Brympton D'Evercy Brympton House

Brympton House, or Brympton D'Evercy, is a country house of 13th-century origins, substantially rebuilt and remodelled across the 15th, early 16th, late 17th, and early 18th centuries. It is constructed in stone ashlar with hipped Welsh slate roofs behind parapets, and features a stone chimney stack. An open bell-turret crowns the west end of the south wing.

The west front presents 2 and 3 storeys across 6 bays. Bays 1 and 2, dating to around 1520, rise 3 storeys and display a plinth, a deep quatrefoil band between upper floors with additional carvings, and a shallower band beneath a battlemented parapet. Each bay has a corner buttress 2 floors high, topped with a pinnacle and statue. Windows are 4-centre-arched with light hollow-chamfer mullioned frames in chamfered recesses. Bay 1 contains an angled bay of 1+5+1 lights (simple to the first floor, transomed to the second, with a small 3-light to the ground floor) and a cambered arched doorway to the left. Bay 2 features an octagonal stair turret matching these proportions, with windows at various levels. Bays 3, 4 and 5 appear to be a refront of around 1625, possibly with later additions, comprising 2 storeys with hollow-chamfered windows featuring flat-headed lights, 2-light with transomes above and 4-light with 2 transomes below. Around 1722, a projecting porch was added at lower bay 4, matching bays 1 and 2 and possibly incorporating earlier fragments. This porch has 4-light transomed windows to the sides, single-light windows to each corner chamfer, and a 5-light window to the front. Above this rises an ogee-decorated 4-centre-arched doorway over 3-lights, with a panelled and battlemented parapet and hipped stone roof. Bay 6 is a 2-storey gable, possibly a reworking of around 1695 of a 14th-century section, with an 18-pane sash window in an architrave with open segmental pediment to the first floor and a plain window below.

The south elevation is a rebuild of around 1675 comprising 3 + 10 bays. The first 3 bays are set lower and may represent reshaped 14th-century work; they have a plinth, battlemented parapets, and buttresses 1 floor high. Sash windows, replacing original mullioned windows, contain 18 panes above and 21 panes below. The lower bay 1 has 2 windows, and bay 3 features a French door. The remaining bays display a plinth, cornice, and an open balustrade of turned stone balusters with urns on plinths at corners and between each bay. Cruciform windows with ovolo-mould mullions and transomes sit in eared architraves with alternating pointed and segmental pediments on console brackets; the upper bay 1 has an angled pediment and the lower bay 1 a segmental pediment. One cruciform window at ground level appears on the east return.

The north elevation contains cruciform windows at various levels with attic gables and a modest doorway towards the east end. A north-east kitchen wing, set lower, comprises 3 bays with 3, 2 and 3-light mullioned and double transomed windows. Between bays 2 and 3 on the south side is a doorway with architrave and hoodmould. The north side features an octagonal stair turret with a bell-tower.

Internally, the porch opens into the hall, which has a moulded timber ceiling cove and wainscot panelling, including early work. On the east wall stands a 16th-century cambered arched fireplace with an 18th-century overmantel carving. Small rooms occupy a unit to the north. The main south wing features a corridor on its north side with a wide, long and easy-going staircase of the late 17th century. This staircase has quarter landings and two intermediate landings, panelled newels with elaborate tops, turned balusters, and a heavy handrail; beneath it is panelling of uncertain date. Moulded triangular arched doorways open to the south and east; a later door with an eared stone architrave, now blocked, is also present.

The Smoke Room contains 18th-century panelling, a dentilled cornice, and window shutters. The Hogarth Room has similar panelling with a bolection-mould corner fireplace and carved timber swags to the wall panelling, including a shell-head cupboard. The Blue Room displays more elaborate panelling and ceiling coving with a large oval ceiling panel and a coloured marble chimneypiece. The Drawing Room is similarly detailed with comparable ceiling coving but smaller wall panels. The first-floor landing is 18th-century in character, though hints of earlier work remain. Bedrooms and the kitchen wing were not observed at the time of recording.