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
82:
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
83:
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
130:
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
324:
309:
110:
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
187:
265:
225:
329:
103:
99:
167:
319:
154:
Photographic survey of
Downing Hall, Whitford, undertaken by George Bernard Mason, National Buildings Record, in 1953
241:
314:
304:
257:
54:
Downing Hall was built by the
Pennant family in 1627, their principal seat being a mansion Bychton Hall at
98:
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.
189:
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:^
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.