The Priory

The Priory

This manor house originated in the 17th century and underwent substantial alterations during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The main part of the house is constructed of roughly dressed limestone with ironstone dressings and a roof of plain clay tiles. The service wing is built of red brick, probably handmade, with stone dressings and a matching clay tile roof.

The house follows a double-pile plan with a short narrow service range extending from the north-west corner. The entrance lobby is positioned on the north-east elevation. The south-east pile contains the dining room and drawing room, while the parallel north-west pile houses a long reception hall with a staircase in the south-west corner, followed by a small study. The inner hall and rear hall, both added in the late 19th century, lie to the north-west. The billiard room, added in the early 20th century, occupies the south-west corner. The house contains seven first-floor rooms and five attic rooms, one of which was formerly used as a schoolroom.

Externally, the double-pile section rises two storeys with an attic above. The steeply pitched roofs have raised coping at the gable ends, and a wide chimney stack rises from the south pitch of the north-west pile. The ground and first floors are lit by cross windows with timber mullions and transoms, probably dating to the 20th century. The symmetrical south-west elevation presents four bays and two wide triangular gables at attic level, these pierced by six-light ironstone mullion windows with a single transom above. A string course runs at first-floor level.

On the south-west elevation, the right side displays the M-shaped gable ends of the double-pile. The right bay contains a two-storey canted bay window, while the left side at ground and first-floor level has two narrow single-light windows in ironstone surrounds. The left bay features a timber door with glazed panels and is lit on the first floor by a three-light limestone mullion window. The gable heads are pierced by six-light ironstone mullion windows with a single transom. To the left stands a tall single-storey extension added in the early 20th century to provide the billiard room. This extension replicates the architectural style and materials of the older part, with four bays lit by timber cross windows and a central triangular gable rising from the eaves with identical fenestration.

The north-east and north-west elevations and the two-storey service range could not be fully examined, though the service range appears to have raised stone coping at the gable end and multi-light windows with timber glazing bars and a timber lintel.

The interior of the three reception rooms displays a decorative scheme predominantly belonging to an extensive remodelling of the late Victorian or Edwardian period. The high-quality fittings and joinery possess an Arts and Crafts character while evoking the 17th-century vernacular origins of the house. All three rooms have parquet floor coverings.

The reception hall features a dominant chimney piece of ashlared stone with a wide surround, broad lintel, and smooth corbelled jambs. The overmantel comprises a plain stone panel except for two ogee-arch niches and extends as a frieze around the room, which is fitted with square panelling of varying heights. The ceiling has moulded timber beams laid vertically and horizontally, forming squares.

The dining room has full-height square panelling and a stone fireplace with a chamfered four-centred arch. On the south-east wall, a projection between two windows is fitted with a large mirror in an elaborately carved timber surround, either pseudo-Jacobean or comprising fragmentary early 17th-century woodwork, possibly from a carved frieze or pilasters.

The party wall between the reception hall and dining room contains a spectacular carved timber screen said to have come from Devon, dating to around 1500 and likely originally made for the screens passage in a hall house. The screen features two four-centred archways with leaves and a reclining man in the spandrels. The panels are enriched with parchemin, a 16th-century development of linenfold incorporating vines and foliage.

The drawing room is panelled to dado height with closely spaced joists above. Set at an angle in the west corner is a stone fireplace with a chamfered four-centred arch and a carved timber overmantel. This overmantel has three panels, the outer two fitted with mirrors and the central one containing a woman's profile in relief. The frame appears to be a mix of early elements, probably dating to around 1600–50, whereas the undulating vine leaf frieze panels are probably 16th-century. However, the overmantel could also be competent 19th-century work using a diverse mixture of replica styles.

The early 20th-century double-height billiard room is panelled to dado height and features arch-braced trusses. The open-well, quarter turn staircase is situated in the north-west corner of the reception hall, with a panelled dado, square newel posts, and a closed string from which rise shaped balusters. The stair is lit by a large nine-light mullion window with stained glass depicting the Atkinson family and their coat of arms.

The former schoolroom is the only first-floor or attic room examined. It has a timber-clad ceiling with joists and vertical timber panelling to dado height. The north-west wall features a wide round-arched opening with a stone ring and soffit. The remaining wall face is covered with Victorian or Edwardian scenic pictures, predominantly featuring ladies of romantic or Pre-Raphaelite character. The pasting of such pictures onto walls, panels and screens was a common pastime of the period.

Other rooms are likely to have a similar standard of design and finish.