Davington Priory

Davington Priory, founded in 1153, is located adjacent to the Church and consists of the Prioress's Parlour, the Library, the western alley of the Cloister, the arch of the Lavatorium, and the Norman doorway of the Refectory. The buildings are arranged in an L-shape, with the best front facing east. The ground floor features medieval work made of chequered stone and flints, while the upper level is timber-framed with a plastered front that is colour-washed and overhangs on a moulded bressummer. The structure has four gables with moulded bressummers, bargeboards, and pendants. The southernmost gable is over a projecting wing, which has scalloped bargeboards, a cove beneath the bressummer, and a cartouche in the gable. At the north end of the front, there is a two-storey porch that balances the projection. A small wing at the back of the Church forms an L with the main building and appears to be 18th century, with a modern addition at its east end. The west front, which serves as the entrance, has been modernised; the ground floor is of stone, and the upper part is plastered, featuring four gables with moulded bressummers, billet-moulded bargeboards, and pendants. The roof is tiled, and the windows are modern. Most of the 19th-century alterations were made by stained glass artist Thomas Willement, who also incorporated some medieval stained glass into his interior design. Davington Priory, along with its walls, postern, and the Church of St Mary Magdalene, forms a group with Raven's Court Wall enclosing Raven's Court and Raven's Court Cottage on Brent Hill.