Lyss Place

Lyss Place is a house incorporating a medieval monastic building, dating back to the 14th century, with additions from the early 19th century. The house stands on the site of a former monastery, with the surviving corner of a 14th-century refectory—a narrow block—attached to a later, square block. The older part has walls of rubble malmstone, with sandstone and brick quoins, and altered brickwork in a distinctive “header bond” pattern and Dutch flat arches. Stone sills and stepped buttresses are visible at the south end of the older section. The main block is constructed of brick in header bond with Dutch flat arches and stone sills, and a plinth. It has a steep, tiled roof to the original section, hipped at the north end, and a low-pitched, slate hipped roof on the newer part.

The south-east front is symmetrical, with two storeys and three windows featuring 16-light sash windows. A wide doorway with a half-glazed double door is topped by a decorative fanlight, which is set within an open porch featuring a Doric style order with coupled columns. Other elevations have similar details with unevenly spaced windows. The medieval section has irregular window placement and retains two original blocked windows; the upper floors have sashes and the ground floor has casements. It also has two plain doorways and a 19th-century style French door.

Inside the main block, late Regency features are present, including a curving staircase. Attached to the south end of the house is a small, early 19th-century stable with a hipped tile roof, brick walls, and two plain doorways.