Pentney Priory Gatehouse

En un regard

Le château en bref

On the banks of the River Nar, in the countryside of west Norfolk, the gatehouse of Pentney Priory is the only building still standing from a community of Augustinian canons founded in the 12th century. Its imposing crenellated silhouette, flanked by polygonal turrets, suggests a small fortress more than a simple monastic entrance, which explains its place among the fortified monuments of the region. Built in the late 14th century, the building combines local flint with Barnack limestone dressings, with repairs in carstone, the brown stone characteristic of this part of Norfolk. After the dissolution of 1537 it was converted into a dwelling, while the church and conventual buildings disappeared. Stripped of its lead roof at the end of the 18th century, it slowly deteriorated: the vault over the passage collapsed in the early 20th century, followed by a wall, and lightning caused damage in the 1980s. Placed on the register of buildings at risk in 1998, the gatehouse was saved by a programme of works carried out in 2012-2013 by its private owners with a grant from English Heritage. It is listed Grade I, and the surrounding priory remains are protected as a scheduled monument.