Eastington Manor Tower
Eastington Manor Tower is a remarkably well preserved medieval tower house, standing south of the village of Rhoscrowther near the shores of the Milford Haven Waterway. Although often overshadowed by Pembrokeshire’s grander castles, the tower house at Eastington is one of the finest surviving examples of its type in Wales. Its imposing stone structure and long period of occupation reflect the importance of this manor within the late medieval landscape of south west Wales. The surviving building consists primarily of a four storey stone tower, constructed in the fourteenth or fifteenth century, with thick walls, small defensive openings and chambers arranged vertically around a winding staircase. Attached to it is a later domestic range, reused and adapted in the post medieval period, as well as a collection of farm buildings that developed after the demolition of a much larger eighteenth century mansion in 1868. Despite the loss of the later house, the medieval tower remains dominant and retains its architectural integrity. Features include stone vaulted lower rooms, narrow windows, mural stairs, fireplaces, and the remains of upper floors. The tower was built not only for residence but also for defence, in keeping with the turbulent conditions of medieval Pembrokeshire. The complex is surrounded by a farmyard layout created between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, giving it the character of a long lived manorial site. Eastington was the seat of several prominent families over the centuries. The medieval tower is associated particularly with the Perrot family, who held estates across Pembrokeshire and played a major role in regional governance. Later it passed to the Meares and Leach families, who adapted the site for agricultural and domestic use. In the eighteenth century, a grand mansion was built beside the tower, transforming Eastington into a significant gentry residence. This house was demolished in 1868, but its removal left the medieval tower and attached ranges intact, allowing the core of the medieval complex to survive virtually unchanged. The tower house at Eastington is one of the best surviving defensive domestic buildings in Wales, representing a style halfway between a castle and a manor house. Its preservation offers valuable insight into the architecture, lifestyle and social priorities of late medieval landowners in Pembrokeshire. Today Eastington Manor Tower is both a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Monument, recognised for its outstanding architectural and historical significance. Alternate names: Eastington Tower, Eastington Manor House, Eastington Tower House
Eastington Castle
Eastington Manor Tower is a remarkably well preserved medieval tower house, standing south of the village of Rhoscrowther near the shores of the Milford Haven Waterway. Although often overshadowed by Pembrokeshire’s grander castles, the tower house at Eastington is one of the finest surviving examples of its type in Wales. Its imposing stone structure and long period of occupation reflect the importance of this manor within the late medieval landscape of south west Wales. The surviving building consists primarily of a four storey stone tower, constructed in the fourteenth or fifteenth century, with thick walls, small defensive openings and chambers arranged vertically around a winding staircase. Attached to it is a later domestic range, reused and adapted in the post medieval period, as well as a collection of farm buildings that developed after the demolition of a much larger eighteenth century mansion in 1868. Despite the loss of the later house, the medieval tower remains dominant and retains its architectural integrity. Features include stone vaulted lower rooms, narrow windows, mural stairs, fireplaces, and the remains of upper floors. The tower was built not only for residence but also for defence, in keeping with the turbulent conditions of medieval Pembrokeshire. The complex is surrounded by a farmyard layout created between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, giving it the character of a long lived manorial site. Eastington was the seat of several prominent families over the centuries. The medieval tower is associated particularly with the Perrot family, who held estates across Pembrokeshire and played a major role in regional governance. Later it passed to the Meares and Leach families, who adapted the site for agricultural and domestic use. In the eighteenth century, a grand mansion was built beside the tower, transforming Eastington into a significant gentry residence. This house was demolished in 1868, but its removal left the medieval tower and attached ranges intact, allowing the core of the medieval complex to survive virtually unchanged. The tower house at Eastington is one of the best surviving defensive domestic buildings in Wales, representing a style halfway between a castle and a manor house. Its preservation offers valuable insight into the architecture, lifestyle and social priorities of late medieval landowners in Pembrokeshire. Today Eastington Manor Tower is both a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Monument, recognised for its outstanding architectural and historical significance.