Constructed in 1916 by the architectural firm of John Walter Cross and Eliot Cross, the Pryory stands in stark contrast to earlier houses built by the firm.

 

Ensconced in its rural setting, the house most closely resembles a large cottage transplanted from the Cotswold Hills of England to the Connecticut shoreline. Brick walls are overplastered in stucco with random bits of brick exposed for an authentically rustic look. From the front entrance, the steeply pitched roof is like a cloak of thatch draped over the two upper stories, disguising the size of the residence. Only the two gables, exposed to their full three-story height, suggest the house's actual mass. From the back, however, the viewer's observation of the house is much different.

 

The eastern facade possesses more fenesration in order to take advantage of the morning sun and afternoon breezes. This angle is the true testament to the size of the Pryory, with all seven stuccoed chimneys visible.

 

The front vestibule opens to a stair hall with a nearly free-standing stairway rising through all three main levels of the house and connected with the third floor hall by a bridge. The stairs were likely designed by the firm of Watt and Sinclair, which is credited with designing the handsome wood paneling used throughout the house.

 

The spacious living room, high-ceilinged and formal with many tall windows and a pillared fireplace, is situated at the south end of the house. The paneling here includes fluted pilasters with carved rosettes on the capitals, and the tracery on the ceiling was the same pattern used throughout the main floor.

 

On the northern edge of the entrance court was a large circular garden with intersecting paths, part of a landscape plan by Mary Rutherford Hay. Beyond this stood a combination gatehouse/garage. Built of the same walling and roofing material as the house, it appeared as likely to contain a Cotswold sheepfold as a twentieth-century automobile. This structure housed the chauffeur and other staff members and complemented the design of the main house.