Weston Hall

Details

SJ 23 NE
1/95

WESTON RHYN C.P.
Weston Hall

II*
Manor house, now farmhouse. C15, remodelled and extended late C16 and mid C17 with later additions and alterations. Medieval range of cruck construction with outer walls rebuilt in painted brick; C16 range timber-framed with rendered and painted brick infill; C17 range roughcast over timber frame; slate roofs throughout.

Original plan an open-hall house of three cruck-framed bays, probably with service range at left end, demolished and replaced by late C16 cross-wing; C17 range at right-angles to left of cross wing. One storey to hall range with two storeys and attic to cross wing.

Hall range has C19 three-light segmental-headed casement in position of in-filled doorway to left of centre, with small larder window to right. Two C20 segmental-headed casements of two lights in matching style to right. Massive stepped external end stack to right with partly truncated roughcast brick shaft. C19 and C20 lean-tos to rear to right of prominent external stack with late C20 red brick shaft to left of centre. Cross wing, roughcast to left wall and rear, has ground floor of right wall rebuilt in brick but framing exposed to front gable and on first floor to right wall.

Gable, jettied to first floor and attic, has chamfered bressumers with straight-cut stops on carved corner brackets. Close studding to ground floor and below first floor window, which has herringbone decoration to left and right; concave lozenges to attic and also to centre of first floor to right; double-purlin ends. C19 casement to ground and first floors of gable in infill of original larger openings, ground floor window retaining projecting moulded cill. Right wall has C20 casement in C19 style to ground floor and small C19 casement directly above C20 lean-to porch in angle with hall range; six-panel door (middle panels now glazed) with rectangular overlight. Large stepped external lateral stack with C20 red brick shaft to left wall has infilled window with moulded surround to left on first floor. Gabled range to left has small C19 casement immediately below eaves with C20 plank door directly below; gable end rebuilt in late C20 painted brick.

INTERIOR: left ground floor room of hall range is open to roof and represents original open hall. Cruck truss to right of centre partly concealed by wallpaper at time of resurvey (May 1986) but arch-bracing and large curved braces supporting purlins visible. Plank and muntin screen to right with middle rail and moulding to top probably represents dais partition and has infilled doorway (probably formerly leading to first floor rooms of solar) to left. Round-headed plank door to centre of screen, probably inserted in C17, has nail studding and incised diamond patterns plus fleur-de-lys pointed strap hinges. Projecting moulded rim around top of door cut away to allow space for contemporary carved pendant from lintel of door surround; plain spandrels. Date stone "1653" above late C20 fireplace to back wall. Left wall is timber framed with square panels; C17 panelled doors to left and to right of centre in shaped doorways probably represent entrances to original service end, demolished when present cross-wing was built. Right door now leads to rear room of cross-wing. This has chamfered cross beam with sawn-off tenon joints and staves to underside showing that room was formerly divided. Chamfered ceiling beam to front room of cross-wing. C17 dog-leg staircase in gabled range to left of cross wing has carved newel-posts and splat balusters, latter replaced by stick balusters to first floor.

Right ground-floor room of hall range has deep-chamfered spine beams and heavy joists with straight-cut stops. C17 plank door to C20 lean-to. Short staircase leads to first floor rooms of solar, which are divided by central cruck truss with slightly cambered collar and large curved braces supporting purlins. Round-headed plank door with fleur-de-lys pointed strap hinges, cut through collar of truss, is approached by flight of three solid block steps and gives access to left first floor room of solar. This has smoke-blackened apex of the cruck truss visible in hall with curious box-like structure in front (the top of which appears to be visible in the hall as a flat plaster ceil below the ridge), which may possibly be the remains of the top of a dais canopy.

A house with a similar plan-form and displaying comparable, albeit rather grander characteristics, at Codlwillan (Llanllechid, Gwynedd) is illustrated in (Smith1975, figs.
69 and 70; pls. 26 and 27).

Listing NGR: SJ2847435106

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

255808

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Smith, P, Houses of the Welsh Countryside A Study in Historical Geography, (1975)

End of official list entry

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