Puddington Old Hall
Encyclopedia
Puddington Old Hall stands on a former moat
ed site in the village of Puddington
, Cheshire
, England. It is sited near the England-Wales border
, overlooking the Dee estuary
.
house with a quadrangular plan surrounding a central courtyard
. Three sides of the building are still present. It was built for the Masseys, a prominent Jacobite
family. During the Popish Plot
, John Plessington
, tutor to the Massey children and a Catholic priest
was seized at the house, and hanged
at Chester Castle
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.
s and has a stone ridge. The 15th-century timber framing is still visible in the inner walls. There is close studding
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
. The house has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building.
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.
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
ed site in the village of Puddington
Puddington, Cheshire
Puddington is a village and civil parish on the Wirral Peninsula, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, located close to the border with Wales ....
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. It is sited near the England-Wales border
Wales–England border
The Wales–England border, between two of the countries of the United Kingdom, extends for about from the Dee estuary, in the north, to the Severn estuary in the south....
, overlooking the Dee estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
.
History
The house originated in the 15th century as a timber-framedTimber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
house with a quadrangular plan surrounding a central courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
. Three sides of the building are still present. It was built for the Masseys, a prominent Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
family. During the Popish Plot
Popish Plot
The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...
, John Plessington
John Plessington
St John Plessington , also known as John Plesington, William Scarisbrick and William Pleasington, is one of the Roman Catholic Forty Martyrs of England and Wales....
, tutor to the Massey children and a Catholic priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
was seized at the house, and hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
at Chester Castle
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 parts of the medieval castle together with the...
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 brick cladding on the outer walls. It is roofed with Welsh slateSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
s and has a stone ridge. The 15th-century timber framing is still visible in the inner walls. There is close studding
Close studding
Close studding is a form of timber work used in timber-framed buildings in which vertical timbers are set close together, dividing the wall into narrow panels...
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
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
. The house has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building.
Associated structures
Associated with the hall are three structures designated as Grade II listed buildings. To the north of the hall is a dovecoteDovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
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.