Building record 1852/2/1 - Ashton Hall Farmhouse

<1> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 55707 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Farmhouse and cottage: early seventeenth century, cottage added later seventeenth century, top storey remodelled early nineteenth century. Tooled dressed red and buff sandstone blocks, concrete tile roof, brick gable chimneys. Large rectangular house with a cross passage. Three-storey, five-bay east front to main house. Plinth, cyma-moulded band at first floor and stepped cornice. First and fourth bay have moulded stone doorcases (first bay blocked). Three-light, rebated and chamfered mullioned and transomed windows except for top storey with three-light wooden casements. To right is two-storey and attic, two-bay cottage, with cyma-moulded band at second floor. Modern door and four-light chamfered stone mullioned windows. Left end has bands at both floors and ovolo-moulded windows. Two-storey west front with similar elements. Interior: not inspected but provisional list records a wide fireplace opening on ground floor. Very unusual Jacobean staircase, full height with close string enriched with carved strap ornament, shaped balusters, moulded rail, some newels running up and some with foliate ovoid finials. South-east room on first floor has pegged oak panelling on three sides. Two and four-panelled doors with unusual hinges. There is a loose and worn inscribed stone against the house reading RICHARD LATCHFORD 1711 ..TD which may relate to the building.

<2> Hartwell C, Hyde M, Hubbard E & Pevsner N, 2011, The Buildings of England: Cheshire (2011 revision), p.108 (Book). SCH7059.

Asymmetrically placed doorway, Jacobean or Carolean. Upper storey is an addition.

<3> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, Vol.II p.335 (Book). SCH1389.

An ancient stone house, with large bay windows, adjacent to the village of Ashton, two fields distant from the turnpike road.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ 56 NW 20 (Index). SCH2487.

As described in list description (see 1). The whole is of sandstone blocks. The south-east front has a blocked doorway at the south-east corner. There is also a blocked window at upper storey level,
and centrally. A low plinth on this side is continuous around the building but lost on the north side. The western side has an original blocked doorway, and a modern insertion close to it. There is also a blocked window at ground floor level. The north gable end, now much obscured by the additional stone wing has a blocked window at upper storey level, and partially obscured. A corresponding blocked window survives on the south gable. String coursing at middle and upper storey levels (but not continuous). Chimneys of brick.

<5> Chester City Council, 1992-1994, Chester District Listed Buildings Survey, Ashton_13_22 & Ashton_13_24 (Photographic Archive). SCH9385.