Aston Eyre Hall
Encyclopedia
Aston Eyre Hall is an unfortified stone manor house
at Aston Eyre
near Bridgnorth
in the English
county
of Shropshire
, United Kingdom
.
It consists of a hall range, with a service wing to the south-west and a parlour cross-wing to the north, and a detached gatehouse
to the east, across what would have been an unusually large entrance court. The gatehouse has been incorporated into a farmhouse, but tree-ring dendrochronology
dating of the surviving timber floors have suggested a felling date of 1341-52. A large timber-framed barn enclosing the courtyard on the north has been similarly dated to 1613.
The hall dais was originally lit from a large window bay, which has been demolished although traces remain. There must have been a central hearth in the hall. Both the parlour wing and the south range had heated upper chambers. The narrow extension of the south range has several slit windows for storerooms, and excavations have revealed the footings of an equally narrow west range, no doubt also used for storage.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
at Aston Eyre
Aston Eyre
Aston Eyre is a hamlet and civil parish in Shropshire, England, about four miles west of Bridgnorth. The parish had a population of 54 according to the 2001 census. The Manor House dates from the early 14th century.-External links:...
near Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
Aston Eyre Hall was built in the mid 14th century, probably for Alan de Charlton, who acquired the estate by marriage to Margery FitzAer and died in 1349.It consists of a hall range, with a service wing to the south-west and a parlour cross-wing to the north, and a detached gatehouse
Gatehouse
A gatehouse, in architectural terminology, is a building enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a castle, manor house, fort, town or similar buildings of importance.-History:...
to the east, across what would have been an unusually large entrance court. The gatehouse has been incorporated into a farmhouse, but tree-ring dendrochronology
Dendrochronology
Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the scientific method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree-rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which tree rings were formed, in many types of wood, to the exact calendar year...
dating of the surviving timber floors have suggested a felling date of 1341-52. A large timber-framed barn enclosing the courtyard on the north has been similarly dated to 1613.
The hall dais was originally lit from a large window bay, which has been demolished although traces remain. There must have been a central hearth in the hall. Both the parlour wing and the south range had heated upper chambers. The narrow extension of the south range has several slit windows for storerooms, and excavations have revealed the footings of an equally narrow west range, no doubt also used for storage.