Old Hall Hotel, Sandbach
Encyclopedia
The Old Hall Hotel, Sandbach is in the High Street in the centre of Sandbach
, Cheshire, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building.
, whom were of the Radclyffe family from around 1480. A fire wiped out the original building and the current property was rebuilt by Sir John Radclyffe in 1656.
building at the front and partly timber framed and partly brick at the back. The roofs are of stone flags. The building has three storeys with four gable
s on the front elevation. On the right hand side of the building is a carriage arch. Inside are three Jacobean
fireplaces, a priest hole
oak panelling and an original oak baluster
staircase. In the 18th century an extension was added to accommodate the horses of the Liverpool to Lichfield Coach. Some believe that a tunnel leads from the building to the church across the road. As High Street was considerably altered in the nineteenth century, this is highly unlikely.
The building has had many uses over the years from being originally a coaching inn, pub and restaurant and more recently a hotel. Since July 2011, it has been trading as a pub restaurant operated by Brunning and Price, a Chester-based pub group specialising in the restoration of historic buildings and their conversion into characterful pubs.
team as well as individual paranormal teams such as the Xmotu Team.
Room 2 is said to be haunted by a small boy called Matthew and was used as a private room when the building was run as a hotel. Room 11 was used as a guest room and is known as one of the most haunted rooms in the building. Guests have reported a feeling of being pushed down in the water when taking a bath in this room. 3 separate guests staying weeks apart also reported waking up at 3 am to the intense feeling of the room being on fire. Upon waking they soon realised that the room is at a normal temperature. Jewellery has also been known to go missing within this room.
Previous owners believe that an old lady haunts the room and likes to sit in the rocking chair that was once kept in the room. It is believed she is a servant who once lived in the room until she died.
Around 2003 extensive building work was done on the building which meant all the panelling was removed. A skeleton of a baby was discovered. Owners reported that paranormal activity increased during this time which actually led them to bring in psychics to try and discover what was happening. 14 separate ghosts have been reported by psychics.
Previous owners and guests at the hotel have seen the ghosts of a large ginger cat that likes to walk around the property as well as a dog which can be heard. Sir John Radclyffe is said to haunt the downstairs restaurant area and has been seen on numerous occasions, usually early in the morning when the hotel was quieter. A lady has been seen walking the corridors as well as items disappearing and being moved around.
Sandbach
Sandbach is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements; Sandbach itself, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock....
, Cheshire, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building.
Early history
The current building dates from 1656 with the left wing being slightly later but occupies the site of the ancient mansion of the former lords of the manorLord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
, whom were of the Radclyffe family from around 1480. A fire wiped out the original building and the current property was rebuilt by Sir John Radclyffe in 1656.
Architecture
It is a timber framedTimber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
building at the front and partly timber framed and partly brick at the back. The roofs are of stone flags. The building has three storeys with four gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s on the front elevation. On the right hand side of the building is a carriage arch. Inside are three Jacobean
Jacobean era
The Jacobean era refers to the period in English and Scottish history that coincides with the reign of King James VI of Scotland, who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I...
fireplaces, a priest hole
Priest hole
"Priest hole" is the term given to hiding places for priests built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558....
oak panelling and an original oak baluster
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
staircase. In the 18th century an extension was added to accommodate the horses of the Liverpool to Lichfield Coach. Some believe that a tunnel leads from the building to the church across the road. As High Street was considerably altered in the nineteenth century, this is highly unlikely.
The building has had many uses over the years from being originally a coaching inn, pub and restaurant and more recently a hotel. Since July 2011, it has been trading as a pub restaurant operated by Brunning and Price, a Chester-based pub group specialising in the restoration of historic buildings and their conversion into characterful pubs.
Recent history
The Old Hall has now been purchased by Brunning & Price, a growing pub chain, who have recently completed an 18 month renovation project and re-opened Old Hall as of July 2011.Action group
Due to the rapid deterioration of the building since its closure in 2006, an action group called the Save the Old Hall Action Group or SOSAG was been set up. Its battle to save the hall was reported in the local press, and they succeeded in persuading the then-owners to make the building water-tight. Since Old Hall re-opened its doors as a Brunning and Price pub in July 2011, Save Old Hall Action group has been renamed Sandbach Old Hall Appreciation Group.Paranormal Activity
The credulous believe the Old Hall to be haunted. It has also been recorded as possibly being the most haunted hotel in England and has been investigated by the Most HauntedMost Haunted
Most Haunted is a British paranormal documentary reality television series. The series was first shown on 25 May 2002 and ended on 21 July 2010. It was broadcast on Living and presented by Yvette Fielding. The programme was based on investigating purported paranormal activity...
team as well as individual paranormal teams such as the Xmotu Team.
Room 2 is said to be haunted by a small boy called Matthew and was used as a private room when the building was run as a hotel. Room 11 was used as a guest room and is known as one of the most haunted rooms in the building. Guests have reported a feeling of being pushed down in the water when taking a bath in this room. 3 separate guests staying weeks apart also reported waking up at 3 am to the intense feeling of the room being on fire. Upon waking they soon realised that the room is at a normal temperature. Jewellery has also been known to go missing within this room.
Previous owners believe that an old lady haunts the room and likes to sit in the rocking chair that was once kept in the room. It is believed she is a servant who once lived in the room until she died.
Around 2003 extensive building work was done on the building which meant all the panelling was removed. A skeleton of a baby was discovered. Owners reported that paranormal activity increased during this time which actually led them to bring in psychics to try and discover what was happening. 14 separate ghosts have been reported by psychics.
Previous owners and guests at the hotel have seen the ghosts of a large ginger cat that likes to walk around the property as well as a dog which can be heard. Sir John Radclyffe is said to haunt the downstairs restaurant area and has been seen on numerous occasions, usually early in the morning when the hotel was quieter. A lady has been seen walking the corridors as well as items disappearing and being moved around.