Listed Building: PUDDINGTON OLD HALL, PRIESTS HOUSE AND PRIESTS HOUSE FLAT (1115567)

SJ 37 SW PUDDINGTON C.P. THE VILLAGE 3/15 Puddington Old Hall, Priest's House and Priest's House Flat, (formerly listed as Puddington Old Hall). 4/6/1952 GV II* Formerly moated manor house, now 2 houses and a flat: two wings late C15 and one wing early C16 for the Massey family. Rewalling of early C18 and some additions dated 1909. Timber framed, outer walls are brick clad, and roughcast. Welsh slate roof with stone ridge, mixture of lateral and ridge brick chimneys. House on 3 sides of courtyard. 2 storey and attics. Outer facades have brick band at 1st floor and a mixture of casements with glazing bars. 4 doorways of which the one in north-east corner has porch dated 1909. Entry under wooden lintel into courtyard through west range. North range has 2-storey 3-bay south front. Eaves project and are supported on wooden posts from a narrow gallery at 1st floor, itself supported on posts. Behind the wall is close-studded with heavy arch braces. The ground storey has 2 original casements with wood mullions and shaped wooden sills, and a blocked basket arched doorway and a rectangular frame to a board door. Above is a blocked 3-light wood mullioned window and copies of the wooden casements. East front of west range has close-studding with middle rail and weaker arch bracing surviving in upper storey. South range is now hidden by 2-storey late C19 addition. Interior: Puddington Old Hall: main range has a line of rooms reached from a corridor. Some heavy ceiling beams exposed but most fittings including staircase of late C19/early C20. Upstairs are a mixture of C17 6-panelled doors, 3-board doors and panelled pine doors with raised fields. Evidence of close-studding of this range visible in parts. Priest's House Flat: has large blocked fireplace but chamfered and stopped bracket of bressumer visible. Double chamfered and stopped beam by staircase. Upstairs are 3 early trusses: one has tiebeam and collar with open vertical studs, one has an arch-braced collar, and one has a cambered tiebeam, formerly arch-braced and probably carrying a king or crown-post. Suggests the north-west corner had a 3-bay room open to the roof or that it was a solar. Priest's House: not inspected. Saint John Plessington (c1637-1679), tutor to the Massey children and underground missionary Catholic priest was siezed at this house following the Popish Plot. He was hung at Chester Castle and his quartered body was returned to be displayed at the Old Hall before the family managed to have it buried at Burton. D H Farmer The Oxford Dictionary of Saints Oxford 1978. Listing NGR: SJ3261873314