Plaish Hall (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Castelle of Plashe

In the civil parish of Cardington.
In the historic county of Shropshire.
Modern Authority of Shropshire.
1974 county of Shropshire.
Medieval County of Shropshire.

OS Map Grid Reference: SO53019647
Latitude 52.56398° Longitude -2.69448°

Plaish Hall has been described as a probable Fortified Manor House.

There are masonry footings remains.

This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*.

Description

The hall, a brick-built mansion erected late in Henry VIII's reign...incorporates parts of an earlier stone building, possibly a castle or fortified manor house. This earlier building, in existence by at least 1255, was surrounded by a moat, the remains of which were visible in 1868. The 'free-Chapel within the Castelle of Plashe', held by Sir William Surlande, is mentioned in the early C16. (Jackson 1988)

Plaish Hall is an H-shaped, two storied brick and stone manor house with gables and a Tudor front, "licensed" about 1520 but mostly built 1590. The hall has open timber roof and minstrels gallery (Listed Building Report 1949).
Plaish Hall is essentially a work of the later years of Henry VIII (1509-1547). Probably built on the site of an earlier house as the present south-west entrance was the front of an older stone house (Pevsner 1958)
"Plash Hall" was in existence in 1255. It was originally of stone, portions of which still exist at the back of the brick edifice forming the old front of the house (TSAHS 1878-9).
"Plaish Hall" (nameplate) is a large private residence of early 16th century date, incorporating on the south-west side the stone front of an earlier house. In good condition (F1 ASP 31-AUG-79).
A paper reassessing the structural history of the house. It seems that a late medieval stone house was largely rebuilt, perhaps in two stages in the late 16th century, when it was provided with a brick front. The previously ascribed date of c1540 for the rebuilding of this house is challenged on the basis that the Henrician ceiling in the south ground floor room of the east wing is in fact of a late 19th or early 20th century date (Mercer and Stamper 1989).
Plaish Hall. Country house circa 1540 and c1580, for Sir William Leighton, incorporating parts of a C15 house, with C17, c1889 and early C20 alterations and additions. Grade I (Listed Building Report 1986). (PastScape)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1307552
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 111386.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 13238; 03941.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Parks and Gardens UK
  British Library online gallery (pencil sketch of 1845)
  Secret Shropshire > http://www.search.secretshropshire.org.uk/engine/resource/default.asp?theme=&originator=%2Fengine%2Ftheme%2Fdefault.asp&page=1&records=9609&direction=2&pointer=16192&text=1&resource=2057]
Books
- Salter, Mike, 2001 (2edn), The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 64
  Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 2 East Anglia, Central England and Wales (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 476
  Cooper, Nicholas, 1999, Houses of the Gentry, 1480-1680 (Yale University Press) p. 313
  Currie, C.R.J. (ed), 1998, VCH Shropshire Vol. 10 p. 22- (tenurial history) online transcription
  Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p. 45
  Pevsner, N., 1958, Buildings of England: Shropshire p. 221-9
  Stackhouse-Acton, Frances, 1868, The Castles and Old Mansions of Shropshire (Shrewsbury) p. 31 online copy
  Eyton, R.W., 1860, Antiquities of Shropshire (London: John Russell Smith) Vol. 11 p. 353- (tenurial history) online copy
Periodical Articles
- Mercer, E. and Stamper, P.A., 1989, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 66 p. 90-6
  1917, Country Life p. 14-21
  1890, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 2 p. 90
  Elliot, Rev Wm, 1888, 'Plaish Hall' Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists' Club p. 237-40
  1878-9, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 2 p. 293

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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Help is acknowledged.

*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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