Monument Type(s):

• MANOR HOUSE (15th century - 1400 AD to 1499 AD) + Sci.Date

Summary

A house standing on a medieval moated site. It comprises a mid-C15 timber-framed, open aisled hall and solar range; extended with a cross wing in 1480; remodelled and encased in brick in 1580; stair block added in the C17. Later alterations; restored in the late C20 and early C21. It is protected by Grade I Listing.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA595 - 1979 survey by the Ordnance Survey
• ESA8442 - 2014 DBA and landscape assessment of wind turbines at Criddon Hall Farm, Upton Cressett by The Landscape Partnership (Ref: 13/01983)

Description

Built circa 1540 and 1580 by Cressett family. Irregular. Brick gables stone mullioned and transomed windows; chimneys of twisted brickwork. Simple farm additions. Panelled rooms now largely stripped; staircase of solid oak blocks. Large room on first floor has interesting timber roof with two pointed principals and embattled wall plate. Unoccupied and very dilapidated <2>

The Hall was for some time uninhabited and suffered from the attention, of vandals; valuable panelling and chimney pieces were stolen and mutilated. In 1970 The Hall and Gatehouse presented a distressing picture, but then tenants for the property were found and early in 1971 repairs were started, a generous grant having been made by the Historic Buildings Council and further assistance was given by the County Council and the Rural District Council.
The Hall is a timber-framed construction of three dates; in 1580 and subsequently it was given a brick facing: Its plan is a hall and cross wing. The hall is late 14th century, it has been truncated and a floor inserted, and the ground floor partitioned. The cross wing is of two builds both of the 15th Century. Some of the panelling and the plain plaster ceiling in the main bedroom can be dated to 1620. It has now received a complete overhaul, which included the rebuilding of the fine brick chimney stack of 1580, and a portion of the wall of the south elevation abutting the large Elizabethan bay window; the latter work was caused by the decay of the corner post of the first part of the cross wing. A clear demonstration of the folly of enclosing timber-framing within brick.
The south elevation had been much altered by the insertion in the 19th century of a variety of windows, in the main double-hung sash. All the windows on this elevation are now double-hung sash and the very poor quality front door replaced by something more appropriate. The appearance of this elevation is now consistent, though much later in style than the remainder. New windows have also been fitted on the south elevation. The west elevation remains basically as it was in 1580.
Internally, there have been little changes in the plan The aisled hall has been restored to its original size by removing the inserted partitions. The removal of the later floor would have been most advantageous but this was not possible without seriously interfering with the requirements -of the tenants, The ground floor has been renewed in old stone slabs, the modern fireplace replaced by something more appropriate and the destroyed panelling on the north wall replaced.
The two Elizabethan fireplaces have had the modern insertions re moved and it has been possible, without great effort or expense, to bring them back to what must have been their original design. They are quite magnificent, the Kitchen having an opening of just over 10 feet wide.
In the main Bedroom vandals had caused much damage to the carved and panelled chimney piece. This has been carefully repaired and the missing portions renewed. This new work is not a copy of the old, what is new can be seen, but the overall effect is that of the original.
There have been few alterations to the house, the object being to maintain the plan and construction as closely as possible to the original.<8>

Hall has a fine aisled truss with moulded and cusped detail and crown-post roof. - Late C14. Hall has been truncated, may have originally been fully aisled. Wing added in C15 has arch-braced collar-beam roof trusses with clasped purlins and tie-beam trusses with queen-posts. Brick casing of c 1588 and later. <10>

Evaluated for MPP in 1990-1, Medium score as one of 133 moated sites (evaluated with PRN04581 for MPP).<19>

The moat island contains the Hall on its E side which is a C16 structure encapsulating a late C14 Hall. The moat and fishponds were given a separate PRN number (04581) after being scheduled separately in 1992 <20>

List Grade Amended From II* to I , List Address Amended, List Description Amended 30/10/2012. ->

-> New List Description:
History
The settlement at Upton Cressett was known as Ultone in the Domesday Book; a name which comes from the Anglo-Saxon word 'Upton' meaning 'higher settlement'. In 1165, Upton formed part of the Barony of Fitz Alan, being held for some generations by the descendants of Alan de Upton. In the C13, the de Uptons were Verderers of the Royal Forest of Morfe. The Cressetts first appear as Lords of Upton towards the close of the C14, when the family succeeded to Upton through marriage and gave their name to the place.
Upton Cressett Hall is primarily a mid-C15 building which appears to occupy the site of an earlier house that stood within a moated site, and attested by the close proximity of the C12 Church of St Michael immediately to the north-east and the medieval settlement to the south-east.
The present house has a complex history; its earliest parts have been dated by dendrochronology to 1428-31 and was built for Hugh Cressett, a Royal Commissioner along the Welsh March and Constable of Mortimer Castle. He and his son, Robert, were successively Members of Parliament and Sheriffs of Shropshire. When built, it was a timber-framed house of some status with an open aisled hall, a solar wing at its north-east end, and at least one other cross wing. It is claimed that the future Edward V stayed at Upton Cressett in April 1483 on his fateful journey from Ludlow to the Tower of London. In circa 1498 a further timber-framed cross wing was constructed on the same alignment (north-west to south-east) as the solar wing. The demolition of the south-east or lower end of hall and some other parts of the building, probably in the C18, mean that the original plan of the C15 house cannot unfortunately be determined with certainty; the Pevsner Architectural Guide (2006) suggests that it was probably an H-plan house. What remains of this building reflects the wealth and status of the Cressett family during the later medieval period. ->

-> In 1580 the house was substantially remodelled by Richard Cressett, who served as Sheriff of Shropshire in 1584 and went on to contribute a substantial amount of money to the Armada Fund some four years later. The building was encased in brick, large brick chimneystacks were added to the east side of the house and, probably also at this time, the hall was ceiled over to create first-floor rooms. The alterations represented a significant financial investment. A three-storey imposing gatehouse, also of brick, was erected to the south-east of the house. Richard's successor in 1601 was Edward Cressett, a prominent royalist who was killed at the Battle of Bridgnorth in 1646; his son Sir Francis Cressett became Steward and Treasurer to Charles I and thus a significant member of the Royal court. Upton Cressett was a Royalist stronghold during the Civil War and it is recorded that a troop of royal horse was garrisoned there for part of the war. During the reigns of William and Mary and also Queen Anne, James Cressett was a leading diplomat: Envoy at the Court of Hanover in the 1690s and British Envoy extraordinary to Frederick IV of Denmark in 1700. ->

-> A second property, Cound Hall near Shrewsbury, was built for Edward Cressett in 1703-04 and became the family's principal seat from 1792 when Elizabeth Cressett died leaving her estates to her maternal uncle, Henry Pelham, of Sussex. At about the same time Upton Cressett Hall underwent alterations including the demolition of some parts of the building and became a farmhouse. It was bought by Sir Herbert Smith, a carpet manufacturer and owner of Witley Court in Worcestershire, in circa 1937 to use as a shooting lodge. After his death in 1943, the house was unoccupied and gradually fell into partial dereliction; some of the panelling to a number of rooms was removed during this time. It was purchased by the parents of the current owner in 1969 and has since been restored.
Details ->

-> MATERIALS: constructed of handmade bricks encasing a box frame; rendered dressings; plain-tiled roofs; two massive chimneys to north-east elevation with clusters of twisted and plain vertically-ribbed shafts. There is an external brick stack to south-west gable end. The windows are a mix of styles and dates; some are late-C20 copies. ->

-> PLAN: roughly L-shaped accretional plan with two bays of the former aisled hall orientated north-east to south-west and a four-bay solar range to the north-east. Attached to the former solar wing is a late-C15 cross wing of six bays. At the junction between the aisled hall and the cross wing is a C17 stair block. Two storeys and attics with semi-basement to north-west end of cross wing and a full basement beneath the former solar range. ->

-> EXTERIOR: the entrance front (south-east) has a late-C20 sash window and an entrance door to left-hand side. To the right there is diaper patterning in blue brick. Two bays project under a single gable with a pair of late-C20 sash windows under flat-headed lintels of rubbed bricks to the ground and first floors; the north end is blind. The north-east elevation overlooks the C12 church and is the showpiece elevation, dominated by the two massive chimneystacks and with blue-brick diaper work. Bay one is gabled and projects forwards and has four-light mullioned and transomed windows with diamond-shaped leaded lights at ground and first floors; between the windows is a clay plaque bearing the date '1580'. Within the apex is a three-light mullioned window. The short right return has a narrow blocked doorway at ground floor which possibly provided access from the house to both the grounds and the church, and a single light above. The adjacent brick stack has been partly rebuilt; the other stack is also built mostly of brick but has stone rubble to its lower courses. Between the two stacks are mullioned and transomed windows, of which the two right-hand windows are late-C20 replacements in a matching style. To the right of the second stack is a gabled bay with three-light mullioned windows to the first and attic floors. There is a two-light window with a chamfered brick mullion and surround to the ground floor. This is partly obscured by the projecting outer structure of the curing chamber which is built of brick but incorporates some masonry at its base. The north-west third of this elevation contains later timber cross windows. The north-west gable end has a segmental-headed opening with late-C20 door and marginal glazing to the semi-basement and a casement window of three lights to the attic. ->

-> The north-east elevation has an irregular arrangement of multi-paned casements to both the ground and first floors of the former cross wing; some are later insertions, others are reinstatements to former blocked openings. Towards the right-hand end is an entrance with late-C20 half-glazed door and fanlight above. At the junction of the cross wing and the stair block is a further doorway and a first-floor casement window. The southern end of the south-east elevation breaks forward and consists of the stair block and the truncated south-west end of the former open hall; each under a gabled roof. The windows are late-C20 casements under segmental heads. ->

-> INTERIOR: the entrance hall occupies the ground floor of the former mid-C15 hall. The room has an elaborate chimneypiece brought in from elsewhere and panelling to the north wall that has been imported from another part of the house. The lower parts of the two aisled posts of the former open hall are exposed. In the right-hand wall are two identical C16 flat-headed doorcases with moulded jambs and later square-panelled doors. The principal room (drawing room) to the north-east of the entrance contains a stone fireplace with depressed four-centred arch and chamfered jambs with stops; to the right is a deep, raised bay of the late C16. The walls are panelled, although some of the panelling has been brought in from elsewhere. To the rear of the fireplace is a doorway with a late-C16 studded plank door with strap hinges; it is blocked externally. The chamfered ceiling beam has ogee stops. In the adjacent room the timber framing is exposed and there is evidence for a blocked window or door towards the north-east corner. The basement which is accessed via stone steps from this room is lit by two, two-light windows of chamfered brick. Its roof is supported by a central timber post and a ceiling beam, both deeply chamfered and with ogee stops.->

-> The former kitchen beyond contains a large fireplace with massive stones forming a chamfered four-centred arch and has an exposed chamfered ceiling beam with ogee stops and joists. At the southern end of the room are two closely-set timber uprights which represent the former outer wall of the north-western end of the solar range and the abutting south-eastern end of the later cross wing which was added at the end of the C15. The present kitchen retains C19 bread oven and the remains of a former curing or smoking chamber. A late-C20 staircase at the north-west end of the room leads to the first floor, and a short flight of steps provide access to the semi-basement at this end of the wing. ->

-> The principal staircase to the rear of the entrance hall has a square open well with plain newels which are surmounted by early-C21 finials with relief carvings of the Upton Cressett sea monster; the well has been partly infilled. The stairs continue up to the attics in the form of a winder with oak treads and risers. The principal bedroom in the south-east part of the house has a plain-plastered barrel ceiling and original timber panelling with an arcaded frieze to the walls. The fireplace, which is also original, has a stone lintel which has traces of a black and red painted scheme and a restored timber chimneypiece of circa 1600. This date is painted on the panelling together with the initials R & JC, for Richard Cressett who died in 1601 and his wife, Jane. A small closet at the north-east corner originally served as a garderobe. The timber framing is exposed in the adjacent bedroom which has a brick fireplace; there is also a fireplace with a timber lintel in the en-suite which was probably a former antechamber. The other first-floor rooms to the cross wing, which are accessed from a corridor running the length of the range, retain no evidence that they were heated. ->

-> The sophisticated roof carpentry to the former open hall is visible at first floor and has been dated to 1431. It retains two aisled trusses with short crown posts that clasp the collar-purlin. The curved long braces are chamfered and moulded at the base and extend below the tie beam; the lateral braces are cusped. The truss at the north-east end of the room is closed, while the open truss has a carved rosette boss below the crown post. There is billet moulding to the surviving arcade plate. The roof over the solar wing has alternating queen post and arch-braced, collar-beamed principals, wind braces and clasped purlins. It has been dated by dendrochronology to 1428-30. The cross wing has a queen post roof of six bays, dating to circa 1498. ->

-> Throughout the house are extensive early-C21 schemes of painted decoration by the artist Adam Dant which incorporate the Upton Cressett sea monster motif and other Tudor-inspired designs. <22>

EH Assessment Report issued October 2012. <23>

This building was dated through the Shropshire Dendrochronology Project, undertaken by Madge Moran and Eric Mercer. A date of 1431 was obtained for the hall, 1429-31 for the solar wing. The solar wing extension was dated to 1498. <24>

The site is moated. Basically the house is box-framed, though later encased in brickwork. Dendro-dated to 1431, the hall was originally open to the roof. It retains a remarkable aisled truss and is crown-post roofed. Another aisled truss is present, but the vital central truss is missing, raising the question of whether the whole unit was aisled or had a base-cruck in the middle. At right angles to the hall is a solar crosswing of similar date which has a roof of queen-posts and open-braced collar-beams. The crosswing was built first. Some of the brickwork, including the impressive chimneystacks, is dated 1580 and this could also date the brick gatehouse which contains interesting plasterwork, mouldings and distaff holes. Ground and first floor plans, section and photograph of crown-post assembly.<25>

Upton Cressett Hall is part of a hilltop settlement mentioned in Domesday but now shrunk to the church, the Hall and its gatehouse. The hall has been truncated and, as with Easthope, this has removed vital evidence of its form, which may have been fully aisled but could equally well have been of base-cruck construction. Two aisled trusses remain, and the crown-post roof is typically Salopian with a short plain T-shaped crown post and down-swinging cusped lateral braces. Decoration occurs in the form of quarter-round moulding with a fillet on the arch braces and brattishing on the arcade plates, as well as a decorative boss. The four-bayed solar cross wing produced felling dates of 1428 and 1430 and appears to be coeval with the hall, which had dates ranging from 1427 to 1431/2. The cross wing has alternate queen-strut and open arch-braced trusses, with clasped purlins, plain curved windbraces and steeply cambered tiebeams. A long extension to the solar wing has a very plain queen-strut roof and was added in 1498. This whole range was cased in brick and given elaborate chimneystacks in 1580. Later still the hall too was cased in brick. The Gatehouse is brick-built and although not sampled it is likely to relate to the 1580s or shortly afterwards. <26>

Plans. <27>

<00> Shropshire County Council SMR, Site and Monuments Record (SMR) cards, SMR Card for PRN SA 00608 (Card index). SSA20722.

<01> Ordnance Survey, 1977, Ordnance Survey Record Card SO69SE9 (Card index). SSA2397.

<02> Department of the Environment (DoE), 1974-Feb-01, 4th List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, p237 (List of Buildings). SSA599.

<03> Musson Chris R, 1989-Mar-17, CPAT 89/MB/0327 to 0340 (14 photos) (Oblique aerial photograph). SSA16658.

<05> Pevsner Nikolaus, 1958, Buildings of England (Shropshire), p306-307 (Monograph). SSA110.

<07> Rowley R T, 1972, The Shropshire Landscape, p123-124 (Monograph). SSA928.

<08> Beard R, 1972, Upton Cresset: Hall, Gatehouse and Church (Article in serial). SSA2394.

<09> Forrest H E, 1914/15, The Old Houses of Wenlock, p15, p19, p71-72 with illus (Monograph). SSA872.

<10> Moran Madge, 1982, Notes for the Vernacular Architecture Group Conference, Shropshire, Upton Cressett (Monograph). SSA10552.

<11> Shone Ron, 1971, 7 Photographs of the 1971 Grant Work on Upton Cresset Gatehouse and Hall (Photograph). SSA2398.

<12> Department of the Environment (DoE), 1973, Correspondence, 1973 (Correspondence). SSA2393.

<13> Ryan Carole, 1982, Seven Slides of Upton Cresset Hall 5 Interior, 2 Exterior (Photograph). SSA2399.

<14> Burrow Ian, 1976, One Colour Slide of House and Gatehouse, Upton Cresset Hall (Photograph). SSA2400.

<16> Barret Gill, 1991, Colour Slide G Barrett 91_02_F-27 (Oblique aerial photograph). SSA16661.

<17> Barret Gill, 1990, G Barrett 90-03-F-8 to 9 (Oblique aerial photograph). SSA16659.

<18> Roberts M, 1990, M Roberts 90-03-BW-06 to 07 (Oblique aerial photograph). SSA16660.

<19> Horton Wendy B, 1990/ 1991, MPP Evaluation File (TEXT). SSA20084.

<20> Waller Ruth, 1992, Comments from SMR Compiler 17/12/1992 when separate record made for Moat (PRN 04581) (SMR comment). SSA23969.

<21> Ryan Carole, Unknown, Single Slide of the Crown Post Roof at Upton Cressett Hall (Photograph). SSA14901.

<22> Department of the Environment (DoE), 1974-Feb-01, 4th List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, p237 118th Amendment (From II* to I, Description) 30/10/2012 (List of Buildings). SSA599.

<23> Anon, Oct-2012, Notification Report - Advice Report - 01 October 2012 -Upton Cresset Hall - Case Number 4705
Page 1 of 12
Case Name: Upton Cressett DAS: Upton Cressett Hall
Notification Report- Advice Report - Upton Cresset Hall - 01 October 2012 - Case Number: 470565 (Advisory designation documentation). SSA24144.

<24> Various, 1993, West Midlands Archaeology vol 36, p.66 (Volume). SSA27263.

<25> Moran Madge, 2003, Vernacular Buildings of Shropshire, pp.122, 504-6 (Monograph). SSA22146.

<26> Miles D W H and Bridge M, 2017, Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory (Shropshire), p.70 (Online database). SSA29391.

<27> Vernacular Architecture Group/Madge Moran, 1982, Notes prepared for VAG visit, p.9 (TEXT). SSA799.

Sources

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