Caldey Old Priory Guest House was the former Caldey Mansion, built near the site of the original Caldey Priory [NPRN: 96020], 300m south of the Abbey [NPRN: 247], on the west side of the road to the lighthouse. Caldey Island had been inhabited by monks since the 6th century, and after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 it had been owned by a number of secular landowners. Thomas Kynaston, was the owner from 1798 and built a new house just to the north of the original Priory, and the priory and its former ecclesiastical buildings then became the service ranges. The monastic buildings were built around a small courtyard, with the Old Priory on the south side, with domestic buildings running north and a 2-storey east range with the north-east corner semi-fortified tower. The Mansion, which adjoined this, appears to have reflected this, and was stone built and castellated. It had a veranda to its north, front, elevation, facing out across a lawn with a sun-dial. To the east of the building is a large pond. Caldey Island was sold to a Benedictine order in 1906 and has been in ecclesiastical hands ever since. The house was demolished in the 1970s.
(Source: CADW listed buildings database, Caldy Priory, 28 March 2002)
Ian Archer, RCAHMW, 30th March 2005