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Downing Hall

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74:(without God, without anything; God and enough). When Thomas Pennant inherited the estate, he described the house as being "incapable of being improved into a magnitude exceeding the revenue of the family." It pleased him because it was "a small house with a large garden." Nevertheless, the house had some handsome rooms including a large hall, a parlour "capable of containing more guests than I ever wish to see in it at a time," a library 30 feet (9.1 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m) well stocked with classical, historical and natural history books and a smoking-room "most antiquely furnished with ancient carvings, and the horns of all the European beasts of chase". 20: 28: 126:
In 1920 the house was put up for sale and in 1922 there was a fire which seriously damaged the structure. It was never rebuilt and was demolished in 1953. Immediately before demolition, several photographs were taken on behalf of "Gathering the Jewels", a society devoted to commemorating the culture
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Thomas Pennant inherited the house on the death of his father, David, in 1763. He refurbished the house, erected a new stable block and was probably responsible for creating the walled kitchen garden. He found the pleasure grounds badly neglected with the surrounding woods encroaching on the gardens
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and threw himself enthusiastically into improving them. He was helped in this by the discovery of a seam of lead on the estate which, when mined, brought in a useful income. He "laid open the natural beauties of the place", improved the scenery, created walkways, vistas and
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In 2007, the only buildings remaining included the glasshouses, the coach house, the stables, the potting sheds, the upper and lower lodges, the clock tower and the gardener's cottage.
46:, the naturalist, traveller and writer. It was partially destroyed in a fire in the early 20th century and afterwards left derelict until it was demolished in 1953. 58:, Flintshire, built before 1572. The front of Downing Hall was set back with wings projecting forward on either side. On the south east side there was a prominent 91:
road. His son, David, who inherited the house in 1793, was also a keen gardener. He added the library wing and was responsible for the erection of productive
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to enlarge it and was also responsible for the rebuilding of the lean-to glasshouses. He did not live there most of the time, making his
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Photographic survey of Downing Hall, Whitford, undertaken by George Bernard Mason, National Buildings Record, in 1953
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Downing Hall was built by the Pennant family in 1627, their principal seat being a mansion Bychton Hall at
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David's granddaughter Louisa was the last of the line of this branch of the Pennant family. She married
106:. Louisa died without issue in 1853 and Lord Feilding inherited the house. He employed the architect 19: 39: 222: 118:, his main residence. Downing Hall was then let to various tenants as a sporting retreat. 8: 229: 88: 67: 43: 298: 280: 267: 111: 63: 153: 115: 107: 92: 59: 84: 55: 27: 95:
with vineries, a peach house, cucumber house and heated beds.
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Annual Register Vol. 46: Memoranda of the late Mr. Pennant
207:. Edinburgh: Lizars, Stirling and Kenney. pp. 1–4. 169:Jenkinson's smaller practical guide to North Wales 296: 149: 147: 145: 143: 218: 216: 214: 205:Ornithology: Humming-birds: Memoir of Pennant 38:was built in 1627 by the Pennant family near 23:Downing Hall, 1792, by artist Moses Griffith 325:Buildings and structures demolished in 1953 244:BBC North East Wales. Retrieved 2012-01-26. 140: 211: 172:. London: Edward Stanford. pp. 22–23. 77: 31:Downing Hall in a 1785 sketch by T. Lynes. 165: 66:above. On the front of the house was the 87:and built a sunken passageway under the 26: 18: 232:The Potting Shed. Retrieved 2012-01-26. 202: 181: 179: 310:Buildings and structures in Flintshire 297: 185: 176: 13: 235: 223:The Kitchen Garden at Downing Hall 14: 341: 251: 72:Heb Dduw, heb ddim, a Duw a digon 49: 166:Jenkinson, Henry Irwin (1890). 121: 330:1627 establishments in England 196: 159: 1: 203:Jardine, Sir William (1833). 133: 16:Former country house in Wales 7: 258:Photographs of Downing Hall 42:. It was later the home of 10: 346: 100:Rudolph, Viscount Feilding 320:Houses completed in 1627 281:53.2978728°N 3.2696638°W 315:Country houses in Wales 127:and heritage of Wales. 78:18th and 19th centuries 286:53.2978728; -3.2696638 186:Burke, Edward (1805). 102:, later to become the 32: 24: 156:Retrieved 2012-01-26. 30: 22: 305:Houses in Flintshire 228:May 9, 2008, at the 40:Whitford, Flintshire 277: /  104:8th Earl of Denbigh 33: 25: 337: 292: 291: 289: 288: 287: 282: 278: 275: 274: 273: 270: 245: 239: 233: 220: 209: 208: 200: 194: 193: 183: 174: 173: 163: 157: 151: 62:with the family 345: 344: 340: 339: 338: 336: 335: 334: 295: 294: 285: 283: 279: 276: 271: 268: 266: 264: 263: 254: 249: 248: 240: 236: 230:Wayback Machine 221: 212: 201: 197: 184: 177: 164: 160: 152: 141: 136: 124: 80: 52: 17: 12: 11: 5: 343: 333: 332: 327: 322: 317: 312: 307: 261: 260: 253: 252:External links 250: 247: 246: 242:Thomas Pennant 234: 210: 195: 192:. p. 748. 175: 158: 138: 137: 135: 132: 123: 120: 116:Newnham Paddox 79: 76: 51: 48: 44:Thomas Pennant 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 342: 331: 328: 326: 323: 321: 318: 316: 313: 311: 308: 306: 303: 302: 300: 293: 290: 259: 256: 255: 243: 238: 231: 227: 224: 219: 217: 215: 206: 199: 191: 190: 182: 180: 171: 170: 162: 155: 150: 148: 146: 144: 139: 131: 128: 119: 117: 113: 109: 105: 101: 96: 94: 90: 86: 75: 73: 69: 65: 61: 57: 50:Early history 47: 45: 41: 37: 29: 21: 262: 237: 204: 198: 188: 168: 161: 129: 125: 122:20th century 112:Warwickshire 97: 81: 71: 64:coat of arms 53: 36:Downing Hall 35: 34: 284: / 108:T. H. Wyatt 93:glasshouses 299:Categories 269:53°17′52″N 134:References 60:bay window 272:3°16′11″W 226:Archived 89:turnpike 114:house, 85:dingles 70:motto 56:Mostyn 68:Welsh 301:: 213:^ 178:^ 142:^

Index



Whitford, Flintshire
Thomas Pennant
Mostyn
bay window
coat of arms
Welsh
dingles
turnpike
glasshouses
Rudolph, Viscount Feilding
8th Earl of Denbigh
T. H. Wyatt
Warwickshire
Newnham Paddox




Photographic survey of Downing Hall, Whitford, undertaken by George Bernard Mason, National Buildings Record, in 1953
Jenkinson's smaller practical guide to North Wales


Annual Register Vol. 46: Memoranda of the late Mr. Pennant



The Kitchen Garden at Downing Hall
Archived

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