Puddington Old Hall

The house originated in the 15th century as a timber-framed 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.[1] 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.[1][2] 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.[2]

Puddington Old Hall is timber-framed, with roughcast brick cladding on the outer walls. It is roofed with Welsh slates and has a stone ridge.[2] The 15th-century timber framing is still visible in the inner walls. There is close studding on the north and west ranges.[1] The plan of the house consists of three ranges around a courtyard. It has two storeys with attics.[2] On the south side of the courtyard is an open gallery above a cloister.[1] The house is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.[2]

Associated with the hall are three structures designated as Grade II listed buildings. To the north of the hall is a dovecote 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.[3] Also to the north of the hall is a courtyard of farm buildings dating from the late 17th and the 18th centuries.[4] To the west of the house is an outbuilding dating from the 18th and 19th centuries that formerly comprised a stable and a dovecote.[5]

• Listed buildings in Puddington, Cheshire
• Puddington Hall

• Dovecote at Puddington Old Hall on Images of England website, with listing details
• Courtyard at Puddington Old Hall on Images of England website, with listing details