Priory Of St Luke And St Teresa

The Priory of St Luke and St Teresa is a Carmelite priory built between 1888 and 1889 by Canon A.J.C. Scoles. It is constructed of stone rubble with freestone dressings and features a clay Bridgwater tile roof with coped gable ends and ashlar stacks. The building has a U-shaped plan, accessed via a cloister from the church leading to stairs in the left (west) wing. The right (east) wing contains the refectory on the ground floor and the library above on the first floor, while the central range has an axial corridor at the back and cells at the front.

In terms of architectural style, the priory is designed in the Jacobean style and has three storeys plus a basement. The south front has a 1:3:2 bay arrangement with projecting gabled wings on each end. It features stone mullion-transom windows, with ground floor windows having hoodmoulds that continue as a stringcourse. The second floor has a stringcourse at cill level and hoodmoulds as well. The right-hand gable includes a statue niche, while the smaller left gable has a lancet ventilator. The fenestration on the north and south sides is asymmetrical, and the rear wall is blind.

Inside, the stairs in the left (west) wing have stick balusters and square pointed newels. The axial corridor at the back of the central range includes depressed 2-centred arch recesses, with cells located in front. The right (east) wing houses the refectory on the ground floor and the library above on the first floor, which retains its original bookcases. The Priory, along with the Roman Catholic Church of St Luke and St Teresa, represents a well-preserved example of a complete late 19th-century monastic complex.