Lower Huxley Hall is a moated

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

in Cheshire, England, located about southeast of Chester. It lies roughly halfway between the villages of Huxley (to the southeast) and Hargrave (to the southwest), It dates from the late 15th century, with major additions and alterations in the 17th century. A small addition was made to the rear in the 19th century. It was originally a

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

house, but only two wings remain. The house is designated by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

as a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

The house was originally the seat of the Clive family. John Tilston inherited the property upon the death of his elder brother Henry in 1613. Their father Ralph Tilston had purchased half of the Huxley estate from a relative Ralph Huxley in 1580. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

the house was taken over by Colonel Croxton and the Parliamentary forces on September 5, 1644, and served as a base for the

Siege of Chester The siege of Chester occurred over a 16-month period between September 1644 and February 1646 during the First English Civil War. In the engagement, Sir William Brereton and the Parliamentarians were ultimately successful in taking poss ...

. In 1810 it was described as being a farmhouse, and was still so in 1935. There is also a Higher Huxley Hall, less than half a mile immediately to the south which dates to at least the 13th century and is now run as a hotel.

Architecture

The house is approached by a bridge over the moat. This dates from the late

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

era, with its

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...

and later work dating from the 17th century. It is constructed in ashlar pink and buff sandstone. On the hall side of the bridge is a semicircular archway. This is in Jacobean style, and is decorated with scrolls and finials. The bridge and archway are listed at Grade II*. The moated site on which the house stands is a

Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

. The east wing is partly

timber-framed Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large woode ...

internally, the remainder being constructed in orange brick, with blue brick

diapering Diaper is any of a wide range of decorative patterns used in a variety of works of art, such as stained glass, heraldic shields, architecture, and silverwork. Its chief use is in the enlivening of plain surfaces. Etymology For the full etymolo ...

. The dressings are in buff

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

, and the house is roofed in Welsh slate with a stone ridge. It has two storeys and an attic, and its west front is symmetrical with three bays. The end bays project forward and have coped

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s. They contain five-light

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...

ed and transomed windows in both storeys. The centre bay has two three-light mullioned and transomed windows in the lower storey, and a single similar window in the upper storey. Between the storeys in the central bay is a

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

plaque. The south wing is in brick on a stone

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

, and also has mullioned and transomed windows. The house is recorded in the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

as a designated Grade II*

. Today the house is set in a 4-acre garden, described as having "follies; pergolas; arches; a moat; herbaceous, shrub and rose beds; within a picturesque arid romantic setting."

References

External links

* (2008 photograph by Jay Tilston) {{coord, 53.15519, -2.75235, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Houses completed in the 15th century Houses completed in the 17th century Country houses in Cheshire Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire Timber framed buildings in Cheshire Grade II* listed houses Scheduled monuments in Cheshire

History

Architecture

See also

References

Further reading

External links