Monument Type(s):

• GARDEN BUILDING (17th century - 1608 AD? to 1608 AD?)

Summary

A garden building, circa 1608, which is protected by Grade II* Listing.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA15 - 1991 building recording, survey and excavation at Ercall Hall by BUFAU
• ESA6108 - 2001 investigation of Ercall Hall by Time Team

Description

Circa 1608. Probably the remains of a loggia and once part of the original composition of Ercall Hall. Now detached and situated in the garden south of the house. Freestanding 4-bay stone arcade in ashlar with 5 circular piers and 4 moulded arches <1>

Not believed to be part of the original hall. Far more likely to be a folly and minor garden feature. Trial trenches were cut adjacent to the arcading and in the area between it and the house: the latter failed to locate evidence of any physical connection to the house, and the former (trench 7) appeared to show that the arcading is a late garden feature with no structural function. <2>

In 2001 Time Team excavated a trench adjacent to this feature. An expert on the programme (R K Morriss) suggested that the arcade has features typical of local architecture between 1600 and 1610. The trench revealed the foundations of the feature to be no more than 300 years old, confirming that the arcade has been resited as a garden feature <3>

The Time Team results tend to support the idea that the arcade may once have been part of the fabric of the post-medieval hall after all <4>

In June 2001 Time Team carried out an investigation at Ercall Hall [same event as <3>]. Trench 2 was opened at the base of the standing arches in the garden. The arches were constructed upon deposits of demolition rubble which form the make up and levelling within the modern garden. Below this was a deposit containing mortar pieces and early bricks (16th/17th century). The arches were therefore not associated with any structures related to the extant or demolished hall; this was again confirmed by trenches 4 & 6 to the southwest which revealed no evidence of building work. It was concluded the arches were not in-situ and were likely moved from elsewhere, possibly from a demolished portion of the 1620’s mansion. Pockmarks from musket fire were evident on the arches, indicating they were standing during the siege, and therefore could not have been in their present location during the Civil War. <5>

<00> Shropshire County Council SMR, Site and Monuments Record (SMR) cards, SMR Card for PRN SA 16928 (Card index). SSA20722.

<01> Department of the Environment (DoE), 1983-Apr-08, 19th List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, p82 (List of Buildings). SSA662.

<02> Ferris Iain & Litherland Steve J, 1991, Archaeological work at Ercall Hall, High Ercall, Shropshire, in 1991 (Archaeological fieldwork report). SSA674.

<03> Time Team, Time Team webpages, higherc_dig.html, 22/05/2007 (Webpage). SSA22898.

<04> Gathercole E Clare, 1999/ 2002, Comments by SMR compiler in SMR database (SMR comment). SSA20725.

<05> Time Team, 2001, High Ercall Hall, a civil war garrison, Shropshire: an archaeological evaluation (Archaeological fieldwork report). SSA23077.

Sources

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.