History

Pencelli castle is documented from 1215 and belonged to Ralph de Mortimer from the mid C13. The medieval castle comprised the mound still N of the present house and the footings of the bailey wall and a rectangular tower still traceable. In C16 Pencelli belonged to the Herberts of Montgomery and the present house is dated 1583 on door. Remodelled in C18 to create a Georgian frontage and drawn by Buck and Buck in 1741. Theophilus Jones traces the ownership of the castle over many centuries and describes it in 1809 thus: 'some of the walls and rooms of the old mansion of the Herberts...still continue, but great additions and alterations have from time to time been made; it is now a farmer's dwelling'. Lead downpipes dated 1926 suggest some repair /remodelling at this time.

Exterior

Medium sized house, part of complex of buildings within the medieval castle enclosure. Double pile plan with central porch entrance. Built of stone rubble with stone tile roof with flat stone coping; corniced end stacks, front and rear axial stacks. Two storeys and attic and cellar. Main frontage has an embattled parapet across 2/3 of its width; below is a 3 window range of 6/6 pane horned sashes, 2 similar to ground floor under cambered arch left and in blocked arch right. Central gabled entrance porch with steep pitched stone tiled roof, prominent kneelers and flat tile coping, very narrow pointed arched moulded doorway with broach stops, flagged floor. Moulded Tudor-arched main doorway with decorative spandrels, studded ledged and battened door. Return right overlooking garden shows the double pile plan with two rectangular attic windows, the glazing renewed; blocked or relieving arches some with small windows, renewed glazing but hoodmoulds; large ground floor segmental arched head to tripartitite sash to left; plain central door under stone lintel; arrow loop to ground floor right. Rear elevation has more 6/6 pane horned sash windows on 3 storeys, cellar opening, chamfered round arched lights left. Side elevation left now the main entrance has a lower whitened two storey and cellar lean-to with mostly 4 pane windows some cambered arched and glazed awning supported on 4 cast iron piers; large stack right. Large hopper dated 1926.

Interior

Interior not inspected at time of survey (2nd December 1997).

Reasons for Listing

Listed II* as a fine early post medieval farmhouse incorporating earlier material and on an important historic site.

Group value with the other listed buildings at Castle Farm.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17742717

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)