Priory Close House

Priory Close House is a house with possible medieval origins, largely reconstructed in the early 17th century, and with later additions dating to around 1740. It is built of roughcast stone with slate roofs. The east facade presents two storeys and five bays, with the fourth and fifth bays recessed and lower in height. The first three bays have a sill band and cornice on the first floor. Windows are primarily sash windows with glazing bars. The main entrance features a bracketed canopy and a six-fielded-panelled door with an overlight containing glazing bars. The fourth bay has smaller casement windows, and the fifth bay has windows with small panes of glass. A second entrance also has a bracketed canopy and a six-fielded-panel door with two glazed panels. The return of the third bay features a four-light chamfered wooden mullioned window to the attic. At the rear, there is a projecting gabled wing with a re-entrant lean-to outshut and a lateral stack with round shafts to the left. A sixth bay is gabled and contains a large stack. Most windows are sash windows with glazing bars. On the ground floor, the first bay has a two-light casement window, the second bay has small-paned glazing in a window within the outshut, and the fifth bay has a stone three-light single-chamfered mullioned window. A top-hung casement is visible in the window of the second bay on the first floor. The fourth bay includes a large stair window with 56 panes of fixed glazing, and a casement window to the attic above. The sixth bay has a three-light single-chamfered mullioned window. An entrance to the outshut has a half-glazed door.

The interior includes a ground floor room with a double hexagon pattern floor made of dark and light boards, and bolection-moulded panelling with a dado rail and cornice. Another room features a fireplace with a grate and a wall cupboard with fluted, flat pilasters, a broken pediment, and fielded-panel doors leading to a round-headed niche with shaped shelves. The insides of the doors and niche are decorated with naive, lacquerwork oriental scenes. The outshut has a segmental arch and a bench with decorative panels and figurework, said to originate from a pew in a church. The staircase has panelled square newels, a ramped handrail, and turned and double-twisted balusters. The first floor has bolection moulded fireplaces and two-panel doors. One stone fireplace has a triangular head with dagger motifs. The house is believed to represent an early 17th century reconstruction of the medieval Prior’s lodging and guesthouse.