Press Castle

Press Castle

A house of the earlier to mid 19th century, incorporating earlier fabric, with later additions and alterations. The building is asymmetrical and 2-storey with a raised basement, arranged as a 4-bay rectangular-plan house with castellated Tudor Gothic detailing. A later full-height wing at the rear forms a near L-plan; a further lower wing at the rear forms a U-plan with a lower ancillary range adjoined to the east, enclosing a service courtyard.

The main house is finished in painted harl with painted dressings. Moulded eaves surmount the principal block, topped with a crenellated parapet. Narrow quoin strips run throughout the façades with plain margins to openings; some openings have chamfered details.

The west (entrance) elevation features projecting steps to a porch offset to the left of centre, with a 2-leaf panelled and studded door set beneath a Tudor-arched decorative fanlight. Figurative statues surmount the flanking turrets. A single window is positioned at first-floor level. Single windows at all floors occupy the bay recessed to the outer left with architraved hoodmoulds. Narrow windows at all floors appear in the bay recessed to the right. Full-height later canted windows occupy the outer right.

The south (side) elevation shows the principal block in 2 bays to the left with single windows at ground and first floors on both sides. A porch recessed to the outer left contains a part-glazed timber panelled door at basement level with a Tudor-arched decorative fanlight above, with a pointed-arch window aligned above that. A full-height 3-bay range recessed to the right features a near full-width lean-to greenhouse at basement level, with regular fenestration above. A coped wall adjoins the outer right.

The east (rear) elevation shows an irregularly fenestrated piended wing projecting to the left with a lean-to greenhouse adjoined to the outer left. A lower piended wing stands to the outer right with an ancillary range adjoined to its front. A modern external stair is set between the wings, with the principal block positioned behind.

The north (side) elevation displays the principal block in 2 bays to the right with single windows at ground and first floors on both sides. A porch recessed to the outer right contains pointed windows at both floors. A lower 2-bay wing adjoins to the left with bipartite windows at both floors to the right and single windows at both floors to the left, topped with a crenellated parapet. A lower ancillary range adjoins the outer left.

Windows comprise plate glass and original 12-pane horizontal glazing in timber sash and case frames. Grey slate roofs are appointed with projecting cannons or water spouts set in the crenellated parapet. Prominent sandstone stacks to the principal block contain 8 linked flues, with a projecting wallhead stack to the south. Octagonal cans appear throughout.

The interior has been converted for use as a hotel. A timber-panelled vestibule door features stained glazing, and the vestibule floor displays decorative inlay. A carved timber fire surround in Jacobean style has been re-sited. The remainder of the interior was not seen at the time of survey in 1999.

The ancillary range comprises former stables, hayloft and offices. It is a 2-storey, 8-bay rectangular-plan range enclosing the courtyard to the north. The front is heavily-pointed rubble; the rear is harled with exposed rubble visible in part. The south (entrance) elevation features modern glazing in a depressed-arch former cart opening at ground level to the outer right; various boarded timber doors and windows occupy the remaining bays at ground to the left, with 3 boarded openings at first-floor level offset to the left. The north (rear) elevation shows a boarded opening centred at ground level and small windows at first-floor level, some blocked. The east (side) elevation is a gable end with a part-glazed timber door at ground to the left and a single window centred in the apex. Some timber sash and case windows and rooflights are present. The roof is grey slate. The interior is used as an office in part; the remainder was not seen in 1999.

A coped rubble wall links the ancillary range and dovecot, enclosing the service courtyard to the east.

Rubble-coped rubble walls partially enclose the site. Quadrant walls flanking the entrance comprise coursed render to the outer walls and coped rubble inner walls, with a coat-of-arms inset to the west. Square-plan ball-finialled piers sit between them, with ball-finialled brick-built piers to the outer left and right. Circular-plan gatepiers of cream sandstone ashlar feature carved motifs on horizontal bands—fleur-de-lys motifs to the left and lions to the right. The gatepiers have shallow conical caps and are hung with 2-leaf modern timber gates.