The Buildings of Wycombe: A bedraggled ruin

I wonder how many of those people know they have actually just passed by one of Wycombe's oldest buildings dating back to 1180 which in 1993 was classed as an English national monument?

Of course I am talking about to the remains of the hospital of St. John the Baptist.

As with most 12th Century hospitals set up by the church the main function of the building was as an almshouse for the poor or infirm indeed the activities carried out there were a far cry from what happens in a modern hospital.

On the site there would have been a chapel, a hall and an infirmary. The hospital would have been run by a monk, known as the master, with a small band of brothers to assist.

The first documented master was brother Gilbert who in 1236 wrote to Pope Gregory IX for permission to establish a chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist at the hospital.

Not only did the hospital look after the poor and infirm but three beds were always kept on standby for travellers passing by.

In 1245 as study found the brothers distributed bread to the poor annually on Lady Day (25th March). They also offered prayers to Adam Walder, who may well have been the founder.

By 1344 the hospital was in the patronage of the mayor and burgess of Wycombe and it continued operating until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1548 after which the mayor and burgess of Wycombe acquired the building for use as a school which opened in 1550.

The poor who had been previously accommodated in the hospital were moved to the newly built Queen Elizabeth almshouses which were built opposite and survived until about 1970.

In 1562 the newly formed school received a Royal charter from Queen Elizabeth after which the school was know as the Royal Grammar School.

Sadly, in 1767, part of the original building was pulled down to widen the road for the establishment of a turnpike.

In 1883 the school moved to a new building to the rear of the original hospital site indeed that building still stands today where it stayed until 1915 when the Royal Grammar School moved to its current location in Amersham Hill.

The remains we see today are part of the main hall, refectory and chapel. Thankfully the remains are now well cared for and over the years work has taken place to strengthening the stones to ensure their survival for future generations.

When Pevsner visited Wycombe he described the remains as “a bedraggled ruin” of course in the intervening years attitudes to historic buildings have changed quite considerably.

Next time you walk by why not stop and take a detailed look at the historic remains and think of all the needy who have sought solace in the hospital of St. John the Baptist.

What do you think?

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