MEM22183 - Demolished building at Dovery Court, Porlock (Monument)

The current museum building, built probably in the latter half of the 15th Century or earlier, stands on the site of a still older house, the chamfered stone base of which was uncovered in places during the museum's partial restoration.

Dovery Court, in Dover Hay, built probably in the latter half of the 15th Century, or earlier, stands on the site of a still older house, the chamfered stone base of which was uncovered in places during the partial restoration of the present house. Beneath the hall floor encaustic tiles, dated to no earlier than 1450, have been found. There was formerly a pitched stone court in front of the house, now buried beneath the roadway, and opposite, remains of other substantial buildings bearing traces of fire. [1] Building works undertaken in 2007 and 2008 produced evidence to determine that the earliest detectable building on the site lay where the present snooker rooms were situated. This building was partially demolished when the Dovery Manor was built up against it and a single larger building formed. It is not clear whether this early building is the one mentioned by Chadwyck-Healey or if it is the late 15th Century phase of MSO10681. [2]