History

The main building was erected in 1686 and consisted of a rectangular range with a central stair wing to the rear. Each side of this rear wing was extended in 1821 when the whole house was extensively reconstructed. W of the main part of the house is a smaller range of two storeys with attics, once a seperate dwelling, dating from the C17 but extensively modernised. The two houses were linked in 1875 by Hon W O Stanley, who also installed four coats of arms in the dining room of the main part of the house, dated, and representing the families connected with Presaddfed: 1660 - John Owen, Penrhos and Margaret, daughter of William Williams, Nantanog, 1696 - John Owen, Presaddfed and Lettice, daughter of David Williams, Glanalaw, 1784 - Reverend John Bulkeley, Dronwy and Susannah Margaret Owen, Presaddfed, 1875 - The Honorable William Owen Stanley, Penrhos and Elin daughter of Sir John Williams, Bodelwyddan.

Exterior

The main house is a 2 storey with attics, 5 window gabled range with 3 gabled wings to the rear. Rubble masonry walls, cement rendered with weather moulded hoods to asymmetrically arranged windows to front (S) elevation. Pitched roof with covering of thin slates, dressed kneelers and slab copings. Attic dormers with raking roofs and casement windows with modern leading. Single axial stack to roof of front part of house, set two-thirds along the ridge to the E; further ridge stacks to outer rear wings. Windows to ground and first floor are recessed 12-pane hornless sashes. Gabled central porch with basket-headed entrance flanked by Tuscan pilasters and shaped finial at apex of moulded coping. Circa 1700 achievement in modern frame above porch. To the left (W) of the porch is a narrow round-headed window with irregular squared leading.

The W wing to the left of the main house is a two storey with attics, 4 window range. Built of rubble masonry, rendered walls with a slate roof with central pyramidal cupola, large rendered stack at S gable end and single raking dormer to S end, above second window in range. Modern casement windows. The wing is linked to the main house by a single storey lean-to addition.

Interior

The main part of the present house has a central C17 dogleg staircase leading from a hallway with a stone flagged floor. The staircase has moulded brackets to an open string with paired balusters; turned in the lower part, twisted above and set between moulded blocks, these support a stepped moulded handrail. Reconstructed in 1821, the staircase retains many of the balusters in the upper flight. The hallway leads to drawing rooms to the right with oak panelling and fire surrounds of C17 character: in the front room with ornate carving and festoons under a dentilled mantle; in the rear room a Renaissance-style surround with arcaded panelling and coupled fluted pilasters and dentilled frieze to corbelled mantle. The dining room to the left of the hallway has tall painted panels of red and black, and above a large slate fire surround are 4 coats of arms with dates below, installed by W. O. Stanley in 1875 and depicting the arms of the families who lived at Presaddfed. In the front west bedrooms is a stone corbel painted with a blackamoor's head.

In the W wing, the oldest part of the house, are exposed collared trusses, one inscribed with the date 1736, and parts of a coloured plastered frieze of early C17 type.

Reasons for Listing

Listed II* as a distinguished and handsome country house, retaining significant C17 character in remodelling work of the early C19,and including much external and internal detailing of fine quality. The W wing formed by a formerly detached earlier house also includes some fine internal detailing, including a coloured plastered frieze of early C17 type.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Presaddfed Hall at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17741639

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)