Almost 100 years ago to the day, an article in Country Life by Avray Tipping (May 26, 1917) sought to set the record straight regarding the identity of the builder of the magnificent Grade I-listed Plaish Hall at Plaish, near Church Stretton, south Shropshire, which comes to the market through the Shrewsbury office of Strutt & Parker at a guide price of £2m.
A classic H-shaped, two-storey brick-and-stone manor house with gables and a Tudor front, it was almost certainly built in two stages, in about 1540 and 1580, for Sir William Leighton, an unforgiving Elizabethan judge who was presiding over a trial of prisoners while the building work at his mansion was in progress.
According to local records, Sir William ‘took occasion to enquire of the High Sheriff “whether there happened to be in these parts any man who could undertake the building of ornamental chimneys”’.
The Sheriff replied that the only person he knew who was capable was the very man that his lordship had just tried for a capital offence and sentenced to be hanged.
‘Then he shall go and do my chimneys first,’ announced Sir William, after which the unfortunate convict had his execution deferred while he built the hall’s famous ornamental chimneys. He was then sent back to prison, where his death sentence was duly carried out.
Happily, these are kinder days at Plaish Hall, where the current owners, who bought this lovely house, set in 12¾ acres of Tudor gardens and parkland, some 35 years ago, are now seeking to downsize, having carried out a meticulous renovation of the historic mansion and its grounds.
Tranquillity reigns throughout the house, which has 12,136sq ft of comfortable and practical living space, with five elegant reception rooms for large-scale entertaining, plus five main bedrooms, four bathrooms and attics, all of which abound in period charm and character.
A house for sale where Thomas Hardy broke his love rival’s heart
This lovely old vicarage in Cornwall has a quite incredible back story.
The Elizabethan manor that offered refuge to Charles II as he fled to France
Few houses can boast hundreds of years of history and a sparkling future.
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of SomersetAshton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
-
A waterside cottage in Devon with a private quay, idyllic views and the prettiest summerhouse we've seen in yearsRight beside the picturesque Yealm Estuary, No 1 Noss Mayo is an idyllic home that feels like an escape from the world. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
-
This elegant Greek villa offers would-be buyers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in the shadow of the AcropolisAthenian Legacy consists of two houses in walking —and almost touching — distance of one of the world’s most famous and precious landmarks.
-
Six charming homes up for sale, including one dubbed 'one of the most picturesque in Dorset', as seen in Country LifeOur look at the finest houses to come up for sale through Country Life in the past week is full of delights, from a new-Georgian mansion to a perfectly-sized Hertfordshire estate.
-
A Buckinghamshire mansion built for the speech therapist who set Churchill on his path to greatnessPenny Churchill takes a look at Rignalls, a classic Arts-and-Crafts home that looks like it's stepped out of the pages of an EM Forster novel.
-
A gorgeous home that offers a slice of country life in the heart of HampsteadThis idyllic Hampstead mansion has seen its price rise nine times faster than inflation — and it's not hard to see why.
-
Some of Scotland's most beautiful churches are being sold off for as little as £40,000 — but a word of warning before you take the plungeLucy Denton examines how best to help former church buildings thrive as times move on and property changes hands.
-
Inside the £28 million home that sets out to be 'the English country house of the 21st century'With everything from helicopter parking and a 1000-bottle wine cellar to bespoke wallpaper designed by Christian Lacroix, Harford Manor is a country house like no other. Annabel Dixon took a closer look and spoke to the man behind its creation.
