Newburgh Priory

This country house has evolved through numerous building campaigns from the 16th century onwards, with major work around 1600, throughout the 18th century, and a restoration around 1960. The house was built for the Bellasis, Fauconberg and Wombwell families, with the most significant alterations undertaken by and for the 4th Viscount Fauconberg between 1725 and 1745. The structure is sandstone, partly rubble and partly dressed stone, with roofs of pantile, plain tile, stone slate and Westmorland slate. The plan is irregular, essentially comprising three south-facing ranges with a kitchen wing to the rear left of the central range, the shell of a gallery block recessed to the rear right, and lesser ranges to the rear left—the first forming an entrance to the kitchen courtyard, the second returning around it.

The South Range

The central section of the south range dates to the 16th century and is built of coursed rubble with a pantile roof. It has three storeys across five bays and features a plinth. The ground and second floors contain small-paned two-light mullion windows dating from around 1600, with arched heads to the lights and sunk spandrels. The first floor has larger three-light windows of similar design. Below these are blocked 16th-century chamfered vents. The range has a classical string course, ashlar parapet, and lead rainwater pipes.

To the right of this central section stands an extruded three-storey porch dating from around 1600, constructed in ashlar. The ground floor features Tuscan columns, with the entablature interrupted by a round-arched entrance. A matching inner doorway has a part-glazed door. The porch contains small-paned four-light mullion windows, those on the top floor being taller. The first and second floors display Ionic and Corinthian orders respectively. A strapwork keystone sits in the centre of the top entablature, and Jacobean finials crown the structure. The left return of the porch has single columns, a matching doorway, and three-light windows.

The projecting right range is dated 1745 and built of ashlar with a Westmorland slate roof. It has two taller storeys across three bays with a plinth. The centre features a leaved part-glazed door in an architrave with pulvinated frieze and pediment on brackets, with a sash window containing glazing bars in an eared architrave above. The projecting first and third bays have segmental bows, each with three windows on each floor—15-pane sashes on the ground floor and sashes with glazing bars on the first floor. A first-floor band is interrupted in the corners. A continuous cyma reversa cornice runs along the range, with a parapet containing blind panels above the windows and a central coat of arms. Classical urns stand to the right of each bow. The left return is pecked ashlar with two first-floor sash windows with glazing bars, and stone carved with the Prince of Wales' feathers and the date 1877. The right return has three bays plus narrow round-headed lights to a corridor, sash windows with glazing bars (15 panes on the first floor), and a dated rainwater head. This section was affected by fire in 1957 and subsequently refitted.

The left range projects forward and was added by the 4th Viscount between 1727 and 1736. It is constructed of reused coursed sandstone with ashlar dressings and a Westmorland slate roof. It has two storeys across seven bays, with a plinth and rusticated quoins. The windows—four panes on the ground floor, eight panes on the first floor—have projecting ashlar surrounds with small keystones. A cyma reversa cornice runs below the hipped roof, and ashlar ridge stacks appear at intervals.

Kitchen Courtyard Entrance and Ranges

The left range forms the entrance to the kitchen courtyard. This section has two storeys arranged 2:3:1:3:2 bays, with the ends projecting slightly and quoined. There is a plinth, and the windows match those on the south side. The centre bay contains a full-height round-arched carriageway with alternately rusticated raised voussoirs and panelled leaved doors. A cyma reversa cornice runs below the hipped stone slate roof. A central cupola sits above a clock tower, flanked by ridge stacks, with additional stacks at the junctions of the end sections.

The rear (east) side displays a coat of arms on the keystone of the central arch, flanked by matching arches to coach houses in ashlar with imposts and leaved board doors. Above these are four-pane oculi in ashlar surrounds. Beyond are large stable doors with sash windows of various sizes in ashlar surrounds above and to the right.

The entrance range returns on the north side as the brewhouse. The north elevation has two storeys arranged 2:3:2 bays, with the end pairs projecting slightly. Each end has a board door, a sash window with glazing bars, and two first-floor oculi. The centre has three full-height bricked-up keyed round arches with banded piers. The hipped stone slate roof was being relaid at the time of resurvey. The courtyard elevation has five bays on the ground floor with a central leaved door in a round-arched ashlar surround with imposts and keystone, flanked by 20-pane sash windows, and an eight-panel door, all in ashlar surrounds. The first floor has 12-pane fixed lights in ashlar surrounds, and the roof is hipped to the right.

Gallery Block

At the north-east corner stands the gallery block, dated 1735 but incorporating 16th-century and earlier material. It is constructed of pecked ashlar and was roofless at the time of resurvey. The L-shaped plan has two storeys. The east elevation spans eleven bays with a plinth, nine-pane segmental-arched basement windows, tall narrow keyed first-floor window openings, and a cornice and parapet matching the south-east range. The south return has three matching bays. The north return has altered 17th-century openings, coats of arms of James I and Bellasis, and tall cornice stacks rising from the parapet. The west elevation has three doorways (one Tudor-arched), two-light ground-floor and taller three-light first-floor mullion windows (all with arched heads), and medieval carved stones including grave covers. Inside is a two-basin piscina with trefoiled head.

Rear Elevations

The rear of the south-east range is pecked ashlar with two storeys arranged 1:5:1 bays. The first bay on each floor contains a shell niche with statue. Eight-pane sash windows with tripartite keystones appear throughout, except for 12-pane sashes in ground floor bays 3-5. To the right, a three-storey ashlar porch has a round-arched doorway with Ionic pilasters and entablature. The first floor displays a coat of arms with a three-light ovolo-mullion window above, then an entablature and balustraded parapet with strapwork flanking a pedimented niche containing a bust.

The rear of the south-west range has fenestration similar to the front, with two coats of arms on the second floor and a stone slate roof.

Kitchen Wing

Returning to the right, the kitchen wing is dated 1767 and built of ashlar with a plain tile roof. It has a single storey across four bays, with pointed-arched hollow-chamfered three-light windows having segmental-arched heads to the lights and intersecting tracery above. The date is painted in the centre between windows. A band runs below a panelled parapet with central coat of arms.

The rear elevation facing the kitchen courtyard is earlier, featuring a massive stepped chimney truncated at the top with a bell below a cover (the bell is said to be dated 1729). A plain 18th-century doorway sits in the centre of the chimney. To the left of the stack is a lead rainwater head dated 1732.

Interior

The interior contains numerous rooms of architectural and historical significance:

Drawing Room (first floor of south-west range): This room has fine early 18th-century plasterwork by Cortese, including an overmantel with cartouche, side panels with fruit drops, and a ceiling divided into three sections—the central panel coved and the outer ones with shallow elliptical domes, all richly decorated.

Porter's Hall (north side of central south range): This space contains 17th-century panelling removed from Coxwold Grammar School (the Old Hall) with names of old boys carved on it, including that of architect William Wakefield, who probably contributed to alterations and new estate buildings at Newburgh. The hall has chamfered first-floor beams in an irregular H-pattern on carved corbels and a brick floor.

Black Gallery (north side of first floor of central block): This gallery features 17th-century panelling with Ionic fluted pilasters and a broken pediment above the fireplace.

Justices' Room (south side of Black Gallery): This room has bolection panelling and a modillion cornice.

Small Study (east of Justices' Room): This study contains 17th-century leather panelling.

Elizabethan Screen and Staircase (east end of central south range): An Elizabethan screen stands before a turned-baluster open-well oak staircase. Above this, in attics formed around 1760 but never completed, is the reputed tomb of Oliver Cromwell's body—his daughter Mary having married the 2nd Viscount Fauconberg.

Small Drawing Room (ground floor in south-east corner of central south range): This room has three arched openings in the east wall with delicate Ionic columns, a good Cortese ceiling featuring musical instruments surrounded by flowers and foliage, and a rich modillion cornice.

Large Drawing Room (across entrance passage from Small Drawing Room): Originally the dining room, this space has pedimented door cases, a good marble fireplace, fluted Ionic columns to the window bay, and Ionic pilasters framing a round-arched opening to a serving recess with shell niches. It features a bayleaf garland frieze and a good Cortese ceiling.

Banqueting Room (rear of south-east range): This room contains a brown marble overmantel by Nicholas Stone dated 1611, depicting Mars, Diana and Venus. Oak eared door cases are richly carved, and the fireplace is flanked by Adam-style niches.

Kitchen: The kitchen has chamfered segmental-arched fireplaces flanking a central chamfered triangular-headed doorway, with a kitchen range and spit in the right-hand fireplace.