Avening Court

Avening Court is a manor house that was originally built as a nunnery under the Abbess of Caen in the late 11th century and remained a nunnery until the mid-16th century. It underwent significant rebuilding in the late 16th century by the Brydges family, with parts of this work still visible, particularly at the east end. The house was largely reworked to the south and west in the late 19th century, which included substantial changes to the windows, and a large wing was added to the west around 1906. The building features coursed rubble stone, with dressed stone in some areas, especially at the quoins and window embrasures. It has a Cotswold stone slate roof with scattered stone stacks, some of which have diagonally set multiple flues. The overall style is predominantly 19th-century Jacobean Revival, with a complex plan that consists of a long east-west range and two wings to the south, primarily two storeys with an attic.

The main entrance is located on the north side, featuring a single-storey porch with an arched doorway. The right wing has large mullion and transom windows, while the left side includes one three-light window on both the ground and first floors, a large projecting wing with a full-height mullion and transom window, and a 19th-century battlemented bow window at ground level. The east end has a three-storeyed cross gable.

Inside, some medieval remains are still visible, along with fine panelling from the 17th and 18th centuries, most of which was installed in the 19th century. The house also contains several impressive Jacobean stone fireplaces and additional fireplaces from the 18th century that were sourced from Bowood. The property was completely derelict in 1979 when purchased by the current owner, and the interior has since been fully restored.