Priory Farm House, Monkton

Description

C17/C18 rubble, slate roof, rubble chimney stacks, painted windows with brick facings. Medieval vaulted ground floor room, tower house probably C16. Described either as a tower house or as a fortified first floor hall, the core of this building may have been the Prior's lodging of the Priory of St Nicholas (Nprn582), as it is not unusual to find such buildings being adapted as high status residences following the Reformation. (Coflein)

Situated in Monkton approximately 50m W of the Priory Church of Saint Nicholas.
Much altered C14 to C15 Z-plan tower-house, part of the monastic buildings of Monkton Priory. Altered in C19 and C20 as farmhouse. It has been described as the prior's house. Probably a first floor hall and solar in the main range, over unvaulted ground floor, and tower with chamber over vaulted kitchen. Hall door was reached by an external staircase, at the foot of which were remains of 'very curious pillars' as noted by Fenton in 1811 (though Fenton's description of fully-vaulted basements fits better Monkton Old Hall, which he does not otherwise mention). The NW tower is attached at one corner only.
Two ground floor rooms in main range, vaulted undercroft in NW tower, with tall plastered vault. Said to have a square recess in S face of tower S wall (now internal) above ground floor level. A latrine shaft found 1981 in W wall of vaulted room. Removal of plaster in tower first floor chamber revealed blocked openings in N, splayed recess in NE corner and jamb of former window to E of present N window. Narrow blocked light in W wall at S end and a very wide centre blocked opening with timber lintel.
Farmhouse, unpainted render lined as ashlar with slate roofs. Two to three storeys, tall rectangular main range with big rubble chimney corbelled out at first floor in centre of E front, near detached NW tower house, later low additions running E from left end of E front. Mid to later C19 red brick surrounds to windows with triangular heads, 6-pane horned sashes and slate sills. Two brick window openings with C20 6-pane windows under eaves on top floor, the openings possibly also C20. Large central rubble stone chimney breast projecting slightly on rounded stone base above ground floor, sloped in under eaves and with circular rubble wall-face chimney stack. First floor right has grey stone surround to pointed first floor former door, now with long 6-pane sash. Ground floor centre 6-pane window under chimney breast, in brick surround, and C20 door to right under timber gabled hood. To left, single-storey outbuilding with stone E end stack and door and window on N, lower range beyond. with window and door to N. Main range has lean-to of two storeys on N end in angle to NW tower, with added C20 rubble stone lean-to on N. Two corbels of upper corbel table visible to left of lean-to roof. S end has gable over slightly projected medieval corbelled parapet with limestone corbels, first floor brick C19 window with 6-pane sash and ground floor C20 rubble stone gabled single-storey addition covering C20 door replacing C19 window. First floor raised band, carried across end of outshut to left. Tall grey stone chimney on wall-face at point between main gable and outshut. Rear W of outshut has C19 brick windows, one each floor to right, former door now window to centre, and stair-light to first floor left, at lower height than first floor right. Close eaves. Tall NW tower has roof gabled to E and W, short chimney to E. Stone corbels to slightly projecting top floor with C20 window with brick triangular head on W and N. W and E sides are windowless on lower floors, N has brick framed long C19 6-pane sash window at first floor and two smaller sash windows to ground floor in similar surrounds. (Listed Building Report)

Comments

Tower House. Salter rejects this as an indefensible site. Davis gives a clear description of a three storeyed tower house and suggests this was the residence of the prior of the adjacent Benedictine priory.