The Priory

The Priory is a house that was formerly a union workhouse, built in 1836 with alterations around 1900 and possibly an earlier core. The building has two storeys and features rendered masonry walls with parapets and Dutch gables at both ends of the front elevation, topped with slated roofs. The windows are mullioned and transomed casements dating from around 1900. The entrance has a 4-panelled arched partly-glazed door, framed by a reset 15th-century limestone surround that is arched and hollow-chamfered. Above the doorway is a heavily moulded label with a carved frieze displaying two shields, one flanked by angels and the other by lions. This doorway is believed to have been taken from the house of the Cellarer of St. Edmunds Abbey. There may have been an earlier range made of oak timber that was demolished around 1897, located at the front of the current house. Additionally, there is a rear wing built in 1836, made of gault brick with a slated roof, featuring horizontally sliding casements on the north side.