The Biggin
The Biggin, on Biggin Lane, beside Hitchin Market, is the second oldest building in the town, after the parish church. Founded as a priory of Gilbertine canons in 1361, much of the present structure was once part of the monastic buildings. Little is known about the building, although an excavation in 1968-9 uncovered foundations belonging to demolished elements of the priory and several architectural historians have noted the presence of fourteenth-century timber framing in the surviving part.
In 2009, the owners of the building, Hitchin United Charities, approached the Archaeological Service and The Heritage Network, a local archaeological contractor, to see if recording work could be undertaken as a community project. In July, a start was made on getting accurate plans of the entire structure, supported by photographs and, eventually, elevations. Further work will try to record other details and perhaps undertake some below ground investigations (possibly including geophysics and trial trenching).
The project has its own blog 
, where updates on the community project can be found, as well as a number of documents details the archaeology and history of the site.
Tuscan colonnade in
The Biggin
