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Summary

Priory Cottage in Barnstaple was built in the early 19th century but may incorporate the remains of a building associated with St. Mary Magdalene's Priory.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1385109: PRIORY COTTAGE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS53SE/156/3
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 485571
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SS53SE11
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SS53SE11

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (Early Medieval to XIX - 1066 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 13/04/1984, Devon County Council Conservation Collection Photograph, 602/31-34 (Ground Photograph). SDV342218.

Griffiths, D. M., 13/04/1984, Priory Cottage (Personal Comment). SDV342217.

Site visit 13th April 1984. Gould's most easterly bay appears to have been demolished. There is a fall in ground level between this and the tannery site (where the remains of the priory have been found) may support Boggis' and Chanter's theories that it was a detached building.

Green, T., 13/10/2000, 8 Coronation Street (Correspondence). SDV342215.

Site visit 11th October 2000. The buttresses of Priory Cottage are in same style as the building at SS55833357 and appear to have been applied rather than bonded. One buttress contains a piece of Marland brick.

Chanter, J. R., 1882, Memorials of the Church of St. Peter, Barnstaple, 132-49 (Unknown). SDV91853.

This building was examined by R D Gould, Borough Surveyor, shortly before 1882. He concluded that it incorporated the remains of the church of St Mary Magdalene's Priory and this identification is supported. Gould's survey and plan are reproduced.

Boggis, R. J. E., 1915, History of the Parish Church of St. Mary Magdelene, Barnstaple, 52-5 (Unknown). SDV78640.

The east, north and (eastern part of the) south walls of a medieval structure survive. The building's size and plain construction make it unlikely that it was the Priory church. It was more likely a detached domestic range.

Shapland, H. R., 1930 - 1931, Carvings at 'The Priory', Barnstaple, 289 (Article in Serial). SDV342193.

Photographs of casts from carvings on capitals in panelled room. Panelling is late 16th century.

Carbonell, B. M. H., 1930 - 1931, Carvings at 'The Priory', Barnstaple, 289-93 (Article in Serial). SDV342194.

Carvings reproduced by Shapland are considered to be heraldic emblems of families connected with the Priory. Details given.

Joce, T. J., 1930 - 1931, Carvings at 'The Priory', Barnstaple, 348 (Article in Serial). SDV342195.

One of the emblems represents the Joce family.

Pevsner, N., 1952, The Buildings of England: North Devon, 49-50 (Monograph). SDV336196.

Some scanty remains of the Priory are incorporated within Priory Cottage, 10, Boutport Street.

Lomas, J., 1967, The Old doors and Doorways of Barnstaple, 37-48 (Article in Serial). SDV85818.

Last remnant of Norman architecture is the blocked doorway of the entrance to the priory church, situated at the rear of Priory Cottage in Coronation Street. The doorway is hidden by modern plasterwork but was semi-circular in design. Records show the masonry was crude in form and of poor quality. The arch springs from a height of only 3 feet (0.91 metres) above the ground but reaches nearly 7 feet (2.13 metres) in the centre. The doorway was constructed of plain flat stones of sandstone.

Department of Environment, 1973, Barnstaple, 5-6 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV89941.

No.10 Boutport Street, with Priory Cottage at rear. Probably circa 1700 with alterations. Two storey front. Inside, one room has late 16th/early 17th century oak, probably from elsewhere. House runs back to include Priory Cottage, where part of a building belonging to the 12th century priory is incorporated in an outhouse. It consists of one battered wall with slit window and angle buttresses.

Timms, S. C., 1976, The Devon Urban Survey, 1976. First Draft, 70, 73 (Report - Survey). SDV341346.

Priory Cottage is thought to contain the remnants of a medieval building.

Griffiths, D. M., 1984, An Archaeological Assessment of the Proposed Route of the Barnstaple Urban Relief Road Stages II and III, 11 (Report - Assessment). SDV74017.

Priory Cottage, together with 10 Boutport Street, incorporates the remains of a 12th century priory building.

North Devon District Council Rescue Archaeology Unit, 1991, North Devon Archaeological Site Code Index, Site Code ND80 (Report - non-specific). SDV63429.

Watching brief undertaken during the demolition of 5.0 metres of Georgian wall in 1986.

Henderson, C. G., 1997, Archaeological Assessment of a Development Site at Rackfield, Barnstaple, 2 (Report - Assessment). SDV78641.

English Heritage, 2012, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV348729.

Priory Cottage, Coronation Street. Formerly known as: No.10 and Priory remains in Priory Cottage at rear of No.10 BOUTPORT STREET. House. Early 19th century, with a double range of earlier building on right-hand side. Solid rendered walls, probably of stone, to main house; bottom of semi-basement is of exposed stone rubble. Earlier range to right is rendered at front only; remainder is mostly of exposed stone rubble, except for red brick in upper storey of rear wall and apexes of gables to right. Slated roofs, apart from pantiles on rear slope of earlier building and red tiles on lean-to in front; roof of main house hipped front and back. Red brick chimneys on right hand and rear walls of main house, these having caps composed of projecting brick courses, one course with brick set at an angle. Main house is 2 rooms deep, the staircase at the front, rising directly from the front door. 1 room to right; 2 rooms at rear, the left-hand one narrower to match the width of the staircase. 2 storeys; main house with much loftier storeys and set on a high semi-basement. 2-window range to main house. Semi-basement has 8-paned sash window with later 4-paned casement window to right. Front door to left, set between semi-basement and ground floor, is 4-panelled with flat moulded hood on brackets; approached by 4 stone steps with late 19th or early 20th century red brick wall on right-hand side. Above door is a tall, 24-paned stair window. To right, ground-floor window has double sash with 9 panes in lower sashes and 6 panes above. Similar window in 2nd storey has 6 panes in lower sashes and 3 panes above. Earlier building to right has at left-hand end an old plank door with window cut into it. Small 2-paned window above. Against both storeys to right is an open-fronted lean-to with brick side walls and central wooden post. Right-hand side wall of building behind is without openings, except for a ventilator cut into the left-hand gable and a slit window in right-hand gable. Latter has 2 stone buttresses, with 2 more (one now reduced in height) on rear (north) wall. Rear wall of main house (visible from Rackfield) has in ground storey a pair of 6-paned sash windows to left and a single 20th century replica 6-paned sash window to right. Paired sash windows in 2nd storey with 8-paned lower sashes and 4-panes above. Earlier building to left has in upper storey 2 casement windows, each with 2 lights of 4 panes. Ground storey has door with 3-pane fanlight to right. INTERIOR: main house has dogleg wooden stair with shaped step ends; thin square-section balusters with square newel posts having flat moulded caps. Ground-floor front room has moulded cornice; wooden chimneypiece with moulded architrave, plain frieze and moulded cornice. Rear room, entered through wide opening with moulded architrave, has chimneypiece with moulded wood architrave and shelf. Similar chimneypiece on floor above. First-floor front room has painted stone chimneypiece with flanking pilasters and frieze with round moulded panels at each end. 2 doors with 6-panels on ground-floor landing, 3 with 2 panels on first-floor landing. Earlier building has old roof trusses, plastered in. The house was originally listed with No.10 Boutport Street, but is now in separate ownership, apart from a section of the semi-basement. The earlier part of the house is believed to be a remnant of the medieval priory of St Mary Magdalene, dissolved in 1536. Date listed: 19th January 1951.

Southwest Archaeology, 2013, Greater Barnstaple Area Project Database, Mapping Area 71 (Un-published). SDV351581.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, Unknown, SS53SE11 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV342181.

Site visit 8th April 1976. The rear part of Priory Cottage incorporates two walls of random rubble construction 6 metres and 4 metres long with three square buttresses and a small slit window. This evidently represents part of the priory but has no dateable features.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8187 - Archaeological assessment of proposed route of the Barnstaple Relief Road, Stages II and III

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