The Guild Complex
The Guild Chapel of the Holy Cross (referred to herein as the Guild Chapel or Chapel) is part of a complex of medieval buildings located in the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. The buildings now form part of King Edward VI grammar school which is made up of up of the Chapel, a range of modern school buildings, the Guildhall, the Pedagogues House and the adjoining almshouses.
Sometime prior to 1296 Robert de Stratford and fifteen members of the Fraternity of The Holy Cross petitioned to found a Hospital and erect a chapel on the site. The license was granted in 1296 and soon after the Hospital of the Holy Cross was founded for "the support of poor priests of the diocese" (Clarke et al 2006 pp 5) which was later redeveloped or re-built as the chapel. The guild grew in size and wealth and acquired large property portfolio from which it obtained most of its riches, and amalgamated other guilds in the town including the Guild of Our Lady and the Guild of St. John the Baptist .
There is no documentary evidence to indicate when the guild hall was constructed but reference to repairs show that a building used as the guild hall was in existence by 1388. This building was replaced between 1417 and 1418 with the building that survives today . There is some debate (Clarke et al 2006) as to whether the almshouses that are extant today are those mentioned as being extended and altered during the period when the new guild hall was being built in 1417. Although reference is made to the almshouses being established by the beginning of the 15th century with further work and extensions in 1417, mention is also made of the almshouses possibly being moved in the 16th century to coincide with the construction of new school buildings. The School House (The Pedagogue's House) was first constructed in 1427 but appears to have been rebuilt and or possibly moved to its current location in 1503. The layout of the buildings that formed the early complex of the guild did not remain static but underwent a substantial programme of rebuilding and alteration from its foundation in the late 13th century. However, by the middle of the 16th century the layout that survives today had been established.
The Guild of the Holy Cross was dissolved in 1547 and was stripped of its assets, including its now extensive property portfolio which was taken by the crown and control of the chapel passed to the Stratford Corporation which was established in 1553.
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