Heywood House Preparatory School The Priory

CORSHAM PRIORY STREET ST 87 70 (south side) 5/350 The Priory (Heywood House Preparatory School) 20.12.60 GV II

House, 1776, ashlar fronted with hipped, double-valley mansard stone tiled roof and ashlar ridge stacks. Two storeys and attic, with formal Palladian north front, 1-3-1 bays with projecting pedimented centre, cornice and parapet to sides, raised plinth and band and glazing bar sash windows, 6-pane to attic 12-pane elsewhere. Central door in Roman Doric pedimented surround. Coursed rubble side walls with parapet ramped down and 2 hipped attic dormers. Dripcourse over upper windows. West side, 3-window range, with upper 12-pane sashes flanking blank centre window, floor band and ground floor 15-pane sash, blank window and 12-pane sash. Basement under with 2-light mullion window and dripstone. East side has 2 window range and outside stack to left. Twelve- pane sashes with dripstones over lower pair but no band. Interior: centre rear stair with column newels. Ground floor front rooms with plaster friezes and cornices. House is on the site of the parsonage, associated with the rectory manor recorded at Domesday, held by St Stephen's Abbey, Caen in Cll, Marmoutier Abbey in C12, Tickford Priory, Bucks in C14 and Syon Abbey, Middlesex in C15. After the Dissolution it was held to c1570 by R. Bellott and from c1570 to 1738 by the Smyth or Smith family. Manor purchased 1738 by R. Neale who sold the house to H. Pullen of Bath in 1776 who rebuilt it. (H. Brakspear, Corsham n.d. 12-14 (reprint Wilts.Arch.Mag.43 511- 39).

Listing NGR: ST8720270616