The Poultry House was an integral part of the Leighton Estate, acquired by the Liverpool banker John Naylor in 1846-47. Naylor embarked on an ambitious programme of building, principally Farm, all largely completed by the mid 1850s. Leighton Farm was a model farm where rational farming methods were employed using techniques derived from science and industry. It was characteristic of its period but especially notable for its scale. One of the aims of the Poultry House was to provide better shelter for the poultry and continued in the tradition of country-house aviaries where women were responsible for keeping hens and developing better strains. The Poultry House was restored 1988-89 by the Landmark Trust.

The Poultry House is built in highly picturesque Tudor-Gothic style, consisting of the poultry house with scratching yard, storm shed, duck pond and surrounded by a boundary fence. The poultry house has a gabled central range of two storeys plus attic, flanked first by single-storey ranges and lower outer ranges. The building is timber-framed with yellow-brick infill on a stone plinth, and has steeply pitched slate roofs. The gables have fretted barge boards with pendant finials. The upper storey of the main range is jettied on moulded brackets and has diagonal braces. The Jettied elevation holds a stone tablet with Naylor's monogram (JCN) and the date 1861 in relief. Above this is a 5-light window and in the attic a 2-light window glazed below a transom and with pigeon holes above. In the lower storey is a boarded door with ornate strap hinges and an overlight, flanked by 2-light windows holding ornate stained glass. The outer ranges have projecting gabled doorways with boarded doors and overlights. The outer ranges also have doorways in the end walls which are similar to those of the main range and have overlights, above which are louvred panels. The rear elevation, facing the pond, is similar to the front.

Across the scratching yard is the storm shed, which is of brick faced in coursed, rock-faced Cefn stone and with steeply pitched slate roof. It is open to the yard on timber posts. In each gable end is a small-pane sash window in a rusticated surround. To the rear of the Poultry House, at a lower level, is the duck pond, which was relined late 20th cemtury. The boundary fence ranges around the north, south and west sides and consists of square piers of rock-faced Cefn stone with pyramidal copings, and wood palings on a stone plinth. On the north side only the stumps of the piers (some of which are blue brick) remain. On the west side, beyond the duck pond, is a plain metal fence added late 20th century. A hand pump in the scratching yard was also added in the late 20th century.

The main range has a straight stair with hand rails and plain balusters to the first floor. A second stair to the attic is straight with winders at the bottom. The front and rear windows of the main range have coloured glass in abstract patterns. The inner wings have nesting boxes and lofts above. There are tiled floors and ledged and battened doors throughout.
Source: Cadw listing description RCAHMW 4th November 2008