St John'S Priory

ST6332 5/68

CASTLE CARY CP GREENWAY ROAD (East side)

St. John's Priory (Florida House)

GV II

Detached house. 1877. Built for J S Donne, of the Flax Mills family, designed by Charles Bell. Doulting and Bath stone ashlar; plain clay tile roof between coped gables, ashlar chimney stacks with ornamental caps. Two storeys with attic, 3 bay south elevation. Plinth, polychrome stonework; sash windows, glazing bars having semi-circular arch design; bay 1 has single-storey projecting square bay window with flat roof, open balustrade and corner ball finials; of 1+3+1 lights; above 3 windows grouped in decorative false gable planted on real gable, which has segmented arched pediment at crown, with ball finial: bay 2 has open porch recess with heavy doors in semi-circular arch carried on non- classical columns under dentilled string, carved spandrils; plain single window above, then rises a tower with rectangular window at attic floor level and above a belvedere with 3 semi-circular arched windows each face, set under lead-covered bell-hip roof with wrot-iron finial and weathervane; bay 3 has single windows, lower under string hood, upper under carved semi-circular arch and then false gable with semi- circular pediment and ball finial. West elevation of 5 bays to match; angled bay window both levels bay 1 under lean-to hipped roof against ornamental coped gable, of 1+2+1 windows; single window upper bay 2, blank below, and to both levels bays 3 and 5, each with segmental pedimented false gable over; to bay 4 a projecting chimney stack from first level up. Later extensions to north and east not of special interest. Interior not seen, but a mantlepiece and recess, by Reid and Co, illustrated in The Builder 19th May 1888. Very much a show-house, it is now the Priory of the Sisters of Jesus Crucified. (McGarvie M, Castle Cary: Avalon Industries, 1980).

Listing NGR: ST6392932554