17th-century renovated hall in North Wales

Coming from a family of builders and growing up in the thick of the dust and dirt of one home renovation after another, Hannah Ellis was adept at mixing cement by the tender age of 10.

Now on her second period property renovation with husband Aled, she has spent the past three years creating a refreshingly bold yet classic home, which demonstrates just how well old and new mix.

Located on the edge of a village in North Wales, their home is the west half of a hall that dates back to the late 1600s. The property has a fascinating history that has seen changes in ownership, usage and layout over the centuries.

Thought to have once been owned by the Topham family, developers of Aintree Racecourse, it was later used by an American tank regiment during the Second World War, before being turned into flats in the 1950s.

Hannah and Aled’s share of the Hall includes sections of the main house and parts of the servants’ quarters, and an interesting contrast between utility and grandeur can be seen throughout.

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‘The house has undergone so many changes over the years, and we are forever looking for clues as to how it would originally have been laid out and used,’ says Hannah. ‘It was a real maze, so we’ve reconfigured the layout to be more family friendly.’

The renovation has uncovered a number of artefacts and some pieces of the puzzle have been solved: ‘The room we now call ‘The Smoking Room’ has an incredible Jacobean-style fireplace and Victorianesque wood panelling, however we’ve discovered that the wall separating us from our neighbours was a later addition.

On the other side is a grand staircase, so our guess is that, together, these spaces were the original entrance hall.’

The couple really struck gold when they uncovered enormous, original oak beams with genuine taper burn marks in the kitchen. A huge Milners’ safe was also revealed behind many layers of paint.

‘I didn’t know anything about taper burn marks until I shared a picture on Instagram, asking if anyone knew what they were,’ says Hannah. ‘I got some fascinating feedback, however research suggests they were made deliberately, the theory being that they were part of a folk superstition to protect the building from fire and lightning.’

Hannah has developed such a love of renovation and interiors that she has now turned the house into a business. At the beginning of 2022 she launched Half a Hall Design House & Studio to achieve salvage-style interiors for like-minded folk.

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The Hall is also used as a shoot location for advertising. Hannah’s home is not only an excellent example of a period restoration – it also proves how antique, vintage and salvage can be used together to create a home that feels contemporary and relevant.

Every project she undertakes includes second-hand, salvaged or antique furniture, and she is keen to champion the idea that second-hand isn’t second best.

Hannah’s close relationship with her grandmother sparked her love of antiques and vintage: ‘I love to hear her stories, which link objects to the past.’ One such object is an old party invitation from the 1950s, which sits on the Hall’s dining room mantelpiece.

‘My grandfather was a highly regarded accountant in the army and the invitation was from Harold Caccia – a British diplomat – and his wife, Lady Caccia, to a garden party in Maryland, USA. I would dearly love to see photos of the party,’ she says.

For someone who doesn’t necessarily describe themselves as a collector, Hannah’s home is filled with a wealth of flea market and auction finds, from timeworn vintage rugs to antique books, and simple stone and glassware to maps.

Art – largely female portraits – and furniture play a key role, with both being chosen for their unique aesthetic, story and indeed potential. She is particularly drawn to objects that can be repurposed, ‘like our kitchen island,’ she says.

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Made from a haberdasher’s shop unit topped with an old teak worktop from a school laboratory, she loves the signs of wear, such as the holes where the Bunsen burners would once have been.

The size of the Hall means it can easily take large furniture – the couple inherited two very grand wardrobes with the house, and further investigation revealed they were made by Liberty of London. One now stands in their son Iddy’s bedroom.

Another such piece is the vast glass-fronted bookcase in The Smoking Room. Originally from the courts in Salford, Hannah now uses it to store her interiors samples, books and magazines.

‘It was being sold on Facebook Marketplace by someone who had salvaged it from a skip, hoping to fit it into their home,’ she explains. ‘I was delighted to get it.’

Proof, if it were needed, of the old adage that ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’. It is also exactly the kind of story that Hannah believes lies at the heart of interesting interiors.