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Adlington Hall
Adlington Hall is a country house near Adlington, Cheshire. The oldest part of the existing building, the Great Hall, was constructed between 1480 and 1505; the east wing was added in 1581. The Legh family has lived in the hall and in previous buildings on the same site since the early 14th century. After the house was occupied by Parliamentary forces during the Civil War, changes were made to the north wing, including encasing the Great Hall in brick, inserting windows, and installing an organ in the Great Hall. In the 18th century the house was inherited by Charles Legh who organised a series of major changes. These included building a new west wing, which incorporated a ballroom, and a south wing with a large portico. It is possible that Charles Legh himself was the architect for these additions. He also played a large part in planning and designing the gardens, woodland and parkland, which included a number of buildings of various types, including a bridge known as the Chinese Bridge that carried a summerhouse.
The hall was reconstructed and reduced in size in 1928. The work included demolition of much of the west wing, building a screen wall to fill the gap, and removing parts of the south wing. During the 19th and early 20th centuries the gardens, parkland and woodland became overgrown, and the condition of some of the buildings in them deteriorated. From the middle of the 20th century, work has been undertaken to restore some of the parkland and its buildings, and to create new formal gardens near the hall.
Adlington Hall is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The stable block has been converted for modern uses; part of it is listed at Grade II*, and the rest is at Grade II. The grounds contain eleven Grade II listed buildings, and the grounds themselves have been designated at Grade II* on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The hall is open to the public for visits and guided tours, and parts of the building can be hired for weddings and social functions.
The first known building on the site was a Saxon hunting lodge for Earl Edwin. After the Norman conquest the estate was given to Hugh Lupus, and it remained in the possession of the Norman earls until 1221, when it passed to the Crown. Henry III granted the manor to Hugh de Corona. Hugh's son Thomas, who had no children, granted it to his sister Ellen, who married John de Legh of Booth in the early 14th century during the reign of Edward II, after which it became the ancestral home of the Leghs of Adlington. Originally the hall consisted of timber-framed buildings on three or four sides of a courtyard surrounded by a moat. The Great Hall, on the north side of the courtyard, was built between 1480 and 1505 for Thomas Legh I. The east wing and porch were added for Thomas Legh III in 1581. During the Civil War the hall was held by Colonel Thomas Legh for the Royalists but was taken twice, in 1642 and in 1644, by the Parliamentary forces. The hall was returned to the Leghs in 1656, and the north front was restored in 1660. Between 1665 and 1670 the north wing was rebuilt for Thomas Legh IV. Windows were inserted and along with the Great Hall, excluding the porch, it was encased in brick.
The estate was inherited in 1739 by Charles Legh, who embarked on a major programme of reconstruction, transforming the hall "from a medium-sized Tudor house into a large Georgian manor". He built a new west wing, which contained a dining room, a drawing room, a library, and a ballroom, the last occupying the whole length of the first floor. He then rebuilt the south wing, connecting it with the new west wing and the older Tudor east wing. At each end of the south wing was a pavilion with a canted bay on its south front. The west pavilion contained the southern end of the ballroom, and the east pavilion housed a chapel. During this time the stable block and other buildings were constructed in the grounds. The architect responsible for this work is unknown, although it has been suggested that the design was by Charles himself. A major reconstruction took place in 1928 under the direction of the architect Hubert Worthington. Much of the west wing was demolished, removing the ballroom but retaining the drawing and dining rooms. To avoid leaving a gap exposing the courtyard, Worthington filled it with a screen wall containing a corridor linking the west and south wings. He decorated this with quoins, cornices and sash windows. The projecting pavilions at the ends of the south front were also demolished. During the Second World War, parts of the Hall were used as a Services maternity ward run by St. Mary's Hospital. In the 1960s the stable block was converted into mews flats. Between 2004 and 2009 the east wing was restored.
The plan of the hall consists of four ranges or wings arranged as a quadrangle around a courtyard, and comprises a mixture of architectural styles. The north and east wings are in 15th- and 16th-century black-and-white timber framing, and the south and west wings are in brick dating from the middle of the 18th century. The north front is in brick with stone quoins enclosing the timber-framing. It is irregular, in two or three storeys with six gables. It contains a mixture of 12- and 16-pane sash windows, and two Venetian windows. On the courtyard side is a two-storey timber-framed porch bearing a long inscription dated 1581. The east wing is timber-framed, with close studding, on a rubble stone plinth. It contains mullioned and transomed windows, a small oriel window, and 12- and 16-pane sash windows. There is also a two-storey staircase turret. The south wing is in Flemish bond brick with sandstone dressings. It is symmetrical, in two and three storeys, and 13 bays. It is set on a low stone plinth, and has rusticated quoins. In the centre is a portico rising to the full height of the building. This consists of four plain Ionic columns each of which is carried on an octagonal pedestal. It has a frieze bearing the inscription "CHARLES & HESTER LEGH 1757", and its pediment contains the Legh arms. Behind the portico are two round-arched windows and a round-arched door on the ground floor, over which is a window with a Palladian pediment. On each side of the portico are 12-pane sash windows under flat rusticated heads. Only the left and right ends of the west wing are still present, and they are joined by a screen wall. Inside the courtyard, on the south and west sides, is a cloister.
The major part of the north wing is occupied by the medieval Great Hall. This has a hammer-beam roof, with carvings of angels that were added at a later date. The roof is plastered, but has been painted in such a way that it appears to be panelled. At the end that would have originally been occupied by the high table is "the finest canopy in the county", according to the authors of the Buildings of England series. This is "a rare wooden version of the cloths of estate hung over the high table in the Middle Ages to give splendour to the appearance of the Lord of the Manor". It consists of five tiers of panels, divided by oak ribs into 60 compartments, each of which is painted with the arms of Cheshire families. At the intersections of the ribs, instead of bosses, there are carved letters spelling out an inscription including the date 1505. At one time the scheme may have been greater, as an account dated 1611 records a display of over 180 coats of arms. Under the canopy is a mural of Hector and Andromache. The side walls contain murals depicting the history of Troy. The latter had been painted over until they were revealed in 1859, when the family were playing with a shuttlecock and damaged the overlying plaster. The other end of the hall is supported by a spere[A] truss formed by two giant oak trunks, carved into an octagonal shape and covered in panels. Within the spere truss is an organ (see below). To the sides of the organ are murals depicting, on one side Arabella Hunt, and on the other Saint Cecilia playing a harp. Below the murals were the doors to the buttery and pantry. Both doors are now blocked, replaced by panels carved with animals and foliage. Also in the Great Hall is a fireplace decorated with the head of Apollo.
In the west wing are the surviving rooms from Charles Legh's extension, the dining room on the ground floor and the drawing room above it. Both rooms are panelled and decorated in Classical style, with pediments over the doors and chimneypieces. The dining room is the simpler of the two, and contains a white marble fireplace that has been dated to 1742. The fireplace in the drawing room is also in white marble but is more elaborate, carved with scrolls, garlands, and a profile of Minerva. This room also contains giant Corinthian pilasters. Above its doors are wood-carvings in the style of William Kent, depicting the heads of Bacchus, Ceres, Flora, and Neptune. The rooms in the south wing include family sitting rooms decorated with Rococo style ceilings, and Gothic and Chinoiserie motifs. Also in the rooms of this wing are items moved from the demolished parts of the west wing. The east wing contains service rooms.
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Adlington Hall
Adlington Hall is a country house near Adlington, Cheshire. The oldest part of the existing building, the Great Hall, was constructed between 1480 and 1505; the east wing was added in 1581. The Legh family has lived in the hall and in previous buildings on the same site since the early 14th century. After the house was occupied by Parliamentary forces during the Civil War, changes were made to the north wing, including encasing the Great Hall in brick, inserting windows, and installing an organ in the Great Hall. In the 18th century the house was inherited by Charles Legh who organised a series of major changes. These included building a new west wing, which incorporated a ballroom, and a south wing with a large portico. It is possible that Charles Legh himself was the architect for these additions. He also played a large part in planning and designing the gardens, woodland and parkland, which included a number of buildings of various types, including a bridge known as the Chinese Bridge that carried a summerhouse.
The hall was reconstructed and reduced in size in 1928. The work included demolition of much of the west wing, building a screen wall to fill the gap, and removing parts of the south wing. During the 19th and early 20th centuries the gardens, parkland and woodland became overgrown, and the condition of some of the buildings in them deteriorated. From the middle of the 20th century, work has been undertaken to restore some of the parkland and its buildings, and to create new formal gardens near the hall.
Adlington Hall is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The stable block has been converted for modern uses; part of it is listed at Grade II*, and the rest is at Grade II. The grounds contain eleven Grade II listed buildings, and the grounds themselves have been designated at Grade II* on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The hall is open to the public for visits and guided tours, and parts of the building can be hired for weddings and social functions.
The first known building on the site was a Saxon hunting lodge for Earl Edwin. After the Norman conquest the estate was given to Hugh Lupus, and it remained in the possession of the Norman earls until 1221, when it passed to the Crown. Henry III granted the manor to Hugh de Corona. Hugh's son Thomas, who had no children, granted it to his sister Ellen, who married John de Legh of Booth in the early 14th century during the reign of Edward II, after which it became the ancestral home of the Leghs of Adlington. Originally the hall consisted of timber-framed buildings on three or four sides of a courtyard surrounded by a moat. The Great Hall, on the north side of the courtyard, was built between 1480 and 1505 for Thomas Legh I. The east wing and porch were added for Thomas Legh III in 1581. During the Civil War the hall was held by Colonel Thomas Legh for the Royalists but was taken twice, in 1642 and in 1644, by the Parliamentary forces. The hall was returned to the Leghs in 1656, and the north front was restored in 1660. Between 1665 and 1670 the north wing was rebuilt for Thomas Legh IV. Windows were inserted and along with the Great Hall, excluding the porch, it was encased in brick.
The estate was inherited in 1739 by Charles Legh, who embarked on a major programme of reconstruction, transforming the hall "from a medium-sized Tudor house into a large Georgian manor". He built a new west wing, which contained a dining room, a drawing room, a library, and a ballroom, the last occupying the whole length of the first floor. He then rebuilt the south wing, connecting it with the new west wing and the older Tudor east wing. At each end of the south wing was a pavilion with a canted bay on its south front. The west pavilion contained the southern end of the ballroom, and the east pavilion housed a chapel. During this time the stable block and other buildings were constructed in the grounds. The architect responsible for this work is unknown, although it has been suggested that the design was by Charles himself. A major reconstruction took place in 1928 under the direction of the architect Hubert Worthington. Much of the west wing was demolished, removing the ballroom but retaining the drawing and dining rooms. To avoid leaving a gap exposing the courtyard, Worthington filled it with a screen wall containing a corridor linking the west and south wings. He decorated this with quoins, cornices and sash windows. The projecting pavilions at the ends of the south front were also demolished. During the Second World War, parts of the Hall were used as a Services maternity ward run by St. Mary's Hospital. In the 1960s the stable block was converted into mews flats. Between 2004 and 2009 the east wing was restored.
The plan of the hall consists of four ranges or wings arranged as a quadrangle around a courtyard, and comprises a mixture of architectural styles. The north and east wings are in 15th- and 16th-century black-and-white timber framing, and the south and west wings are in brick dating from the middle of the 18th century. The north front is in brick with stone quoins enclosing the timber-framing. It is irregular, in two or three storeys with six gables. It contains a mixture of 12- and 16-pane sash windows, and two Venetian windows. On the courtyard side is a two-storey timber-framed porch bearing a long inscription dated 1581. The east wing is timber-framed, with close studding, on a rubble stone plinth. It contains mullioned and transomed windows, a small oriel window, and 12- and 16-pane sash windows. There is also a two-storey staircase turret. The south wing is in Flemish bond brick with sandstone dressings. It is symmetrical, in two and three storeys, and 13 bays. It is set on a low stone plinth, and has rusticated quoins. In the centre is a portico rising to the full height of the building. This consists of four plain Ionic columns each of which is carried on an octagonal pedestal. It has a frieze bearing the inscription "CHARLES & HESTER LEGH 1757", and its pediment contains the Legh arms. Behind the portico are two round-arched windows and a round-arched door on the ground floor, over which is a window with a Palladian pediment. On each side of the portico are 12-pane sash windows under flat rusticated heads. Only the left and right ends of the west wing are still present, and they are joined by a screen wall. Inside the courtyard, on the south and west sides, is a cloister.
The major part of the north wing is occupied by the medieval Great Hall. This has a hammer-beam roof, with carvings of angels that were added at a later date. The roof is plastered, but has been painted in such a way that it appears to be panelled. At the end that would have originally been occupied by the high table is "the finest canopy in the county", according to the authors of the Buildings of England series. This is "a rare wooden version of the cloths of estate hung over the high table in the Middle Ages to give splendour to the appearance of the Lord of the Manor". It consists of five tiers of panels, divided by oak ribs into 60 compartments, each of which is painted with the arms of Cheshire families. At the intersections of the ribs, instead of bosses, there are carved letters spelling out an inscription including the date 1505. At one time the scheme may have been greater, as an account dated 1611 records a display of over 180 coats of arms. Under the canopy is a mural of Hector and Andromache. The side walls contain murals depicting the history of Troy. The latter had been painted over until they were revealed in 1859, when the family were playing with a shuttlecock and damaged the overlying plaster. The other end of the hall is supported by a spere[A] truss formed by two giant oak trunks, carved into an octagonal shape and covered in panels. Within the spere truss is an organ (see below). To the sides of the organ are murals depicting, on one side Arabella Hunt, and on the other Saint Cecilia playing a harp. Below the murals were the doors to the buttery and pantry. Both doors are now blocked, replaced by panels carved with animals and foliage. Also in the Great Hall is a fireplace decorated with the head of Apollo.
In the west wing are the surviving rooms from Charles Legh's extension, the dining room on the ground floor and the drawing room above it. Both rooms are panelled and decorated in Classical style, with pediments over the doors and chimneypieces. The dining room is the simpler of the two, and contains a white marble fireplace that has been dated to 1742. The fireplace in the drawing room is also in white marble but is more elaborate, carved with scrolls, garlands, and a profile of Minerva. This room also contains giant Corinthian pilasters. Above its doors are wood-carvings in the style of William Kent, depicting the heads of Bacchus, Ceres, Flora, and Neptune. The rooms in the south wing include family sitting rooms decorated with Rococo style ceilings, and Gothic and Chinoiserie motifs. Also in the rooms of this wing are items moved from the demolished parts of the west wing. The east wing contains service rooms.