More information : Prior's house, now dwelling,and water channel beneath. C15 with C14 range to north with earlier origins and later additions and alterations including house of C19. For the Gilbertine order. Pinkish-red brick in English garden wall bond with stone dressings and limestone ashlar with purple brick dressings and Welsh slate roof. 3-storey, 3-bay centre,of which left bay is a 2? storey canted window,with 4-stage octagonal turrets to angles and rear, and with 3-storey, single-bay gable-ended range set back to left. Centre. block: double-chamfered ashlar plinth. C19 single-storey porch to third bay
with 4-centred double plank doors within moulded ashlar surround and under hollow-chamfered hoodmould with label stops. Above, a boarded ashlar niche for a statue. Ashlar copings. To first bay a 5-sided ashlar canted window has slender angle buttresses with offsets; to each side of each storey are 2-cinquefoil-light straight-headed windows within double-hollow-chamfered surrounds and under hollow-chamfered hoodmoulds with label stops. Between floors are arcades of 4 blind ogeed-trefoil panels to each bay. Moulded cornice with gargoyles to angles. Decorative parapet, moulded cornice, hipped roof. Centre bays have 2-light Perpendicular windows with quoined and chamfered ashlar jambs under hollow-chamfered hoodmoulds, with pointed heads to ground and first floors and with straight heads to second floor. First-floor sill band. Embattled turrets have small lancet lights in rubbed brick, double-chamfered surrounds to front, with outer lights oblong and under rubbed brick hoodmoulds with label stops. Above these to left side of left turret but still to ground floor a pair of lancets in chamfered ashlar surround under hoodmould. First-stage band. To first and second floors of turrets are similar pairs of twin-light lancet windows in flat-headed ashlar surrounds under hoodmoulds, that to first floor on left turret interrupts former opening with brick hoodmould. Some slits. Right turret has remains of brick Lombard table. Both turrets are ornamental with purple brick diaper patterning. Returns: to right return a 4-centred arch over stream which marks the end of a channel with chamfered ribs to roof, (see below). Otherwise both ground and first floors have 2-light pointed Perpendicular windows with quoined and chamfered ashlar jambs under hollow-chamfered hoodmoulds. To second floor 5-stepped-cinquefoil-light windows to each return under hollow-chamfered hoodmould. Ashlar copings to gable. Left range has angle buttresses with offsets. Similar 2-light pointed window to ground floor. Remains of first-floor band. 5-cinquefoil-light, straight-headed window in double-hollow-chamfered surround and under hollow-chamfered hoodmould with shield stops. To second floor a 2-ogeed-trefoil-light window under hoodmould interrupts chamfered cornice. Gable is recessed slightly. Rear and side stacks. Interior. Kitchen (to left range), 2-bay undercroft with single-chamfered ribs to groin vaults and to south-west corner the remains of a spiral staircase. To main block a spiral staircase to south-east turret with roll-moulded brick handrail. Otherwise main open-well, newel, closed-string staircase c1700 with onion-on-ball balusters, newel posts with ball finials and drop-upturned-bell finials to first-floor level. From first to second floor an C18 open-well, newel, closed-string staircase with slender onion-on-vase balusters. From second to third a rod balustrade. Canted bay windows have 4-centred arches into windows with traceried panels, that to ground floor with brattishing. To ground floor, windows have cavetto- and ovolo-moulded surrounds and pilasters between. Bathroom off hall has C19 lavatory and sink with floral transfer decoration, 'County Council Closet The Lateslas Washdown Closet no 177396'. Tunnel under house runs to bridge approximately 10 metres to north of house with 4- centred arch, inscribed and dated 'IM 1723'. Priory founded cll5O by Eustace Fitzjohn for the Gilbertine order. Pevsner N, Yorkshire, York and The East Riding, 1978, pp 360-1. W H St John Hope, 'The Gilbertine Priory of Watton In The East Riding of Yorkshire, The Archaeological Journal, March 1901, Vol LVIII, No 299, pp 1-34. 'Watton Abbey, Yorkshire', Country Life, 2 November 1935, pp 458-463. P Oliver, The History of Beverley, 1829, pp 520-533. |