Priory Cottage And Priory House

Priory Cottage and Priory House date back to the 15th century, with subsequent alterations in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The buildings form a two-storey, L-shaped structure joined as one. Originally a three-bay medieval timber-frame building with a central open hall, the north face of the south side tie beam is crenellated and the south face of the upper tile beam on the north side has a chamfered 4-centre-arched doorway indicating the insertion of the first floor in the 16th century. The western arm began as a 17th-century timber-frame but was extended in the 19th century, while the northern arm, which forms the north part of No 1 North Street, is also 19th century. The south-facing facade to Newbury Road and the east-facing facade to North Street both have two storeys and a 2:2:2:2 window arrangement. The roofs are hipped and tiled, with a taller section in the middle and a catslide at the rear. The walls are of painted brickwork in a Flemish bond pattern, with slightly-cambered ground-floor openings and a cement plinth. Windows are sash windows in exposed frames. Each doorway has a six-panelled door set within a solid frame, topped by a moulded canopy. The interior of Priory House reveals the original massive timber-frame, and one corner ground-floor room features 18th-century panelling.