Alvington Court

Alvington Court is a manor house or priory grange, later adapted as a farmhouse, dating back to the 16th century with significant alterations made in later periods. The building is constructed from coursed sandstone rubble, with long and short quoins on the south front. It has a hipped roof covered in Welsh slate, with lead dressings. The structure is a compact, tall block with a lower addition to the south-east and a lean-to on the north side covered with pantiles. A large external brick stack, stepped at the top and set into a gable wall, features five limestone flues, although the tops of these have been removed. The building is three storeys high, with a chamfered string course at first floor level and a plain string course just above the second floor window sills. There is considerable plain walling above these windows. The east front has three windows, all 2-light 19th-century casements with horizontal bars under segmental voussoired heads and plain stone cills. The south front is similar, with two windows, with 3-light casements at ground floor level. The north front features a roughly pointed arch opening at second floor level, filled with 19th-century planks, and is constructed from rough, uncoursed sandstone. The west front has a large external stack, with the upper wall and stack rendered, and a 2-light chamfered mullion fixed glass casement alongside a bricked-up opening under a large, single, 4-centred stone lintel. A late 20th-century entrance and flat-roofed porch extend from the south front, and a 19th-century 4-panel door, partly glazed, sits deep within the wall on the east front, sheltered by a plain transom light. The walls are generally around 800mm thick. The interior has been considerably altered. The ground floor features a series of heavy, plain beams, likely from the 19th or early 20th century, and a staircase. At first floor level, remains of an open fireplace with moulded and stopped jambs are visible. The roof is probably rebuilt in the 19th century, and is not accessible. The building may have been located on the site of a grange belonging to Llanthony Priory and retains some striking features, although most of the original 16th-century details have been lost.