of the original work.
Sources
Round, J H 1901. 'The Early Charters of St John's Abbey, Colchester', English Historical Review, 16 (45), 721–30
(With thanks to English Heritage. Visit the above link to see the St. John's Abbey website)
Also nearby is St. Giles' church
Named after a 7th/8th century hermit, St Giles' church was probably built in the late 11th century, possibly on, or close to, the site of a wooden Anglo Saxon church.
There are the usual mixture of architectural styles one would expect of a church of this age. It has a chancel with north and south chapels, a nave with a south porch and a west tower.
The construction of the walls is most of rubble, with septaria and brick to some extent being incorporated. Brick is the main material of the porch, and the tower is wooden.
Damaged in the civil war, it remained so for many years, with only the chancel and the nave being used. Restoration finally began in 1819, with more funds being raised later in the century. This resulted, in 1907, in the restoration of the chancel, north chapel and a new south vestry.
But by 1952, the reorganisation of parishes in Colchester led to St. Giles' being considered redundant and it was closed in 1953. This led to it being used, for some twenty years, as a place of storage for the St. John's Ambulance. It was sold in 1972 and became a Masonic Hall.
The church had only one bell, from the Miles Gray foundry, which became cracked in the early 1880s, leading to it becoming unstable by the early 1950s. It was removed and recast, the result being a small example, the excess being used to pay for the recasting. This bell is now the A flat treble in St. Peter's Church, Goldhanger, part of a peal of eight.
There is a long association of the church with the Lucas family. There is a marble tablet on the north wall, that was originally the slab marking the resting place of Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle, after they were shot by General Fairfax following the Siege of Colchester and it was this church, in fact, that saw their funeral, with full military honours, some thirteen years after their execution.
The location of the cache is wheelchair accessible, but wheelchair users will need help to retrieve the cache.
The cache is also overlooked, as it's in a residential area, so a great deal of stealth will be required.
Enjoy!