East Wing and Porte Cochere

East Wing and Porte Cochere

This school accommodation wing at Prior Park was formerly the service wing to the house. It dates from around 1750, was reconstructed and heightened around 1830, and underwent modifications in the 20th century. The designer was possibly Richard Jones. The building is constructed in limestone ashlar with a slate roof.

The exterior comprises a square plan pavilion attached to an arcaded link from the main house, which was the former porte-cochere and part of John Wood's original layout. The remainder is a very long and shallow range with a central unit raised to an additional storey, featuring a stone turret and cupola. The building has two storeys and a lower ground floor, with six, three, and seven windows respectively, plus a three-bay porte-cochere.

The main floor windows are twelve-pane sashes with the bottom half blind and painted in, set within moulded architraves and cornices. Three bays to the pedimented centre include a Palladian central window, with a modified nine-pane window in plain reveals to the attic storey. The lower ground floor is brought forward and has three central twelve-pane windows in a stepped forward section, flanked by six and seven six-pane sashes. The floor is fully rusticated with a deep plain two-stage plinth and plain blocking band with a sixteen-panel balustrade. The entablature with modillion cornice extends across the full width, and a high pediment contains carved high relief sculpture brought from Hunstrete House by Bishop Baines around 1840, along with two small carved elliptical panels at first floor from the same source. The pavilion to the right has a central Palladian window and blind lights above a broad arch over a Diocletian window, flanked by niches. The return to the east also has a Palladian window, modified with an inserted door to a steel escape staircase. A pyramidal roof covers the pavilion, with an east porte-cochere entrance.

The rear, south side is in two storeys with the ground floor brought forward on each side of a three-storey centre unit. Seven modified twelve-pane sashes in plain reveals flank each side of the centre, which has a Palladian window flanked by twelve-pane windows in architraves, and an attic storey with a single small nine-pane window and two two-light casements. The ground floor features eight pairs of large steel casements to the left and one set-back bay with an original arched opening to a window with stone glazing bars. To the right is an open five-bay arcade plus two bays with margin pane sashes with arched heads, and a further right unit set forward with four 20th-century sashes. The centre range has a pair of doors with a fanlight in a Tuscan doorcase, flanked by twelve-pane sashes in architraves with cornice and quoin pilasters, all set to a full entablature and deep blocking course, stepped forward from the main front. A modillion eaves course flanks each side of the centre, with an entablature taken across above the first floor and a high pediment below a square stone turret with balustrade, carrying a stone octagonal lantern with cupola. The pavilion to the far left has a wide arched light to the ground floor, presumably the former carriage entrance to the porte-cochere. The right-hand gable end has a high triple parapet incorporating flues, with two smaller single-storey ranges attached continuing the line of the north frontage.

The interior was not inspected.

This block was used by Allen as a place of informal residence when the stateliness of the main mansion became oppressive. It contained a breakfast room, bedroom, picture gallery, and hall, making it essentially self-contained. Originally a mirror image of Wood's west wing, it underwent substantial alteration under Bishop Baines, when the roofline was raised by the addition of an extra storey, and distinctly un-Palladian pediment sculpture was inserted. The wing was then called St Peter's College and housed a Catholic seminary.