Ruins Of The Refectory South Of The House At Kerswell Priory

BROADHEMBURY KERSWELL ST 00 NE

2/80 Ruins of the Refectory south of the - house at Kerswell Priory

GV II

Roofless ruin, originally the refectory of Kerswell Priory. Late C15/early C16 origins, although the walls were mostly "rebuilt in the 19th and 20th centuries", (Allan and Griffiths). Stone rubble. Plan: A rectangular building parallel with the main range of the house. The plan and evolution have been described in Exeter Archaeology 1984/5. The 5-bay structure was divided into 3 rooms, the 3 central bays occupied by what was probably the communal refectory which, like the small room to the east, was heated by an open hearth. The range was probably converted to a farmhouse after the Dissolution and used as a farmbuilding by the C19. It retained a high quality medieval wind-braced roof until 1984, when the roof was removed to Buckfast Abbey and the building was partially demolished. Exterior: The walls, which have been capped with concrete, survive to a height of about 3 metres, rising to about 5 metres at the east end. The north wall retains 3 doorways and 2 windows associated with the C19 argicultural use of the building. Although the intrinsic merit of the existing building is slight, it is of special interest in archaeological sense as part of the Priory complex. At the time of the survey (1987) the medieval roof was in storage and could be returned to the building. A number of articles have been written about the building, these are cited in the entries on Kerswell Priory at the Sites and Monuments Register, County Hall. The article on Exeter Archaeology 1984/5 includes scale drawings of the building when the roof was in situ.

Listing NGR: ST0740306405