2125

 

II  

Designated  

01/04/1974  

30/04/2004  

The Priory  

 

Monmouthshire  

Usk  

Usk  

Usk  

337912  

200782  

 

Facing the S side of the priory church, entered by a drive through the gatehouse and surrounded by gardens.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Site of the priory building of the Benedictine Nuns. For two and a half centuries after the Suppression, the residence of the Jones family . C19 remodelling possibly incorporating and probably re-using a substantial amount of earlier masonry - contemporary account says it 'partly preserved its former style of architecture'. Built 1868 by J Nevill of Abergavenny, enlarged in 1894 by Veall and Sant of Cardiff. In C19 inhabited by a botanist, Rickard, who introduced some exotic trees. Some additions made C20. USA soliders billeted here during Second World War. Suffered severe fire damage in C20 and W wing remains roofless. Much displaced material safeguarded and stored by present owner. The amount of medieval material in the existing house is yet to be established  

Large house with C16-style detail. Built of stone, mostly rubble, part coursed, part tooled, with ashlar dressings; stone-tiled roof with kneelers, some sprocketed eaves; large stone ridge and lateral stacks with clustered angled corniced chimneys with decorative pots. Windows are very varied, with many 4-centred arched lights in rectangular stone frames, in multiples of two, three and four lights with hoodmoulds above; more elaborate windows to garden frontages with tracery and cusped heads. Glazing is mainly quarries set in iron frames. The building is large with complex plan and deliberately asymmetrical multi-gabled elevations. The W section is roofless following fire damage. The N elevation (from W) is a long range with two very large first floor windows with cusped heads to the multiple lights in two tiers divided by a transom. Ground floor windows are somewhat smaller: 4-light with moulded mullions to right and 3 pairs of 4-centred arched lights to left; similar window in gable above. Separating E and W sides is a low single storey probably added cross bay. To left of this, the E section has at left a projecting gable with multiple -light windows on each floor and small apex light; central section with similar smaller windows and a blocked Tudor-arched doorway. E-facing side elevation has a tall chamfered and stopped square headed doorway. Garden S facing elevation has at E end (right) a deeply projecting gable of tooled stone with a tall but shallow ground floor bay window 5-lights wide with quatrefoil parapet; above is a 4-light window under a shallow hoodmould; sundial above; apex light at top; all tall 4-centred arched lights. Central recessed section with smaller windows, then a less projecting gable with triple and quadruple 4-centred arched lights. An apparently added now roofless porch with Tudor arch with decorative spandrels stands in front of a tall narrow gable with small lights at different levels, perhaps a former staircase bay. To W are two parallel separately gabled cross wings with main outlook to W; the outer wing contributes also to the S frontage with a two-storey canted bay. The most elaborate windows of all are on the W elevation: that to right has a ground floor shallow bay window with deep hipped pitched roof and 5 long tall cusped lights; no windows above. The gable end to left has windows at 3 levels, the main one to first floor, an oriel type canted bay window, each face with a double cusped light and pierced tracery; a very deep sloping sill. Recessed linking bay with tall 3-light window with transom.  

 

An important part of the Priory complex, historically and visually, notwithstanding partly derelict condition. Group value with this and other listed buildings in Priory Street.