Dovery Manor Architecture
The Fireplace in the Great Hall
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Roof Timbers of the 'Solar'
Quoin Stones visible in the Upper Room, adjacent to the Garderobe
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Like most old buildings, Dovery Manor has developed over time, as both fashions and the needs of individual owners have changed. However, since building techniques have not changed greatly and there are no relevant documents surviving, it is difficult to determine a precise history for the building.
Although the walls of the building are constructed of locally quarried stone, laid in roughly horizontal courses and infilled with rubble bonded with a sandy mortar mix, the corners of the building are defined by more finely dressed blocks of stone (or quoins). Both the inner and outer faces of the wall would have been covered with plaster though leaving the quoin stones standing proud as strong decorative features of the building. The doorways and windows have been surrounded by finely carved mouldings, and finer stone was also reserved for the fireplaces and other decorative features. Local timber has been used for doors, floors, screens, stairs, and to construct the roof which, for at least part of its history, was covered in fine slates.
The first building on the site probably lay where the present snooker room and solar are located. Its entrance, now blocked, together with a window, can be seen within the lower museum room, adjacent to the later medieval doorway. The building may have initially been built as a single storey open hall but at some time a stair was added, on the south side, giving access to the first floor. You can see the quoin stones of this early building in the upper room of the museum, adjacent to the garderobe (toilet) whilst if you look behind the small wooden door, just to the right of the modern doorway into the solar, you will the see the remains of another window.
The two-storey extension, which houses the museum, was probably added to the original building at the end of the 15th century. A new entrance was provided and all the openings between the two buildings sealed. Although the building is small in scale, its fine entrance and impressive carved stone window and fireplace are strong reminders of the importance of this building.
A further extension, which now forms the entrance to the museum, was added in the early 19th century.
That the building has survived in such good condition is largely due to work undertaken by Sir Charles Chadwyck-Healey, who restored the building for use as a reading room and billiard and snooker club in the late 19th century.
Although the walls of the building are constructed of locally quarried stone, laid in roughly horizontal courses and infilled with rubble bonded with a sandy mortar mix, the corners of the building are defined by more finely dressed blocks of stone (or quoins). Both the inner and outer faces of the wall would have been covered with plaster though leaving the quoin stones standing proud as strong decorative features of the building. The doorways and windows have been surrounded by finely carved mouldings, and finer stone was also reserved for the fireplaces and other decorative features. Local timber has been used for doors, floors, screens, stairs, and to construct the roof which, for at least part of its history, was covered in fine slates.
The first building on the site probably lay where the present snooker room and solar are located. Its entrance, now blocked, together with a window, can be seen within the lower museum room, adjacent to the later medieval doorway. The building may have initially been built as a single storey open hall but at some time a stair was added, on the south side, giving access to the first floor. You can see the quoin stones of this early building in the upper room of the museum, adjacent to the garderobe (toilet) whilst if you look behind the small wooden door, just to the right of the modern doorway into the solar, you will the see the remains of another window.
The two-storey extension, which houses the museum, was probably added to the original building at the end of the 15th century. A new entrance was provided and all the openings between the two buildings sealed. Although the building is small in scale, its fine entrance and impressive carved stone window and fireplace are strong reminders of the importance of this building.
A further extension, which now forms the entrance to the museum, was added in the early 19th century.
That the building has survived in such good condition is largely due to work undertaken by Sir Charles Chadwyck-Healey, who restored the building for use as a reading room and billiard and snooker club in the late 19th century.
Dovery Manor Museum © 2018 All rights reserved.
Registered Charity Number 1079760
Registered Charity Number 1079760