History

This building originated as a late medieval or early Tudor hall house. Its location, to the rear of Vale Street, and its stone construction, suggest that it was the house of a family of some wealth and status. Of C-plan, the house consisted of a central hall block with a main entrance narrowly recessed between advanced, gabled wings. The Wide, Tudor-arched entrance, together with flanking small rectangular lights to the inner returns of the wings, survive unaltered; a further primary entrance to the right-hand wing, also on the inner return, has been heightened and widened. The use of greenish sandstone ashlar for dressings to the openings is of interest, since it occurs in only the earliest of the stone buildings in Denbigh. The upper gables of the advanced wings are of early brick, and may represent late C17 or early C18 replacements of what were originally timber-framed upper gables. The roof structure is more or less intact, although not all was visible during the inspection and it may (in part at least) relate to an early alteration. A stopped-chamfered, beamed ceiling to the ground-floor of the R wing is clearly of domestic character and quality.

The building probably ceased being a primary residence fairly early on. Its location next to the site of the cock pit of the Hawk and Buckle inn, suggests that it may have been incorporated into the inn premises already in the late C17. The building was long used as a smithy, apparently continuing as such into this century.

Exterior

One-and-a-half storeyed C-plan gabled building; of limestone rubble construction with some greenish sandstone dressings and early brick in the gable apexes; steeply-pitched slate roof, the main section hipped and with uneven ridge profile. Right-of-centre entrance to the main (hall) block, accessed via a narrow passage some 1.5m wide, between advanced and gabled wings. Shallow Tudor-arched entrance with jambs and voussoirs of tighly-jointed sandstone ashlar; heavily-weathered label. Above this is an early window, formerly of 4 lights, with pegged wooden frame and evidence for former off-set wooden mullions. The advanced wings each have a small square primary window on the inner, passage sides, near the entrance; these have chamfered sandstone lintels and sills and that to the L retains its original 2-bar ferementa (the other shows evidence of having had similar). There are put-log holes visible along both sides, some blocked. Towards the front, on the same inner face, there is a further primary entrance to the right-hand wing. This has been raised and widened to the R and has an inserted (re-used) timber lintel; recessed modern boarded door. The passage is partly covered by a modern plastic roof.

The left-hand wing is slightly broader than that to the R. It has a large modern garage entrance to the front with a 2-light plain-glazed windoiw above. The right-hand wing has a C19 external stair to its gable, giving access to a first-floor entrance with plain modern door.

Interior

The ground-floor of the right-hand projecting wing has a beamed ceiling with stopped-chamfered lateral beam and close-set joists. The opposing wing is open to the roof (though clearly formerly subdivided) and is of 4 bays. This has raking strut collar trusses, formerly closed and possibly representing an early alteration; contemporary purlins and rafters. The rear section has a modern floor insertion with steel ladder access.

Reasons for Listing

Listed for the special interest of its origins as a late medieval stone-built hall house retaining good external character notwithstanding modern alterations.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29500739

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

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  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
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  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)