Eyton on Severn Farmhouse and short section of garden wall adjoining to south east

Eyton on Severn Farmhouse and adjoining garden wall

This farmhouse, shown on Ordnance Survey maps as Tower Farmhouse, probably dates to the 18th century but was extensively remodelled in the mid-19th century with late 19th-century alterations and additions. The building incorporates parts of a banqueting house or summer house of 1607, and the adjoining garden wall also dates to around 1607.

The main building is constructed of dressed grey sandstone with red and gault brick additions. The south-west elevation is cement-rendered, probably over brick. The roof is plain tile, hipped over the front range and covering two spans.

The house is arranged in an L-plan with infill in the north-east angle, rising to two storeys. It features a plinth and moulded brackets to the eaves. Brick ridge stacks are positioned off-centre to left and right, with a truncated integral brick end stack to the left-hand addition, a brick ridge stack to the rear range, and a lateral stack to the return range.

The front elevation comprises three bays, with the later bay slightly recessed to the right. Windows are glazing bar sashes with segmental heads and vermiculated keystones. The central first-floor window is notably wide, featuring paired late 19th-century sashes flanked by round-arched windows: the left-hand window has moulded imposts and keystone, while the right-hand window has a Gibbs surround. A central late 19th-century canted bay with cornice and coped parapet projects from this elevation. A probable late 19th-century porch to the right includes a plinth, cornice, and coped parapet, with a pair of doors with four flush panels, a radial fanlight, and chamfered reveals.

To the right is an addition featuring a first-floor eight-pane sash and ground-floor sash without glazing bars. This range is distinguished by a shield-shaped plaque inscribed: "THIS COPPICE/ADJOINING WAS/RAISED BY ACORNS/SOWED AT MICH=/AELMAS/1663".

A late 19th-century addition set back to the left has sashes on each floor to the right. The right-hand return front shows 1:3 bays with a first-floor arched staircase window. A later range to the north-east has first-floor tripartite glazing bar sashes.

The adjoining garden wall, dating to circa 1607, is constructed of roughly squared and coursed red sandstone with dressed grey sandstone to the north-west face and chamfered tiled coping to the north-east. A gateway, positioned approximately ten metres from the farmhouse, features an outer chamfered square arch and a damaged inner chamfered four-centred arch with pierced spandrels, with a boarded gate. A buttress at the south-east end of the wall is all that remains of what was formerly an abutment to a gateway.

The interior was not inspected, but is reported to contain substantial remains of one of a pair of former banqueting houses. These remains are still reflected in the layout of the rooms.

The banqueting house, the garden wall section, and nearby buildings are all that survive of Sir Francis Newport's house at Eyton following its destruction by fire. The provincial architect Thomas Farnolls Prichard (1723-1777) acquired the banqueting house and converted it into a house for his own occupation in 1767-9. Parts of the present building may date from this period, particularly the three-bay front, though the details are predominantly mid-19th century in character.