Saturday… So lets have a Day Out

Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire.

Something different for a weekend visit.  Little Moreton Hall is a rather unique Tudor Half Timbered building surrounded by a Moat….. and no, those odd angles are not  my bad photography but inbuilt in the wooden construction.

The Hall was built for a Willaim Moreton.  Work started on the main building in 1504 but construction and extensions were added over the following century by the Moreton family.

 The Hall you see above looks large, but once you cross the bridge over the Moat you enter a courtyard surrounded by Black and White timbers and the true size becomes a  reality.

But let me take you on a short tour.  Once you have taken in the exterior style and size, admired the carved wood decorations, you can step inside to aother world of wood. Sloping floors, odd angled rooms, wooden spiral staircases.  Apart from the wood and peg construction, you  find that for a house of this period, there are a staggering number of windows. In places you can see the wall painting decor. Of course for a Hall of some standing it also has its own tiny Chapel. So lets take the Tour….

I mentioned that it was unusual to have a Hall with so many windows….but they are an important part to the architectural style that makes Little Moreton so distinctive.

This is nowhere more obvious than in the Long Gallery located on the top floor of the main building.

Stretching for the entire length of the top floor the windows add to the rooms spectacular appeal.  Note also the ceiling and decorations on the end walls…..  I said spectacular, maybe dramatic would be a better description.

What is also unusual is that Willaim Moreton was not part of the Royal favoured noble gentry.  Certainly wealthy from farming, astute land purchases and milling plus other agricultural business venture, he found the means to build his own Manor House.

Sadly the families fortunes were lost after they chose the wrong side to support in the English Civil Wars.  The family lost the right of ownership but remained as tenants for a while.  Loss of income and high rent brought thefamilies  tenure of the Hall to and end.  The Hall had a succession of farming tenants but eventually the Hall became empty.

Little maintenance or modifications during these later centuries occurred.  That is perhaps to our benefit,  we are left with a Hall that is remarkable ‘as it was built’. True some restoration work has had to be undertaken but  sensitively hidden.

So that is our brief tour over……  for the inquisitive visitor there is much detail to discover, far more than I have included here.

Before you depart you can relax in the Gardens or the Parlour with a welcome Cream Tea…  believe me they are good

I hope you have enjoyed your virtual visit…..  The Hall really is unique…  I am till not sure that there is a straight wall anywhere in the building.

This weekend. If you are out exploring or at home….

Please Remember ….

Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other

18th September

(C) David Oakes 2021