Brymbo Hall
Encyclopedia
Brymbo Hall, one of Britain's lost houses, was a manor house
located near Brymbo
outside the town of Wrexham
, North Wales
. The house, reputed to have been partly built to the designs of Inigo Jones
, was noted as the residence of 18th-century industrialist and ironmaster
John "Iron-Mad" Wilkinson.
A persistent local tradition claimed that not only had Inigo Jones designed the 1624 building, but that he had been born at the old Brymbo Hall (little is recorded of Jones's early life but he is generally thought to have been born in London
, though he was of Welsh descent). However, a portico at the house dated 1624 was more firmly attributed to the architect, though it was later noted that the aedicula
r doorway was in fact a copy of Plate 158 in Sebastiano Serlio
's Fourth Book, the Regole generali d'architettura (1537). Jones was also considered to have designed the chapel
set in the grounds of the house. The main 1624 building was later extended by an eastern wing featuring a giant order
of Doric
pilaster
s.
In 1649 Brymbo Hall was acquired by Sir Richard Saltonstall
, an early settler in New England
, on his return to Britain. By the close of the 17th century it was again occupied by the Griffith family, being owned by Robert Griffith, Esq, who served as High Sheriff of Denbighshire in 1684-5. Robert's only son John matriculated from Christ Church, Oxford
in 1695, aged 18; but appears to have died, without issue, before his parents, as the property was inherited by Robert's daughter Mary. As a highly marrieageable heiress, Mary married Robert Jeffreys of Acton Hall and after his death married again, to Richard Clayton of Lea Hall in Shropshire
. She then married a third time, to Arthur Owen, a member of the Owen family of Brogyntyn
. Her daughter Jane Clayton married Watkin Wynne of Voelas; their daughter, Elizabeth Wynne, married Thomas Assheton Smith I. During the mid-18th century the estate was the subject of several lawsuits between relatives of Arthur Owen and Richard Clayton.
John Wilkinson bought the 500 acres (2 km²) Brymbo Hall estate in 1792 for the sum of £14,000. The land was rich in coal and ironstone deposits, and Wilkinson constructed an ironworks (later to become the Brymbo Steelworks) near the Hall. His son occasionally lived at the property after his death, and the estate was later to be managed by William Legh, Esq, the father of William Legh, 1st Baron Newton
. However, the estate was sold off to pay the costs of a complex and long-running lawsuit between Wilkinson's heirs; by 1841 it had been purchased by the barrister
Robert Roy, one of the original trustees appointed on Wilkinson's death. Roy, along with Henry Robertson
and others, formed the Brymbo Mineral & Railway Company and restarted iron production on the estate. The house itself was later to be occupied by the Darby family, the descendents of Abraham Darby III
, who were appointed as the ironworks managers.
During the late 19th century Brymbo Hall was the country home of the Liberal MP for Denbighshire
, George Osborne Morgan
: another Liberal MP, Christmas Price Williams
, grew up there.
The Hall was largely unoccupied after 1930 and gradually fell into disrepair. It became partly derelict after World War II, when it was used by the military, and its lower floors were used for keeping livestock by a local farmer. It was eventually demolished in 1973 when open cast mining was carried out on the site, and is still considered to be one of the most unfortunate architectural losses in Wales.
A stand of twelve trees in the grounds was known as the "Twelve Apostles" or "Twelve Disciples"; the trees were also eventually uprooted by the National Coal Board
.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
located near Brymbo
Brymbo
Brymbo is a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is a village situated in the hilly country to the west of Wrexham town, largely surrounded by farmland....
outside the town of Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
, North Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The house, reputed to have been partly built to the designs of Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones is the first significant British architect of the modern period, and the first to bring Italianate Renaissance architecture to England...
, was noted as the residence of 18th-century industrialist and ironmaster
Ironmaster
An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain....
John "Iron-Mad" Wilkinson.
Early history
The estate was located on the upland moors around 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Wrexham. Its early history was relatively obscure, the deeds having been destroyed in a fire in 1794, though it was thought a house on the site had been constructed in the late 15th century for Edward ap Morgan ap Madoc, gentleman. Edward's son, Gruffydd, founded the locally-prominent Griffith family in the early 16th century, and a more modern house was built in 1624 for Edward's descendant John Griffith.A persistent local tradition claimed that not only had Inigo Jones designed the 1624 building, but that he had been born at the old Brymbo Hall (little is recorded of Jones's early life but he is generally thought to have been born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, though he was of Welsh descent). However, a portico at the house dated 1624 was more firmly attributed to the architect, though it was later noted that the aedicula
Aedicula
In religion in ancient Rome, an aedicula is a small shrine. The word aedicula is the diminutive of the Latin aedes, a temple building or house....
r doorway was in fact a copy of Plate 158 in Sebastiano Serlio
Sebastiano Serlio
Sebastiano Serlio was an Italian Mannerist architect, who was part of the Italian team building the Palace of Fontainebleau...
's Fourth Book, the Regole generali d'architettura (1537). Jones was also considered to have designed the chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
set in the grounds of the house. The main 1624 building was later extended by an eastern wing featuring a giant order
Giant order
In Classical architecture, a giant order is an order whose columns or pilasters span two stories...
of Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s.
In 1649 Brymbo Hall was acquired by Sir Richard Saltonstall
Richard Saltonstall
Sir Richard Saltonstall led a group of English settlers up the Charles River to settle in what is now Watertown, Massachusetts in 1630....
, an early settler in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, on his return to Britain. By the close of the 17th century it was again occupied by the Griffith family, being owned by Robert Griffith, Esq, who served as High Sheriff of Denbighshire in 1684-5. Robert's only son John matriculated from Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
in 1695, aged 18; but appears to have died, without issue, before his parents, as the property was inherited by Robert's daughter Mary. As a highly marrieageable heiress, Mary married Robert Jeffreys of Acton Hall and after his death married again, to Richard Clayton of Lea Hall in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. She then married a third time, to Arthur Owen, a member of the Owen family of Brogyntyn
Brogyntyn
Brogyntyn is a mansion to the north-west of Oswestry in Shropshire, England.- History :It was a residence of members of the princely dynasty of the Welsh kingdom of Powys and one of the taî'r uchelwyr in late medieval Wales. *...
. Her daughter Jane Clayton married Watkin Wynne of Voelas; their daughter, Elizabeth Wynne, married Thomas Assheton Smith I. During the mid-18th century the estate was the subject of several lawsuits between relatives of Arthur Owen and Richard Clayton.
Purchase by John Wilkinson
William Legh, 1st Baron Newton
William John Legh, 1st Baron Newton , was a British Conservative politician.Legh was the son of William Legh and the member of an ancient Cheshire family. He sat as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire South from 1859 to 1868 and for Cheshire East from 1868 to 1885...
. However, the estate was sold off to pay the costs of a complex and long-running lawsuit between Wilkinson's heirs; by 1841 it had been purchased by the barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
Robert Roy, one of the original trustees appointed on Wilkinson's death. Roy, along with Henry Robertson
Henry Robertson
Henry Robertson was a Scottish industrialist and Liberal Party politician.-Career:Robertson came to Wales to pursue his industrial interests...
and others, formed the Brymbo Mineral & Railway Company and restarted iron production on the estate. The house itself was later to be occupied by the Darby family, the descendents of Abraham Darby III
Abraham Darby III
Abraham Darby III was an English ironmaster and Quaker. He was the third Abraham Darby in three generations of an English Quaker family that played a role in the Industrial Revolution....
, who were appointed as the ironworks managers.
During the late 19th century Brymbo Hall was the country home of the Liberal MP for Denbighshire
Denbighshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Denbighshire was a county constituency in Denbighshire, in north Wales, from 1542 to 1885.- History :From 1542, it returned one Member of Parliament , traditionally known as the knight of the shire, to the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, then to the Parliament of Great...
, George Osborne Morgan
George Osborne Morgan
Sir George Osborne Morgan, 1st Baronet PC, QC, was a Welsh lawyer and Liberal politician.Born at Gothenburg, Sweden, he was educated at Friars School, Bangor, Shrewsbury School and Balliol College, Oxford, and was a scholar of Worcester College, Oxford from 1847.He became a barrister of Lincoln's...
: another Liberal MP, Christmas Price Williams
Christmas Price Williams
Christmas Price Williams was a Welsh Liberal politician.-Family and education:Williams was born on Christmas Day, 1881 the son of Peter Williams, Managing Director of the Brymbo Steel Company near Wrexham...
, grew up there.
The Hall was largely unoccupied after 1930 and gradually fell into disrepair. It became partly derelict after World War II, when it was used by the military, and its lower floors were used for keeping livestock by a local farmer. It was eventually demolished in 1973 when open cast mining was carried out on the site, and is still considered to be one of the most unfortunate architectural losses in Wales.
Local traditions
In addition to the Inigo Jones tradition, a local story said the house, and the road leading to it, was haunted by a "grey lady" supposed to be the ghost of Jane Wynn, who lived there alone in the 18th century, following the death of her husband. Another tale concerned a room in which shutters would refuse to stay closed, following the death of the (apocryphal) daughter of a 19th-century owner.A stand of twelve trees in the grounds was known as the "Twelve Apostles" or "Twelve Disciples"; the trees were also eventually uprooted by the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
.