Description

16th century L-plan tower house with (altered) early

18th century S-facing 5-bay house adjoining W gable and intercommunicating at upper floors. Tower is harled, house

is rendered; all with red ashlar dressings; slate roofs.

TOWER: possibly 1567 incorporating rectangular tower of

1420. 3 storeys, with attic; jamb (at E end of N wall)

carried 2 storeys higher, with stair turret in re-entrant

angle corbelled from near main eaves level; conical-roofed

bartizans over 3 remaining angles. Some openings

roll-moulded; crow-stepped gables. Door in re-entrant angle

of jamb, panel recess above. Wheel stair fills lower storeys

of jamb, tiny chambers to upper floors and rope and

billet-mouldings, corbelled beacon platform over S gable,

finial over N gable. Body of tower has vaulted basement,

some evidence of possible original door at 1st floor level on

E gable, with panel recess above. Asymmetrically arranged

openings to elevations, single wallhead dormer at S. Coped

end stacks, W stack rebuilt to incorporate flues of addition. cusped-headed aumbry on N wall.

HOUSE: originally 2 storeys, 5 regular and well-proportioned

bays, chamfered margins. Alterations mainly late in 19th

century: heightened a storey, with crowstepped gables,

pedimented dormer heads above eaves level, canted ground

floor windows added (porch possibly mid 19th century)

gabled rear (N) stair turret. 2nd porch, to N, with

Tudor-arched doorway, is earlier/mid 19th century. Mostly

sash windows, upper S facing windows with 12-pane glazing

pattern. Some good 18th century panelling survives in

ground floor rooms. 19th century low recessed W wing is

T-paln, its 3-bay S elevation exposed red sandstone.

Walled garden to S of house, ashlar-coped rubble-built walls

linked to tower at E and to low wing at W. Panelled and

corniced square gatepiers to S, curved quadrants and

cast-iron gates with spiked rails all earlier 19th century.

Statement of Interest

Detached coach house range to N is excluded from listing.

The rear door is shown as a window on the photograph in the

INVENTORY.

Elshieshields House up-graded B to A 4.10.88.

Recommended Books

• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record