Prysten House

Details

PLYMOUTH

SX4754 ABBEY PLACE, Plymouth
740-1/57/349 (North West side)
25/01/54 Prysten House
(Formerly Listed as:
FINEWELL STREET, Plymouth
Prysten House)

GV I

Large merchant's house. c1498, extended 1635, built for Thomas
Yogge who died in 1509 (Pevsner), rear truncated when Abbey
Hall was built and some 1920s restoration. Plymouth limestone
rubble with granite dressings to openings; dry slate roofs,
coped to right of taller roof at the front; lateral rubble
stack to lower roof at front left which is hipped on the
corner and another lateral rubble stack to left-hand return
towards rear.
PLAN: U-shaped plan overall, the ranges of single depth and
with gallery facing into the rear courtyard, the left-hand
front room containing a well. 1st floor as the principal
floor; wide through-passage to ground floor.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys; slightly asymmetrical 3-bay front plus
slightly projecting wing on the left. Mostly original windows
with ogee-headed lights and hoodmoulds to front, some C17
windows, some C20 copies of C17 windows and some windows
resited or reset. Front has 3-storey splayed central bay with
original very fine 4-light transomed window plus sidelights
under a moulded cornice to 1st floor; original 2-light window
with hoodmould above plus sidelights to splays; similar
original single light windows to flanking bays, a ventilator
slit to left and 2 original single-light windows to 2nd-floor
left and right of wing. Central 4-centred arched moulded
doorway of 2 orders with squat quatrefoil to tympanum and
4-centred hoodmould above. Original relieving arches above C17
chamfered single-light windows to 1st-floor left and right. 3
original relieving arches to ground floor: to right of wing
over small 3-centred arched moulded doorway with carved
spandrels; left of main doorway over a squat C17 single light
and right over a C20 2-light window to enlarged opening.
Left-hand return is a slightly irregular 5-window range with
original slit windows, otherwise C17 or C20 windows:
round-headed ventilator slits to left-hand bay; 3 original
relieving arches over windows to 1st floor centre and left of
centre and slit windows to 2nd-floor centre and right. Most
windows with leaded glass.
Right-hand return is 4-window range with gable end of front
range on the left and porch on the right. Mostly original
openings, the windows with ogee-headed lights including
3-light window to 2nd floor on left and 2-light window below
left of 4-centred arched doorway with square hoodmould. Porch
has similar doorway and date 1635 and eroded coat of arms
above.
Rear elevations have similar openings to other elevations.
There is a 1st floor gallery supported on oak corbels with
carved ends, most of which are restored. To ground floor on
either side at rear of the courtyard is a 2-bay arcade with
moulded 4-centred arches.
Courtyard front of wing has restored doorway and windows with
ogee-headed lights, also 4 very small windows.
INTERIOR: oak raised cruck roof structure with chamfered
principals, mortices, collars and trenched purlins. Frater
room has moulded beams and joists. There are 3 stone newel
stairs, granite fireplaces some with corbels, the kitchen
fireplace very large and the Frater fireplace with cusped
centre.
An excellent example of a large late medieval merchant's
house, typically built to a courtyard plan.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Devon: London: 1989-:
661; Power WJ: A Layman's View of Some Plymouth Churches:
1977-: 27).



Listing NGR: SX4791854361

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

473152

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Devon, (1989)
Power, W J, A Laymans View of Some Plymouth Churches, (1977), 27

End of official list entry