The Priory

The Priory is a house located on Station Road in Castle Bytham, dating from the 15th century, with alterations made in the 16th, 17th, 19th, and 20th centuries. It is constructed of coursed squared limestone rubble, featuring ashlar quoins and dressings, and has a Collyweston slate roof with two gable and two moulded stone ridge stacks. The building is two storeys high with attics and has an irregular five-bay front. The third and fifth bays are separately gabled, with the fifth bay being advanced.

The entrance is an off-centre 20th-century half-glazed door set in a pointed surround. To the left of the door is a single fixed light, followed by three plain casements. To the right, there is a three-light mullioned and transomed window with a cornice, next to a blocked doorway now containing a 20th-century light, and further along is a six-light mullioned bay window. On the first floor, to the left, are two 20th-century three-light windows, and to the right is a gabled mullioned and transomed window, followed by another 20th-century three-light window and a six-light mullioned bay window. The right-hand gable features blocks for vanished finials, and all non-mullioned windows have timber lintels.

Inside, the soot-blackened arch-braced trapped purlin roof of the early hall is preserved. Additional evidence of this early phase includes two elliptical arches at the service end of the hall and a short length of vertically studded framed partition. In the 16th century, a massive stone stack was inserted into the hall, and a richly moulded oak floor was constructed above it. The beam over the hearth is ogee moulded, and the limestone jambs have half pyramid stops. The parlour was reconstructed in the 17th century, during which a large square front bay with chamfered mullioned lights was added. The chamber above the parlour features a 17th-century moulded stone chimney piece.