Plowden Hall

Plowden Hall is a country house of complex build phases spanning from approximately 1300 through the late 19th century, with 18th-century and later alterations. The building comprises timber framing with painted wattle and daub infill panels, painted brick nogging, rendering, and partial painted coursed limestone rubble refacing, beneath slate roofs.

The plan is an irregular H-shape formed by multiple phases of construction: a central range from circa 1300 consisting of a three-framed-bay quasi-aisled former open hall; a mid-14th-century three-framed-bay solar cross wing to the south with an early 16th-century one-framed-bay addition to the east; a further cross wing parallel to the south dating probably to the 17th century; and a circa 1580 three-framed-bay cross wing to the north. The building rises to one storey and attic over parts, two storeys over other sections, and two storeys and attic elsewhere. Numerous partly rendered brick stacks are distributed across the ranges—an external lateral stack to the central hall, two to the left-hand cross wing, and four to the right-hand cross wing, three of which have rendered pitched-roof links rising to the attic.

The decorative timber framing displays principally close studding with central rail, short corner braces, double-curved tension braces, quatrefoil panels, and parallel diagonal framing forming lozenge patterns.

The east front of the central hall range features two 19th-century gabled dormers with two-light casements, and early 18th-century brick refacing of five bays with glazing bar sashes and a central door of 10 raised and fielded panels with moulded architrave and bracketed semi-circular niched hood. The left-hand cross wing has a jettied first floor and gable end with brackets and moulded bressumers, with an exposed crown post truss visible in the gable end; a 19th-century three-light leaded casement to the first floor and an underbuilt 19th-century two-light leaded casement to the ground floor. The right-hand return front displays a 10-panelled door with bracketed semi-circular niched hood. A parallel cross wing to the left has a 19th-century two-light leaded casement to the first floor and a two-light leaded casement to the ground floor. The right-hand cross wing has gabled dormers in the attic to north and south, jettied first floor and gable end with brackets and moulded bressumers, a 19th-century four-light attic casement, three first-floor 18th-century glazing bar sashes, and two ground-floor 18th-century glazing bar sashes, with a one-storey lean-to to the right featuring a boarded door.

The west front of the central hall range features a one-storey lean-to with two glazing bar sashes flanking a central boarded door, and an attached 20th-century conservatory. The right-hand cross wing displays a queen post truss with V-struts above, exposed in the gable end, and a ground-floor three-light casement to the left; a former two-storey gabled garderobe stands to the right with a rendered base and two-light casements on each floor. The left-hand cross wing has a jettied first floor and gable end with brackets and moulded bressumers, a 19th-century three-light leaded attic casement, and three 18th-century glazing bar sashes to the first and ground floors, with the central ground-floor sash accompanied by a movable wall section beneath to create an entrance.

Interior features are substantial. The hall range retains remains of a central arch-braced base cruck and a crown post truss to the north with longitudinal bracing and transverse tension braces; a first floor was probably inserted after 1691. Six raised and fielded panelled doors are present; 17th-century panelling with gadrooned frieze survives. A fireplace dated 1653 displays a scrolled overmantel, arched panels, guilloche ornament, and a moulded cornice with carved deer in a panel.

The south cross wing features moulded arch-bracing to cusped tie beams, principal rafters and inclined struts, windbraces, and chamfered and stopped tenoned purlins. The first-floor chapel contains a brass to H. Plowden and his wife dated 1557, two figures originally from Bishop's Castle church. Billet-decorated beams appear in the ground-floor room to the west.

The north cross wing has a double-purlin roof with double queen-strut trusses. The drawing room displays a crossbeam ceiling and 17th-century panelling with gadrooned frieze, alongside a fireplace with an 18th-century surround and overmantel consisting of fluted Ionic columns, two tiers of inlaid arcading, frieze and cornice. An overmantel in the first-floor room shows two tiers of orders—Ionic below and Corinthian above. Late 16th-century panelling runs throughout the wing. Two priest-holes are positioned adjacent to large stacks at the north. An early 18th-century staircase contains four flights with square well, turned balusters, a fluted Doric column newel post, open string with cut tread ends, moulded ramped handrail, and balustrade to landing. A 17th-century back staircase features splat balusters.

The Catholic Plowden family have inhabited this house since the 12th century. The building was substantially rebuilt and enlarged in the late 16th century by the great lawyer Edmund Plowden (1517–1584).