DisgrifiadMonkton Old Hall is a medieval building, possibly of 13th or 14th century origins, drastically restored from a ruinous condition in the late 19th-early 20th century.
From descrptions of the structure before renovation it appears to have consisted of two, superimposed halls, the lower vaulted and partly rock-cut, a lateral chamber and a projecting kitchen block. An illustration in Arch. Camb. 1868, between pp70-71, (Barnwell, E.L.) shows what appears to be a gatehouse, with the arch blocked and the blocking pierced by a pointed-arched doorway, however this arrangement is not described in the text.
It is possible that the building is a guesthouse, with two halls, belonging to Monkton Priory (Nprn582), rather than, as Barnwell suggests, the Prior's lodging (Arch. Cam. 1868, pp70-73). It is possible that there is some confusion between this building and Priory Farm (Nprn30096). A gatehouse is shown in approximately this position by Speed (1610).
(source Os495card; SM90SE14)
J.Wiles 13.05.02