Building record 1938/3/1 - The Old Hall, Christleton

<1> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 55460 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Formerly hall, later rectory, now house: early seventeenth century with late nineteenth century extensions and brick skin. Ruabon red brick skin to earlier timber framing. Welsh slate roof. Two gable brick chimneys. Two and three-storey, seven-bay front. Left two bays of two storeys, an addition with sashes. Remainder has a nearby symmetrical front, with plinth and ball-finialled end pilasters on the body and on the corners of a central three-storey gabled projection. Windows are twelve-pane sashes under cambered brick heads, the upper ones in gabled half dormers. To left is the original but moved heavily moulded wooden doorcase with carved base stops and a studded oak four-board door.

Interior: Entry into hall made from two rooms. Re-sited nineteenth century four-centred arched stone fireplace with original Jacobean overmantel with strapwork and perspective panels, one with a unicorn rampant, one with an eagle in a tree. Ceiling panels between heavy beams, have strapwork borders and central panels. Ceiling carried on posts with carved and shaped heads. Six-panelled doors with raised fields in bolection moulded architraves. Parlour to right has restored oak wainscotting above a painted dado with raised fields. Late nineteenth century Jacobean fireplace and overmantel. Ceiling has original Jacobean cornice and strapwork panels. Beyond the hall is the "Pillar Room" with two pairs of carved mahogany balusters supporting central ceiling beam, with heavy Victorian stucco work. Re-sited Jacobean oak well staircase in former gabled porch. Shaped flat balusters, square newels with carved finials, and restored handrails. On first floor is main chamber, now known as the library. This has the best ceiling, the beams plastered to form a dentil cornice. Good strapwork details, central panel with a pendant, six-panelled Jacobean doors (some restored) throughout this room.

<2> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 55461 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Set of six bread ovens: probably early eighteenth century. At the west end of the north wall is a block in handmade red brick. This has two tiers of three rectangular openings with segmental brick heads. (All now blocked). These would have been the openings to bread ovens with one of the lower tier probably being a firebox. The ovens survive, cased in brick to the rear. Timber-framed houses often had external ovens, but this is a remarkably large group. Listed for group value only.

<3> de Figueiredo P & Treuherz J, 1988, Cheshire Country Houses, p.225 (Book). SCH785.

Early seventeenth century timber framed house. Built by a branch of the Egerton's. Encased in brick circa 1870 for the Revered Garnett, when the house was in use as a rectory. Good Jacobean plasterwork and panelling survives inside. In the northern garden wall are six early eighteenth century bread ovens.

<4> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Land Line and Master Map Vector Maps, 06/03/2023 (Maps and Plans). SCH4491.

<5> Hartwell C, Hyde M, Hubbard E & Pevsner N, 2011, The Buildings of England: Cheshire (2011 revision), p.289 (Book). SCH7059.

<6> Various, Various, Cheshire Life, Guest-Williams, A.A. 1948, Christleton Old Hall no.11 p.14-15 (Journal/Periodical). SCH837.

In 1645 when Chester was under siege from the Parliamentarian army, Colonel Brereton garrisoned some of his army at The Old Hall. A royalist group led by Prince Rupert set Christleton on fire as a reprisal. The church, manor house and The Old Hall were the only buildings to survive.

<7> Cheshire Gardens Trust, 2011 onwards, Research and Recording Report, Christleton Old Hall (Report). SCH6655.

The original black and white timbered house, built soon after 1603 by a member of the Egerton family of Tatton, has been encased in Ruabon brick in 1890, but internally the house retains many fine original features including a Tudor-style fireplace in the main hall, seventeenth century plasterwork on the ceilings of the hall, dining room and library, Jacobean oak panelling in the dining room and a ‘powdering closet’ off the Oak Room upstairs (see 8).

A tunnel surrounded the whole building. Some of the older sections were under the drawing room and at the south-east angle, connecting the house with a passage of ashlar work. Some of this tunnel still exists and can be accessed from the cellar (see 9).

<8> Christleton Local History Group, 2011, The Parish of Christleton (Projected and Video Material). SCH9365.

<9> Cummings, D, 2009, Original Research for the Old Hall Christleton in the 1970s (Paper Archive). SCH9366.

<10> Nicholson, R, 2000-2023, Christleton (Web Site). SCH9367.