Weston Hall

Weston Hall is a manor house, now used as a farmhouse, located in Weston Rhyn. The building dates from the 15th century and was substantially remodelled and extended in the late 16th and mid 17th centuries, with further additions and alterations carried out subsequently. It comprises a medieval range of cruck construction with outer walls rebuilt in painted brick; a 16th-century range that is timber-framed with rendered and painted brick infill; and a 17th-century range with roughcast over timber frame. The roofs are slate throughout.

The original plan was an open-hall house of three cruck-framed bays, probably with a service range at the left end. This service range was demolished and replaced by a late 16th-century cross-wing. A 17th-century range was added at right-angles to the left of the cross-wing. The hall range is a single storey, while the cross-wing rises to two storeys with an attic.

The hall range features a 19th-century three-light segmental-headed casement in the position of an infilled doorway to the left of centre, with a small larder window to the right. Two 20th-century segmental-headed casements of two lights in matching style are positioned to the right. A massive stepped external end stack stands to the right with a partly truncated roughcast brick shaft. Lean-tos of 19th and 20th-century date are present to the rear, with a late 20th-century red brick shaft to the left of centre. The cross-wing has roughcast rendering to the left wall and rear. The right wall has its ground floor rebuilt in brick, but the timber framing is exposed to the front gable and on the first floor to the right wall.

The gable is jettied to the first floor and attic and features chamfered bressumers with straight-cut stops on carved corner brackets. Close studding appears to the ground floor and below the first-floor window, which displays herringbone decoration to left and right. Concave lozenges decorate the attic and also the centre of the first floor to the right, with double-purlin ends visible. A 19th-century casement to the ground and first floors of the gable represents an infill of original larger openings, with the ground-floor window retaining its projecting moulded cill. The right wall has a 20th-century casement in 19th-century style to the ground floor and a small 19th-century casement directly above a 20th-century lean-to porch in the angle with the hall range. A six-panel door with rectangular overlight is present, its middle panels now glazed. A large stepped external lateral stack on the left wall has a 20th-century red brick shaft and an infilled window with moulded surround to the left on the first floor. A gabled range to the left has a small 19th-century casement immediately below the eaves with a 20th-century plank door directly below; its gable end was rebuilt in late 20th-century painted brick.

Interior features are extensive and significant. The left ground-floor room of the hall range is open to the roof and represents the original open hall. A cruck truss to the right of centre is partly concealed by wallpaper, but its arch-bracing and large curved braces supporting purlins are visible. A plank and muntin screen to the right with a middle rail and moulding to the top probably represents a dais partition and has an infilled doorway to the left, probably formerly leading to the first-floor rooms of the solar. A round-headed plank door to the centre of the screen, probably inserted in the 17th century, features nail studding and incised diamond patterns plus fleur-de-lys pointed strap hinges. A projecting moulded rim around the top of the door is cut away to allow space for a contemporary carved pendant from the lintel of the door surround, with plain spandrels. A date stone inscribed "1653" appears above a late 20th-century fireplace at the back wall. The left wall is timber-framed with square panels; 17th-century panelled doors to the left and to the right of centre in shaped doorways probably represent entrances to the original service end, now demolished when the present cross-wing was built. The right door now leads to the rear room of the cross-wing, which has a chamfered cross beam with sawn-off tenon joints and staves to the underside showing the room was formerly divided. A chamfered ceiling beam is present to the front room of the cross-wing. A 17th-century dog-leg staircase in the gabled range to the left of the cross-wing has carved newel-posts and splat balusters, the latter replaced by stick balusters to the first floor.

The right ground-floor room of the hall range has deep-chamfered spine beams and heavy joists with straight-cut stops. A 17th-century plank door leads to a 20th-century lean-to. A short staircase leads to the first-floor rooms of the solar, which are divided by a central cruck truss with a slightly cambered collar and large curved braces supporting purlins. A round-headed plank door with fleur-de-lys pointed strap hinges is cut through the collar of the truss and is approached by a flight of three solid block steps, giving access to the left first-floor room of the solar. This room has a smoke-blackened apex of the cruck truss visible in the hall with a curious box-like structure in front, the top of which appears to be visible in the hall as a flat plaster ceiling below the ridge. This 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, is found at Codlwillan in Llanllechid, Gwynedd.