The Manor House And Attached Wall To Rear

The Manor House is an abbatial residence, later adapted as a manor house, dating from around 1235-1252 and subsequently altered and expanded through the 14th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Originally established by Abbot Michael of Amesbury, it was refurbished by Abbot Adam of Sodbury, with further work by Abbot John Chinnock. 17th-century additions were made by Edward, Earl of Hereford, and rebuilt around 1754 by Edward Andrews, a Bristol merchant, with later 18th-century additions. The building has an L-shaped plan and presents a symmetrical classical frontage incorporating some possibly reused medieval elements, with a wing at the rear in an exuberant Gothick style.

The building is constructed of coursed and squared rubble, with crenellated ashlar parapets, crocketed finials, predominantly ashlar stacks, and hipped tile, pantile, and slate roofs. The front elevation is of two storeys and five bays, featuring ashlar end pilasters, buttresses to each side, cornice and continuous bands over the window heads. It has 12-pane sash windows to the first floor in plain stone surrounds, with a Venetian window at the centre, its keystone emphasizing the centre light, and sash windows to each light. The ground floor has 18-pane sash windows in plain stone surrounds, with narrower 6-pane sash windows flanking the central door opening; the window to the right is blank and painted to resemble a sash window. The door is within a moulded architrave, pulvinated frieze, and segmental pediment, with a half-glazed door. A truncated projecting rubble stack is located on the right return, and a projecting canted turret is on the left return, featuring four narrow windows in dressed stone surrounds with cusped heads.

The rear wing has three large triple-light gothic windows to its South side, with traceried sash windows and French windows. A gabled stair-turret to the rear has two and three-light moulded stone-mullioned windows, two with leaded lights, and adjacent is a ribbed and studded door within an ovolo-moulded surround, leading to a further cambered head door opening in a chamfered stone surround.

The interior includes a panelled room on the right of the ground floor, with a moulded plaster cornice and a fireplace in a bolection moulded surround. Two rooms in the rear wing boast elaborate Gothick plasterwork, particularly around the windows. Some early turned balusters are present at the top of the stairs.

Attached to the rear is a rubble wall with a moulded cornice, featuring two pointed arch door openings in dressed stone surrounds.