The West Berkshire Historic Environment Record (HER) is the primary index of the physical remains of past human activity in the unitary authority of West Berkshire Council. Limited elements of the West Berkshire HER are available online via the Heritage Gateway, therefore it is not suitable for use in desk-based studies associated with development, planning and land-use changes, and does not meet the requirements of paragraph 194 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2021: 56). Please read
the important guidance on the use of the West Berkshire HER data. For these purposes and all other commercial enquiries, please contact the Archaeology team and complete our
online HER enquiry form.
This site is designated as being of national importance and is afforded additional protection. Consult West Berkshire Council's Archaeology team if more information or advice is needed.
| HER Number | MWB16147 |
|---|
| Record Type | Building |
|---|
| Name | Donnington Priory |
|---|
Summary
Grade II listed 17-18th century house on site of house of Crutched Friars
Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status
- Listed Building (II) 1290927: THE PRIORY
- Conservation Area: Donnington Village
Other Statuses and Cross-References
- National Monuments Record No.: SU 46 NE 280
SU 467 686 - Old Listed Building Ref (pre 1984) (II): ø Map No 26 4/112 The Priory
C.18 altered early C.19, three storeys, lower part flint with oval brick panels between openings; upper part brick, string over 1st floor windows. Slate roof. S. front of 3 bays with central one storey angular bay projecting over stream. Interior may be of interest.
Monument Type(s):
Full Description
Donnington Priory is a Grade II listed 17th and 18th century house with possibly some medieval work remaining from the Priory <1>, though it is uncertain exactly what happened to the building after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. A succession of private owners took on the property - Queen Elizabeth I owned and leased it in the late 16th century. After the Civil War, when the house was deserted by its royalist owners, the Cowslades became possessors. They erected the present building in 1655 <2>. The Speen Manor map of 1729 <5> marks the house and several fields to its west, as belonging to 'Mr Couslip'.
The father of the author of 'Tom Brown's Schooldays' owned the house in the early 19th century. The auction house Dreweatt Neate obtained the house in 1978, and altered and extended the buildings.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Department of the Environment. 1974-2000?. DOE List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. [Unpublished document / SWB10006] |
| <02> | Morris, W A D. 1969. A History of the Parish of Shaw-cum-Donnington. p52. [Monograph / SWB12974] |
| <03> | Page and Ditchfield (eds). 1924. Victoria County History (VCH) Berks IV 1924. Vol 4. P88. [Monograph / SWB10281]
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/berks/vol4 (Accessed 24/09/2015) |
| <04> | Tyack, G, Bradley, S and Pevsner, N. 2010. The Buildings of England (Berkshire). p274-5. [Monograph / SWB147855] |
| <05> | Commissioned by the Duke of Chandos. 1729/30. Map of Speen Manor. Marked 'Mr Couslip's house' (sic). [Map / SWB12939] |
| <06> | Gray, E W (ed)?. pre 1839. The History and Antiquities of Newbury and its Environs. p175. [Monograph / SWB11182]
https://archive.org/details/historyandantiq00unkngoog (Accessed 16/07/2019) |
| <07> | 1950-83. Buildings included in the statutory list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest, pre Review. WBC Network. ø Map No 26 4/112. [Unpublished document / SWB10875] |
| <08> | Historic England (previously English Heritage). ?-present. NMR Buildings Files on Historic England Archive. BF032972. [Index / SWB147173]
https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/ (Accessed 21/04/2020) |
| <09> | Newbury District Field Club. 1895-1911. TRANS NEWBURY DISTRICT FIELD CLUB 1895-1911 VOL 5. V. p203-5 Donnington Priory. [Article in serial / SWB10590] |
| <10> | British Geological Survey. 2017. Strategic Stone Study: BGS Enhanced Listings. WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB149695] |
Related Monuments
| MWB5021 | Donnington Priory /Friary (Monument) |
| MWB19398 | Boundary Wall to the Priory, including Gate Piers and Gates (Monument) |
| MWB21181 | Former walled garden and outbuildings of Donnington Priory (Monument) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB569 | WBHS Monitoring 2003-2004 |
| EWB1719 | The Strategic Stone Study |
If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.
Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.