The Priory Approximately 10 Metres South of Marcham Priory (Not Included)

THE PRIORY, MARCHAM

A mid-16th century house, built approximately 10 metres south of Marcham Priory, constructed of roughly coursed limestone rubble with alternate dressed stone coursed on the first floor, ashlar quoins and dressings. The gabled roof is covered in stone slate and topped with a double-flued ashlar ridge stack with roll-moulded dripcourse.

The house follows a 3-unit plan with a through-passage and a lobby-entry to the rear. It is 2 storeys tall with a 3-window range in Tudor style. The front elevation is notable for a studded 16th century door with strap hinges positioned left of centre, set within a Tudor-arched convex-moulded architrave. To the left are 2-light ovolo-moulded stone-mullioned windows. To the right are stone-mullioned and transomed ovolo-moulded round-arched windows above similar 4-light mullioned windows with central king mullions. All windows feature leaded lights and are set in cyma-moulded architraves. The right gable wall contains a similar 2-light round-headed window. The left gable wall has an ovolo-moulded attic light and chamfered timber lintels over one 3-light window and three 4-light chamfered wood-mullioned windows.

The rear elevation features a narrow pointed chamfered doorway to the lobby entry and a 16th century studded door set in a pointed chamfered oak doorway to the through passage. To the right are 3- and 4-light moulded wood-mullioned and transomed windows with leaded lights. To the left is a similar but altered 4-light window with a 3-light chamfered wood-mullioned window above.

Interior features include a through passage with stop-chamfered joists flanked by partitions. The right partition has chamfered muntins and rail dividing panels with 2 service doorways with sunk spandrels. The left partition is plainer and probably later. The service room to the right has a stop-chamfered beam. The central room features a stop-chamfered beam and joists with a segmental tympanum arch over a moulded stone fireplace with sunk spandrels. The room to the left, formerly a living room, has a stop-chamfered beam and joists with a corbelled fireplace featuring a tall stepped overmantle and chamfered flat arch. An arched doorhead to newel stairs adjoins the stack. The room above, formerly a parlour, has a corbelled ovolo-moulded fireplace with a keyed half-round overmantel of ashlar flush with the wall. A chamfered doorhead with sunk spandrels opens to a large first-floor room to the left, which contains a flat-arched fireplace with urn-stopped chamfer.

The roof structure consists of a 6-bay collar-truss with side struts, purlins and arched windbraces, with stop-chamfer to the tie beam in the parlour. The attic floor has been removed.

This building is unusual for combining a through-passage with the newly-introduced lobby-entrance, here used as a back door from the private living quarters. Research suggests a date of circa 1570, making the use of early 16th century style round-arched windows notably old-fashioned for this period. The unusual plan suggests this may have been used as a temporary residence, possibly an audit house.