Eyton on Severn (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Eyton Banqueting House; The Summer House

In the civil parish of Wroxeter And Uppington.
In the historic county of Shropshire.
Modern Authority of Telford and Wrekin.
1974 county of Shropshire.
Medieval County of Shropshire.

OS Map Grid Reference: SJ573062
Latitude 52.65111° Longitude -2.63280°

Eyton on Severn has been described as a Fortified Manor House although is doubtful that it was such.

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains.

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*.

Description

Site of an early C17 fortified manor house sometimes called a castle. A tower remains. (Jackson 1988)

Tower. Banqueting house. Circa 1607, for Sir Francis Newport. Dressed red sandstone and red brick with diaper pattern; grey sandstone ashlar dressings; ogee lead cap to turret with globe finial. Octagonal plan with octagonal turret to north. 2 storeys with 3-storey turret. Plinth, moulded string course and moulded cornice to balustraded parapet with double-vase shaped balusters and moulded parapet. First-floor 3-light stone windows in alternate faces with double-chamfered reveals, chamfered mullions and transoms, and leaded lights; 3-bay blind-arcaded ground floor to south-west with moulded imposts and shield-shaped keystones; red brick and red sandstone rubble infill to arcade with 2-light wooden casements to west and south-west; inserted boarded door to north-west with fanlight; boarded door to north-east with segmental relieving arch; blocked round arch to south-east. Turret of 2 stages externally with moulded string course and cornice, and two 2-light stone windows to each stage with double-chamfered surrounds, chamfered mullions, and leaded lights. Interior not inspected, but likely to be of interest. The banqueting house is one of a pair connected by a length of garden wall (the other is now incorporated in Eyton on Severn Farmhouse) which along with another length of wall, a walled garden, and a converted barn is all that remains of Sir Francis Newport's house after its destruction by fire. (Listed Building Report)

Comments

This is an example of the continuation of castle-like architectural forms into the early modern period. However the defensive ability of this building is limited and the description of the house as 'fortified' is one open to question and opinion. There was a high status medieval house nearby, probably that of the Abbot of Shrewsbury, but this is unlikely to have been fortified in any sense.
Formerly in the ownership of The Vivat Trust and available as a holiday let. However the Trust went into liquidation in 2015. Gatehouse is unaware of the current status of the site but there is no reason to believe it to be at risk.

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1267039
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 69936.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 07672.

Books
- Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p. 71 (reject as castle but excepts as FMH)
  Pevsner, N., 1958, Buildings of England: Shropshire (London, Penguin) p. 129
  Stackhouse-Acton, Frances, 1868, The Castles and Old Mansions of Shropshire (Shrewsbury) p. 44-5 online copy
Periodical Articles
- Hobbs, J.L., 1958, Shropshire Newsletter No. 3 p. 4
  1920, Country Life Vol. 47 p. 236-7
  Forrest, H.E., 1918-19, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 8 p. 134-9

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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of Historic England, County Historic Environment Records and other individuals and organisations. It may also contain information licensed under the Open Government Licence. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes.
The author and compiler of Gatehouse does not receive any income from the site and funds it himself. The information within this site is provided freely for educational purposes only.

The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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