Soulton Hall With Attached Balustrade, Garden Walls and Gate Piers

Details

SJ 53 SW
6/161
28.10.60

WEM RURAL C.P.
SOULTON ROAD
(south side)
Soulton Hall with attached balustrade, garden walls and gate piers
(formerly listed as Soulton Hall including terrace balustrade and gateway)

II*

Manor house, now farmhouse. Dated 1668 for Thomas Hill, probably incorporating
parts of an earlier building; minor later alterations and additions.
Red brick (English Garden Wall bond) with blue brick diamond patterns
to left and right on first floor and centre to parapet; stone angle
quoins and chamfered plinth. Flat asphalt roof (formerly lead) concealed
by coped parapet. Square plan with rectangular corner turrets. 3 storeys
on chamfered plinth incorporating semi-basement to sides and rear but
concealed by C18 balustrade to front; moulded stone string courses with
C18 square urn finials to corners of parapet. 5-light stone mullioned
and transomed windows on each floor to either side of central entrance.
This has fluted Roman Doric columns with oval-shaped decoration to echinus
and guttae to moulded architrave; frieze with rounded triglyphs and
rosettes to metopes and moulded cornice supporting elaborately shaped
pediment with armorial shield depicting 8 quarterings of the Hill family.
C19 panelled door with festooned garlands and date "1668" in raised
lettering to stone lintel. Lead downpipes cutting through string courses
and plinth to left and right are probably original or C18. 1:2:1 windows
to left and right returns, mullioned and transomed of 3 lights to centre
and 2-light mullions to corner turrets; three 2-light mullion windows
to semi-basement on left side. Stacks to corner turrets rebuilt in
C19 red brick each have 3 attached and rebated shafts with moulded stone
capping and bases probably reused from original stacks. Flat rear elevation
has 2 pairs of 5-light mullioned and transomed windows grouped to
centre on each floor. Plain probably mid-C18 balustrade to front with
buttresses and coping approached by straight flight of 9 steps; this
has shaped piers to top and bottom with carved garlands and elaborate
floral decoration to inside face of moulded ramps. C20 statues of owls
to top are not included. Panel with floral decoration at right end
of balustrade possibly not in situ. Rectangular area to front of balustrade
enclosed by red brick walls (mixed bond) on chamfered stone plinth with
triangular coping attached to balustrade. Square gate piers to front
have moulded stone plinths and capping surmounted by ball finials; brick
projections to opposing faces with carved scroll-like stone brackets
to top. Garden wall attached to left corner of enclosure wall probably
also C17. Red brick without plinth and with plain stone coping; C20
stone buttresses to front. Encloses an area of approximately 30 x 50m.
Interior: considerably altered C19 and C20 but retains several features
of special interest. Right ground-floor room has 2 deep-chamfered spine
beams with straight-cut stops and an original square-headed stone fireplace
with moulded mantel-shelf. Most of the other rooms have inserted C18
and C19 cast-iron Coalbrookdale fireplaces and several of the rooms
have chamfered ceiling beams and C17 or C18 panelled doors. Present
main staircase is C19 but back staircase with moulded handrail and pointed
finials surviving from first floor to second floor (removed below) to
middle of left return is probably original. Room to left-hand rear
turret has C17 rectangular oak panelling. Parts of earlier (?C16) timber
framed house apparently incorporated to rear left corner; exposed square
panels and close studding with incised decoration in rendered infill
to presumably originally exterior wall on first floor. A medieval precursor
of this house may possibly have stood on the moated house platform approximately
250m to north-east (N.G.R. SJ 546 303). The owner (March 1986) suggests
that the date 1668 on the main entrance may commemorate a marriage rather
than the building of the house. B.O.E. p.290.

Listing NGR: SJ5437730244

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

427935

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Shropshire, (1958), 290

End of official list entry

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