Godlingston Manor

Godlingston Manor is a significant medieval house incorporating a circular tower, likely of defensive origin. The building is constructed of Purbeck stone with a Purbeck stone roof and stone chimney stacks. According to the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (RCHM), the tower is contemporary with the main house, dating to circa 1300. However, the juncture between the tower and the house suggests an even earlier origin, potentially with a timber hall at some point.

The main house is of typical medieval form, featuring an entrance leading into a through-passage. To the west of this passage is a service block, with the tower projecting from its west end. The hall, originally open to the roof, was floored over in the 17th century. The parlour/solar block, which sits to the east of the hall, was originally roofed at right angles to the hall but was rebuilt following a fire in the 19th century. When the hall was floored over, the rear wall was rebuilt, and a staircase block was added at the north end of the through passage. It is noted that Hutchins recorded a rear doorway visible in the 18th century.

In the 18th century, a new kitchen wing was constructed to the rear (north) of the service block. The interior has been significantly remodelled, with all roofs replaced, and retains few original features, although a 17th-century fireplace was recently uncovered between the hall and the parlour.

The tower has a blocked external door on its front face, as well as arrow-loops in the two upper storeys. Its conical roof is covered in Purbeck stone. The south front of the main house has a ground floor doorway with a pointed trefoil arch, leading into the through-passage. To the west, in the service block, is a 17th-century three-light stone mullioned window on the ground floor. Above this is a dormer with a hipped roof and a similar window. The hall has two 17th-century stone mullioned windows of two and three lights, with two dormers with hipped roofs and stone mullioned windows above. The parlour features a 19th-century four-light stone mullioned window, with a matching three-light window above it. The head of an earlier medieval window has been re-set into the gable. The 18th-century kitchen wing is two-storeys high, with both stone mullioned windows and modern casements.