Puddington Old Hall stands on a former moated site in the village of Puddington, Cheshire, England. It is sited near the

England–Wales border The England–Wales border ( cy, Y ffin rhwng Cymru a Lloegr; shortened: Ffin Cymru a Lloegr), sometimes referred to as the Wales–England border or the Anglo-Welsh border, runs for from the Dee estuary, in the north, to the Severn estuary i ...

, overlooking the Dee

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

History

The house originated in the 15th century as a

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 ...

house with a quadrangular plan surrounding a central

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 ...

. Three sides of the building are still present. It was built for the Masseys, a prominent Jacobite family. During the Popish Plot,

John Plessington John Plessington (c. 1637 – 19 July 1679), also known as John Plesington, William Scarisbrick and William Pleasington, was an English Catholic priest who was executed by the English Crown for violating the ban on the presence of Catholic pri ...

, tutor to the Massey children and a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

was seized at the house, and

hanged Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

Chester Castle Chester Castle is in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is sited at the southwest extremity of the area bounded by the city walls. The castle stands on an eminence overlooking the River Dee. In the castle complex are the remaining part ...

in 1679. The house was re-walled in the early 18th century, and there are some additions dated 1909. The building has since been divided into two houses and a flat.

Architecture

Puddington Old Hall is timber-framed, with

roughcast Roughcast or pebbledash is a coarse plaster surface used on outside walls that consists of lime and sometimes cement mixed with sand, small gravel and often pebbles or shells. The materials are mixed into a slurry and are then thrown at the ...

brick cladding on the outer walls. It is roofed with Welsh slates and has a stone ridge. The 15th-century timber framing is still visible in the inner walls. There is

close studding Close studding is a form of timber work used in timber-framed buildings in which vertical timbers ( studs) are set close together, dividing the wall into narrow panels. Rather than being a structural feature, the primary aim of close studding is to ...

on the north and west ranges. The plan of the house consists of three ranges around a courtyard. It has two storeys with attics. On the south side of the courtyard is an open gallery above a

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

. 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 ...

Associated structures

Associated with the hall are three structures designated as Grade II listed buildings. To the north of the hall is a

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot ( Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pige ...

dating from the later part of the 18th century. It is constructed in brick, and has a pyramidal roof of Welsh slates with a stone ridge. The structure is in two storeys with a square plan. Also to the north of the hall is a courtyard of farm buildings dating from the late 17th and the 18th centuries. To the west of the house is an outbuilding dating from the 18th and 19th centuries that formerly comprised a stable and a dovecote.

References

{{Coord, 53.25245, -3.01142, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Houses completed in the 15th century Country houses in Cheshire Timber framed buildings in Cheshire Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire Grade II* listed houses

History

Architecture

Associated structures

See also

References