Banwell Abbey The Cloisters

Banwell Abbey and The Cloisters is a pair of houses that were originally a bishop's residence, built within or on the site of a monastic foundation. The structure dates from the 14th century, with possible earlier elements, and underwent significant alterations in the 15th century and major reworkings in the early and late 19th century, as noted by Hans Price in 1870. The building features rubble and ashlar construction with slate roofs.

The main block has six windows set between buttresses and rises three storeys high, with four additional windows in the west tower. The middle bay projects forward, and the fenestration is a mix of styles, including some two-light mullioned windows under pointed drip moulds, square-headed windows, sash windows, and casements. The entire structure is battlemented, with a central pediment displaying a crozier and end buttresses topped with finials. To the left, there is a three-stage polygonal tower featuring single pointed lights, gargoyles, and battlements. The parallel range has two embattled gables, a round-headed entrance beneath an embattled, gabled porch, and two-light windows under drips. The east gable contains a significant fragment of a large perpendicular window.

At the rear, there are various single-storey outbuildings, all gabled. The interior showcases a remarkable Victorian pastiche, highlighted by a double-height hall with a large dog-leg staircase and ornate plastered rooms featuring flat arch fireplaces, some of which date back to the 16th century. The former chapel and cloister, located to the right (east) of the main block, now has two storeys. At the east end, there is a three-light window from the 14th century above 20th-century plain chamfered surround windows. To the south, an embattled tower features single lights and a porch in the re-entrant angle. A 19th-century single-storey wing extends north from the former chapel, showcasing cusped three-light windows and a pointed arch entrance beneath battlements, situated between buttresses with finials. The interior retains remnants of the cloister walk, including two-light 15th-century cusped windows.