Hirst Priory
Hirst Priory is an 18th century country house and grounds in Belton on the Isle of AxholmeNorth Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. The current building was built upon the site of a 12th-century Augustinian priory, (Hyrst Priory). Hirst Priory served as family residence for the Stovin family, then the Lister family in the 19th century. In 1903, the property was purchase by D. Stubley for £18,000. In the early 1990s, a development group purchased Hirst Priory to develop a hotel and leisure complex, but it never happened. In 2014, Hirst Priory was converted to a wedding and events  venue with renovation work carried out to ensure the preservation of the Grade II listed building. Hirst Priory Structure. Hirst Priory is a red brick built structure consisting of a part subterranean basement, ground floor, first floor and second floor loft space which served as servants quarters. The house was built in two stages, with the older of the two parts containing a partially subterranean brick vaulted basement. The extension added in the 19th century also has a basement area of more standard box shaped dimensions. It has a hand wheel water pump and an end room with barred windows  and reinforced door, reputed to have served as a temporary holding cell for the local magistrates . All the rooms including loft and the later basement extension have open hearths. The north west first floor corner room includes a bread oven alongside the fireplace. Under the courtyard at the West side of the building is a large vaulted and vented brick storage area, most likely used for keeping fuel stores dry. The building is only accessible via stepped entrances to ensure the ground floor is well above any potential flood level. Transformation of Hirst Priory to a Wedding and Events Venue . Alterations in 2014 were largely carried out to the ground floor with two main rooms being knocked through to create an approximately 220m function space and alteration to a washing room, cupboard and existing toilet in order to create suitable guest toilet facilities. A second wall was also knocked through and a floating floor added to create level access to a new bar area. The use of a floating ensured no damage was done to the existing wood paneling, door frame and windows. Great care had to be taken to protect the intricate grade II listed coving around the  ceilings during the building works. Hirst Priory Heritage. "Hirst or Hyrst Priory, site of Augustinian Priory cell dependant on Nostell, founded by Nigel d'Albini early 12th cent. Not conventual, probably for 1 or 2 canons supervising estate of Nostell, dissolved c. 1540. (VCH Lincs,163; Knowles and Hadcock 1971, 141,160; Owen 1971,149). Rectangular moat and buildings shown on "ancient map" (Stonehouse 1839, 353) and OS 1in. 1st Ed. 1824. "The moat is still perfect on the NE and W, and enclosed about half an acre of ground, an old barbary tree marks the place where the chapel stood; and at  a short distance is the holy pond, which seems to have been a well dug to some small spring, which was descended by a few steps, of these there are some remains"(Stonehouse, 1839, 352-3). Present building is Georgian-Victorian, part of the moat survives, 1975, - possibly altered by later landscaping.  Hirst Augustinian cell. Founded before 1135, dissolved 1539. Dependent on Nostell. The priory or cell of St Mary was built as a dependency of Nostell by Nigel D'Albini, apparently in the reign of Henry I (Dugdale's Monasticon). The canon in charge may have had 2 companions at  first, to comply with the regulations; but from the 14th century there was probably only one canon with 1 - 2 servants, supervising the estate of Nostell.  North Lincolnshire Heritage Environment Record. 'The little cell of Hyrst in Axholme was built on lands granted by Nigel d'Albini to the prior and convent of St. Oswald's, Nostell, probably early in the twelfth century. Roger de Mowbray confirmed the gifts of his father. It seems probable that there never was but one canon living there, to take charge of the lands; the charter of Nigel speaks of 'Ralf the Canon' being  resident there, and the charter of Roger names 'Osbert Silvanus the Canon.' The property consisted only of the grove and marsh of Hyrst, with certain tithes of corn, malt, and fish from the neighbourhood. In 1534 it still belonged to St. Oswald's Priory, and was worth £7 11s. 8d. a year; in the Ministers' Accounts the value is said to be £9 8s. There is a seal of the twelfth or early thirteenth century. The obverse is pointed oval representing the Virgin seated on a throne, with nimbus, in the right hand the Child, in the left  hand a sceptre fleur-de-lys. The reverse is a small oval signet or counter seal representing Athena Nikephoros, to the rightfrom an oval Greek gem.'  Two arms of a potential moat were shown as earthworks on the Ordnance Survey 25" first edition map of 1887. They were located to the north and east of Hirst Priory house, and had garden pathways within the ditches.  'Hirst' was shown on Armstrong's map of Lincolnshire, published in 1778. A house was depicted within a rectangular moat, with entrances to the south and west.  Hirst Priory Listing. Briefly the  listing designation describes the property as a small country house, built early-mid C18 for Richard Taylor or Jonathan Stovin, with later C18 alterations for Cornelius Stovin; substantial alterations and additions of mid C19 for George Lister, including new west wing, remodeling north and south fronts, new balcony to south. The house stands in a partly moated enclosure, on or near the site of an Augustinian cell of Nostell Priory, founded in the early C12 and dissolved c1540.