Aston Hall

Cadw's description

Location

Situated off the road in its own walled grounds.

History

Home of the Whitley family since the C14. The present house H plan and probably early-mid C16, though reduced and much altered in the early C19, to which period its external appearance now belongs. During the Civil War, Thomas Aston and his four sons made an important contribution to the Royalist cause, particularly Colonels John and Roger. There is a Whitley chapel in Hawarden Church.

Exterior

The present entrance front (SW) is near symmetrical and of 3 bays. Medium-pitched slate roof with plain rendered end-chimneys and brick dentilated eaves. Of brick, roughcast-rendered with painted stucco quoins and plinth. Central single-storey gabled porch with arched, recessed entrance. Paired, arched doors with glazed lancets. Inner door with glazed upper section and pointed-arched tracery fan. Recessed, 7-pane arched windows with leaded Y-tracery in upper lights and projecting stone cills. To the L of the porch a small recessed stair-light of 4 panes.

SE front (original entrance front) has a 4 window facade with gabled flanking cross-wings, that to the R advanced and with a gabled dormer to its SW return. Large off-centre entrance with French windows of 23 panes with intersecting tracery. Squat 5-pane Y-tracery windows above, under eaves with arched heads as before. Otherwise 7-pane windows as before to ground and first floors. 2 tall rendered stacks to central block and a large stack to the right-hand cross-wing.

There is evidence on the NE face of a moulded stone plinth with brick and stone quoins above, all early C17. 3 irregular gables to the rear, all remodelled in the C19 and with Victorian sash windows.

Interior

Ground floor parlour to R of entrance has a fine, highly-carved and inlaid overmantel dated 1615. This is ex-situ but is from the house. Atlas figures flanking arched-headed marquetry panels with foliate and guilloche-carved surrounds. Central recessed panel with painted arms of Whitleys impaling Evans of Plas Llaneurgain and Whitley impailing Ravenscroft of Bretton. Fine early/mid C16 linenfold panelling flanking this and below, again reset. The 3 remaining walls are hung with C17 embossed, gilded and painted "Spanish Leather", with floral and bird decoration. Panelled dado beneath. The room to the L of the entrance hall has a double-chamfered and arrow-stopped beam.

Other rooms, especially on first floor with small-field dado panelling and, in one room, late C17 large-field panelling on one wall. Winding stair to attic with probably mid C17 shaped, flat balusters to landing. Internally on the ground floor, a blocked 2-light mullioned window is visible plus a stone plinth.

Reason for designation

An historic house of regional significance with important internal fittings.