Site of 18th century Bower Hall, Steeple Bumpstead (EHER 1616)

The Hall was built around 1720, probably near the site of the former house. Bower Hall was demolished about 1945, but some evidence still remains. To the west of the hall lay two rectangular ponds flanking an orchard, probably contemporary with the house. The site of the earlier house was not established.

Monument description derived from merging EHER 1616 and 1617. Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: The Hall was built about 1720, probably near the site of the former house "in a sunk fence in the garden are a number of moulded and enriched stones, apparently of Medieval date". Also inside, is some Jacobean panelling, reused. <1> Moated, manorial. <2> <3> Demolished around 1945 but "footings are still recognisable in a raised area of ground under scrub and trees". Garden also heavily overgrown. A wall forms its south-west boundary, south-east and north-east sides, centred TL 68054053, embanked within with retaining wall on outside. Wall mainly brick with dressed stone at the base. 100m downhill to the west of the hall lay 2 ponds, rectangular, flanking an orchard, were probably contemporary with the house. Between them at TL 67864558 was a brick dovecote of similar age, demolished. The northern pond has been filled. Site of earlier house not established by OS. South-east and north-east sides of garden, centred TL 68054053, embanked within with a retaining wall on the outside, mainly brick but with 2 irregular courses of dressed stone blocks at its base. A few "carry some decoration below a thick covering of moss". Two rectangular ponds flank the orchard - the OS considered them to be contemporary with the later house. The more northerly pond has been filled in. The ponds lay 100m downhill from the retaining wall mentioned above, to the west of the hall. Are they part of a former moat or have they been mistaken for one? OS could find no trace of the previous house. <3> <4> "Bower Hall is Bourhall 1392". <5> Dovecote described as “In some ways unique in Essex". It stood in an orchard; some distance from the hall. It was hexagonal, brick, built c1700, stood on 6 corner piers. The steep roof rose from a brick cornice, surmounted by an open tiled louvre with a bell-shaped roof with a good vane. A circular light was in the south-west wall. The entrance door was on the north-east. It had 220 holes and a potence. Demolished 1955. <6> 1977. Field survey. Bower Hall was demolished about 1945, but its footings are still recognisable in a raised area of ground under scrub and trees. Its garden, rising gently to the south-east, is also heavily overgrown. A wall forms its south-west boundary but the south-east and north-east sides, centred TL 6805 4053, are embanked within with a retaining wall on the outside. The wall is mainly brick but has up to two irregular courses of dressed stone blocks at its base. A few of these carry some decoration below a thick covering of moss. One hundred metres downhill to the west of the Hall lay two rectangular ponds flanking an orchard, and probably contemporary with the house. Between them at TL 6786 6558 stood a brick dovecote of similar age. This was demolished about 20 years ago, and the northerly pond has been filled in. The site of the earlier house was not established. An avenue of trees, now gone but shown on OS 25" 1921, ran north-south and was aligned between Steeple Bumpstead Church and the dovecote, suggesting a possible siting by the latter. Perambulation produced no evidence of another building in a topographically unlikely site. No traces could be seen on the OS air photograph. <7> See also: <8> - <10>