The Priory

The Priory is a house on Common Hill in Saffron Walden, initially constructed in the late 16th century with a circa 1600 addition, followed by 18th-century refurbishment and refronting, and 19th and 20th-century additions. The building is timber-framed and plastered with red brick, peg tile and slate roofs. It comprises an essentially rectangular plan of conjoined units with irregular additions to the rear, arranged over two storeys with attics and cellars.

The east-facing front elevation displays three principal brick units running north to south. The northern five-bay range features central early 17th-century concertina stacks (rebuilt), with a prominent 18th-century timber porch projecting from bay four, supported on Tuscan columns with a pediment. The porch door comprises two leaves, each with four moulded panels. Above stands a pedimented Venetian window with sashes showing 2x4 glazing bars in the outer lights and 3x4 with upper radial glazing in the central light, all beneath a modillioned broken pediment with modillions continuing along adjoining roof eaves. Ground-floor windows have gauged brick voussoirs. Both floors display three flush sash windows with glazing bars and moulded architraves; first-floor windows are 4x4 panes (with a gap in front of the stack), while ground-floor windows consist of two similar examples and one with 19th-century horned sashes and margin glazing (with a gap at the north end).

The central three-bay unit to the south is similar but has a taller roof and is slightly set back, with an early 17th-century concertina stack of small bricks at its south end. The early 19th-century doorway features a cornice hood and a doorcase with flush bead-moulded panels; the door has an overlight and four panels, the upper two glazed. Two sash windows are present: one with gauged brick voussoirs and horned sashes with margin lights, the other segment-headed with similar sashes. The first floor has two sash windows with moulded architraves and 4x4 panes.

To the south stands a one-and-a-half-storey unit of 19th-century date, comprising two bays with the roof hipped at the south end. It features one flat and one segment-headed window, both with sashes and margin lights. A 20th-century dormer window with a flat roof and three casements (6x4 panes with glazing bars) sits above.

The west-facing rear elevation shows the three units as seen on the front. Unit (1) is a rear addition in red brick. Unit (2) is timber-framed and plastered with brick, and both now display 20th-century pargetting. The central stack has a double-gabled late 16th-century stair tower in front, timber-framed and plastered with eaves cove. A ground-floor twin sash window has 2x(3x4) panes. A two-storey slated lean-to with a ground-floor 20th-century fully glazed door (3x5 panes) and a first-floor casement window (4x2 panes) extends from this tower.

A two-storey lean-to stands in front of the stair tower with 2x2-paned casement windows on both floors. A three-bay slated two-storey lean-to with low-pitch roof running from the principal roof ridge features a minor stack in the roof pitch, two first-floor 19th-century two-light casement windows (one segment-headed at 4x3 panes, one flat-headed at 4x2 panes), and a ground-floor 19th-century two-light casement window (4x3 panes) along with a 20th-century door with upper glazing (2x3 panes). A single-storey slated lean-to has a 2x3-paned casement window and a 19th-century boarded door on its north face.

Unit (2) features a high roof slated with a 20th-century flat-roofed dormer window containing three casements (6x4 panes). A two-storey slated lean-to below accommodates a two-window range with two first-floor two-light casement windows (4x2 panes). The ground floor has a 20th-century bowed French window, fully glazed with side lights (6x5 panes in all) beneath a peg-tiled lean-to roof, adjacent to a 20th-century three-light casement window (6x4 panes).

Unit (3) to the south features a ground-floor peg-tiled lean-to with a 20th-century three-light casement window (6x3 panes) and a 20th-century door with a two-paned overlight and four panels (upper two glazed), along with two similar 20th-century casement windows (2x3 panes). Two 20th-century flat-roofed dormer windows sit above: one with three lights (6x4 panes) and one with two lights (4x4 panes).

The north end elevation of unit (1) is timber-framed and plastered with a round attic window containing radial glazing bars. The south end elevation of unit (3) displays a 19th-century ground-floor sliding sash window (6x3 panes) and an attic flat dormer window (4x4 panes).

Internally, timber framing is evident in the northern and central units (1 and 2). The northern block was built as a two-celled, two-storey-and-attic lobby-entrance house with a rear stair tower and central brick stack. The ground floor contains a four-centred arched chamfered brick fireplace retaining pink ruddle on the brickwork. An attic timber-lintelled fireplace is also present. The north end shows remnants of side purlin roof construction. A halved and bridled scarf joint appears in the front wall plate, with a binding joist featuring a lamb's-tongue chamfer stop. The stair tower contains lower balusters of early 17th-century shaped board form and a round newel post.

Unit (2) was built soon after unit (1) as a timber-framed structure. Unit (3), initially timber-framed with a slight set-back, was added to create a three-celled system with a kitchen fireplace and heated chamber above. Later work includes 18th-century conversion of the ground-floor north end room with fielded panelling and a dado rail, alongside a bolection-moulded door on the first floor.

The cellars include a north end with flint and brick walling and a brick floor, while the south cellar contains some walling of thin early 17th-century bricks and twin brick vaults.