Ordsall Hall
Encyclopedia
Ordsall Hall is a historic house
and a former stately home
in Ordsall
, an area of Salford, in Greater Manchester
, England. It dates back over 750 years, although the oldest surviving parts of the present hall were built in the 15th century. The most important period of Ordsall Hall's life was as the family seat of the Radclyffe family, who lived in the house for over 300 years. The hall was the setting for William Harrison Ainsworth
's 1842 novel Guy Fawkes, written around the plausible although unsubstantiated local story that the Gunpowder Plot
of 1605 was planned in the house.
Since its sale by the Radclyffes in 1662, the hall has been put to many uses; working men's club, school for clergy, and a radio station amongst them. The house was bought by Salford City Council
in 1959, and opened to the public in 1972, as a period house and local history museum. The hall is a Grade I listed building
. In 2007 it was named Small Visitor Attraction of the Year by the Northwest Regional Development Agency
. The hall was closed to the public between 2009 and 2011 while it was refurbished and reopened in May 2011.
mansion, the oldest parts of which were built during the 15th century, although there has been a house on the site for over 750 years. David de Hulton is recorded as the owner of the original hall, in 1251. The manor of Ordsall came into the possession of the Radclyffe family in about 1335, but it was not until 1354 that Sir John Radclyffe established his right of inheritance. The manor was described in 1351 as a messuage
, 120 acres (48.6 ha) of land, 12 acres (4.9 ha) of meadow and 12 acres (4.9 ha) of wood.
During the 1340s Sir John Radclyffe campaigned with Edward III
in France, distinguishing himself at the battles of Caen, Crècy and Calais. As a reward for his service, the king allowed Sir John to take some Flemish weavers back to his Ordsall estate, where he built cottages for them to live in. English weaving skills at that time were poor, and textiles from Manchester were considered to be of particularly poor quality, so the Flemish weavers were employed in instructing the local weavers. They also started up a silk weaving industry, the foundation for Manchester's later cotton industry.
The Dutch humanist and theologian Erasmus stayed at Ordsall Hall in 1499, and described it thus:
The original cruck
hall was replaced by the present Great Hall in 1512, after Sir Alexander Radclyffe was appointed High Sheriff of Lancashire
. The hall is typical of others built at that time in the northwest of England, although it is one of the largest, and is unusual for the period in having no wall fireplace. The hall has an elaborate roof structure, as in the similar Rufford Old Hall
. There is a slightly later small room above the large oriel bay, which may be an early addition as at Samlesbury Hall
.
Other alterations and additions were made during the 17th century, including a modest brick house added onto the west end in 1639, perhaps intended as a home for Sir Alexander's bailiff, as he himself no longer used the hall as his main residence by that time. The house was built at 90° to the timber-framed building, to which it was later joined. During the Civil War
Sir Alexander, as a Royalist
, was imprisoned and suffered financial hardship. Reduced means eventually forced his heir, John Radclyffe, into selling the hall to Colonel John Birch in 1662, thus ending over 300 years of his family's occupation.
At the time of the 1666 hearth tax survey, Ordsall Hall was the largest house in Salford, with 19 hearths. The Oldfield family of Leftwich, near Northwich
, bought the estate at the end of the 17th century, and in 1704 it was sold again, to John Stock, a trustee of Cross Street Chapel. His family were probably the last owners to reside at the hall. The Stocks lived in the hall's central section, comprising "a large hall, lounge dining room, a chapel, six rooms on a floor, with brewhouse, large courts, stable, etc", while the two wings were leased tenants from about 1700. In 1756 the hall was sold to Samuel Hill of Shenstone, Staffordshire
. Two years later, on Hill's death, the house passed to his nephew, Samuel Egerton of Tatton
.
The hall remained in occupation until 1871, the last residents being the descendants of John Markendale, who had taken over the lease of the building in 1814. The land surrounding the hall was used by the Mather family of cowkeepers and butchers for many years. During the last quarter of the 19th century Ordsall Hall became engulfed "in mean streets and industry". From 1875 Haworth's Mill rented the hall and used it as a working men's club
. The Great Hall was converted into a gymnasium after being cleared of the inserted floor and later partitions, and provision was made elsewhere for billiards, a skittle
alley, and a bowling green. In 1883 the hall was bought by the Earl Egerton of Tatton, and restored during 1896–8 by the Manchester architect Alfred Darybshire at a cost of £6,000 (£ as of ). The restoration allowed the earl to found a clergy training school at the hall. Provisions for the school included the construction of a church dedicated to St Cyprian in the north forecourt, and a new servants' wing on the south side. In 1908 the school was moved to Egerton Hall in 1908, changing its name to the Manchester Theological College. The men's social club at Ordsall Hall survived until 1940. During the Second World War the hall was used as a radio station. In the 1960s the church and servants' wing built for the clergy school were demolished.
Salford Corporation purchased Ordsall Hall from the executors of the Baron Egerton of Tatton in 1959. After major restoration work, it was opened to the public in April 1972, as a period house and local history museum. The hall was named Small Visitor Attraction of the Year at the 2007 Northwest Tourism Awards.
In March 2007 the Extraordinary Ordsall Campaign applied for a grant of £5.1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund
(HLF), to regenerate Ordsall Hall and to secure its future. After supporters of the hall raised £1M by September 2008, the hall was given £4.1M by the HLF. In 2008, only 40 percent of the building was open to the public but with restoration more rooms are expected to be opened. The building closed for refurbishment in spring 2009, which was expected to take about two years. Ordsall Hall re-opened to the public on 15 May 2011.
, but the other wings making up that space are no longer present. Drawing on the earliest description of the house, from 1380, the Salford City Council describes how it comprised "a hall, five chambers, a kitchen and a chapel. It was associated with two stables, three granges, two shippons, a garner, a dovecote, an orchard and a windmill, together with 80 acres [32.4 ha] of arable land and six acres [2.4 ha] of meadow."
The Star Chamber, which takes its name from the lead stars on its ceiling, leads off the Great Hall; it and the solar above—a private upper room that would have contained a bed—are the oldest remaining parts of the hall.
Substantial alterations appear to have take place during the early years of Samuel Egerton's ownership in the mid-18th century. The canopy at the dais end of the Great Hall was destroyed—although part of it can still be seen in the north wall—when a floor was inserted and new rooms were formed with lath and plaster partitions. The east wing of the hall was probably demolished at about the same time, but certainly before 1812, the date of the earliest estate map
.
There are believed to have been underground passages leading from the Hall into Manchester
. One of them, running under the River Irwell to the Hanging Bridge
Hotel, at the northern end of Deansgate
, was described in 1900, following the rediscovery of the Hanging Bridge after it had been buried for 200 years:
, wrote about the local story that the Gunpowder Plot
of 1605 was planned by Guy Fawkes
and Robert Catesby
in Ordsall Hall's Star Chamber. Guy Fawkes is supposed to have escaped capture by the king's soldiers by way of an underground tunnel from Ordsall Hall to an inn at the cathedral end of Hanging Bridge, at the northern end of present-day Deansgate. There is no firm supporting evidence, but the Radclyffe's were prominent Roman Catholics and were acquainted with the Catesby family. The legend is remembered in the name of the modern road that runs to the east of the hall, Guy Fawkes Street.
s overseeing the areas that are said to be the most haunted. An episode of the television programme Most Haunted
was filmed in the hall in 2004.
Historic house
A historic house can be a stately home, the birthplace of a famous person, or a house with an interesting history or architecture.- Background :...
and a former stately home
Stately home
A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
in Ordsall
Ordsall, Greater Manchester
Ordsall is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is situated chiefly to the south of the A57 road and close to the River Irwell, the main boundary with the city of Manchester...
, an area of Salford, in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. It dates back over 750 years, although the oldest surviving parts of the present hall were built in the 15th century. The most important period of Ordsall Hall's life was as the family seat of the Radclyffe family, who lived in the house for over 300 years. The hall was the setting for William Harrison Ainsworth
William Harrison Ainsworth
William Harrison Ainsworth was an English historical novelist born in Manchester. He trained as a lawyer, but the legal profession held no attraction for him. While completing his legal studies in London he met the publisher John Ebers, at that time manager of the King's Theatre, Haymarket...
's 1842 novel Guy Fawkes, written around the plausible although unsubstantiated local story that the Gunpowder Plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
of 1605 was planned in the house.
Since its sale by the Radclyffes in 1662, the hall has been put to many uses; working men's club, school for clergy, and a radio station amongst them. The house was bought by Salford City Council
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
in 1959, and opened to the public in 1972, as a period house and local history museum. The hall is a Grade I listed building
Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester
-See also:*Architecture of Manchester*Conservation in the United Kingdom*Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester*List of tallest buildings in Manchester*Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester-Bibliography:...
. In 2007 it was named Small Visitor Attraction of the Year by the Northwest Regional Development Agency
Northwest Regional Development Agency
The Northwest Regional Development Agency is the regional development agency for the North West England region and is a non-departmental public body.....
. The hall was closed to the public between 2009 and 2011 while it was refurbished and reopened in May 2011.
History
Ordsall Hall is a formerly moated TudorTudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
mansion, the oldest parts of which were built during the 15th century, although there has been a house on the site for over 750 years. David de Hulton is recorded as the owner of the original hall, in 1251. The manor of Ordsall came into the possession of the Radclyffe family in about 1335, but it was not until 1354 that Sir John Radclyffe established his right of inheritance. The manor was described in 1351 as a messuage
Messuage
In law, the term messuage equates to a dwelling-house and includes outbuildings, orchard, curtilage or court-yard and garden. At one time messuage supposedly had a more extensive meaning than that conveyed by the words house or site, but such distinction no longer survives.A capital messuage is the...
, 120 acres (48.6 ha) of land, 12 acres (4.9 ha) of meadow and 12 acres (4.9 ha) of wood.
Radclyffe family home
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
in France, distinguishing himself at the battles of Caen, Crècy and Calais. As a reward for his service, the king allowed Sir John to take some Flemish weavers back to his Ordsall estate, where he built cottages for them to live in. English weaving skills at that time were poor, and textiles from Manchester were considered to be of particularly poor quality, so the Flemish weavers were employed in instructing the local weavers. They also started up a silk weaving industry, the foundation for Manchester's later cotton industry.
The Dutch humanist and theologian Erasmus stayed at Ordsall Hall in 1499, and described it thus:
The original cruck
Cruck
A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which supports the roof of a building, used particularly in England. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally bent, timber beams that lean inwards and form the ridge of the roof. These posts are then generally secured by a...
hall was replaced by the present Great Hall in 1512, after Sir Alexander Radclyffe was appointed High Sheriff of Lancashire
High Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales...
. The hall is typical of others built at that time in the northwest of England, although it is one of the largest, and is unusual for the period in having no wall fireplace. The hall has an elaborate roof structure, as in the similar Rufford Old Hall
Rufford Old Hall
Rufford Old Hall, a National Trust property and Grade I listed building, was built in the 15th century for Sir Thomas Hesketh in Rufford, Lancashire, England...
. There is a slightly later small room above the large oriel bay, which may be an early addition as at Samlesbury Hall
Samlesbury Hall
Samlesbury Hall is an historic house in Samlesbury, a village in Lancashire, England. It was built in 1325 by Gilbert de Southworth and was the primary home of the Southworth Family until the early 1600s. Samlesbury Hall was built possibly to replace an earlier building destroyed during a raid by...
.
Other alterations and additions were made during the 17th century, including a modest brick house added onto the west end in 1639, perhaps intended as a home for Sir Alexander's bailiff, as he himself no longer used the hall as his main residence by that time. The house was built at 90° to the timber-framed building, to which it was later joined. During the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
Sir Alexander, as a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
, was imprisoned and suffered financial hardship. Reduced means eventually forced his heir, John Radclyffe, into selling the hall to Colonel John Birch in 1662, thus ending over 300 years of his family's occupation.
Later use
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
, bought the estate at the end of the 17th century, and in 1704 it was sold again, to John Stock, a trustee of Cross Street Chapel. His family were probably the last owners to reside at the hall. The Stocks lived in the hall's central section, comprising "a large hall, lounge dining room, a chapel, six rooms on a floor, with brewhouse, large courts, stable, etc", while the two wings were leased tenants from about 1700. In 1756 the hall was sold to Samuel Hill of Shenstone, Staffordshire
Shenstone, Staffordshire
Shenstone is a village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England, close to Stonnall and between Lichfield and Birmingham. In a recent survey Shenstone was found to be one of the ten worst places in England for finding single women....
. Two years later, on Hill's death, the house passed to his nephew, Samuel Egerton of Tatton
Tatton, Cheshire
Tatton is a civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It has a population of 35.-See also:* Tatton Old Hall* Tatton Park* Tatton Park Gardens* Tatton Park Flower Show-References:...
.
The hall remained in occupation until 1871, the last residents being the descendants of John Markendale, who had taken over the lease of the building in 1814. The land surrounding the hall was used by the Mather family of cowkeepers and butchers for many years. During the last quarter of the 19th century Ordsall Hall became engulfed "in mean streets and industry". From 1875 Haworth's Mill rented the hall and used it as a working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
. The Great Hall was converted into a gymnasium after being cleared of the inserted floor and later partitions, and provision was made elsewhere for billiards, a skittle
Skittles (sport)
Skittles is an old European lawn game, a variety of bowling, from which ten-pin bowling, duckpin bowling, and candlepin bowling in the United States, and five-pin bowling in Canada are descended. In the United Kingdom, the game remains a popular pub game in England and Wales, though it tends to be...
alley, and a bowling green. In 1883 the hall was bought by the Earl Egerton of Tatton, and restored during 1896–8 by the Manchester architect Alfred Darybshire at a cost of £6,000 (£ as of ). The restoration allowed the earl to found a clergy training school at the hall. Provisions for the school included the construction of a church dedicated to St Cyprian in the north forecourt, and a new servants' wing on the south side. In 1908 the school was moved to Egerton Hall in 1908, changing its name to the Manchester Theological College. The men's social club at Ordsall Hall survived until 1940. During the Second World War the hall was used as a radio station. In the 1960s the church and servants' wing built for the clergy school were demolished.
Salford Corporation purchased Ordsall Hall from the executors of the Baron Egerton of Tatton in 1959. After major restoration work, it was opened to the public in April 1972, as a period house and local history museum. The hall was named Small Visitor Attraction of the Year at the 2007 Northwest Tourism Awards.
In March 2007 the Extraordinary Ordsall Campaign applied for a grant of £5.1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
(HLF), to regenerate Ordsall Hall and to secure its future. After supporters of the hall raised £1M by September 2008, the hall was given £4.1M by the HLF. In 2008, only 40 percent of the building was open to the public but with restoration more rooms are expected to be opened. The building closed for refurbishment in spring 2009, which was expected to take about two years. Ordsall Hall re-opened to the public on 15 May 2011.
Architecture
There are two separate elements to the present-day house: the timber-framed south range built in the 15th century, and the brick west range constructed in 1639. The hall was originally built around a central quadrangleQuadrangle (architecture)
In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...
, but the other wings making up that space are no longer present. Drawing on the earliest description of the house, from 1380, the Salford City Council describes how it comprised "a hall, five chambers, a kitchen and a chapel. It was associated with two stables, three granges, two shippons, a garner, a dovecote, an orchard and a windmill, together with 80 acres [32.4 ha] of arable land and six acres [2.4 ha] of meadow."
The Star Chamber, which takes its name from the lead stars on its ceiling, leads off the Great Hall; it and the solar above—a private upper room that would have contained a bed—are the oldest remaining parts of the hall.
Substantial alterations appear to have take place during the early years of Samuel Egerton's ownership in the mid-18th century. The canopy at the dais end of the Great Hall was destroyed—although part of it can still be seen in the north wall—when a floor was inserted and new rooms were formed with lath and plaster partitions. The east wing of the hall was probably demolished at about the same time, but certainly before 1812, the date of the earliest estate map
Estate map
Estate maps were maps commissioned by individual landowners or institutions showing their property, typically including fields and buildings.-Development:...
.
There are believed to have been underground passages leading from the Hall into Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. One of them, running under the River Irwell to the Hanging Bridge
Hanging Bridge
Hanging Bridge is a medieval bridge spanning the Hanging Ditch, which connected the rivers Irk and Irwell in Manchester, England. The first reference to the bridge was in 1343, when it was called Hengand Brigge, but the present structure was built in 1421, replacing an earlier bridge. Material...
Hotel, at the northern end of Deansgate
Deansgate
Deansgate is a main road through the city centre of Manchester, England. It runs roughly north–south in a near straight route through the western part of the city centre and is the longest road in the city centre at over one mile long....
, was described in 1900, following the rediscovery of the Hanging Bridge after it had been buried for 200 years:
Guy Fawkes
Harrison Ainsworth, in his 1842 novel Guy FawkesGuy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes , also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.Fawkes was born and educated in York...
, wrote about the local story that the Gunpowder Plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
of 1605 was planned by Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes , also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.Fawkes was born and educated in York...
and Robert Catesby
Robert Catesby
Robert Catesby , was the leader of a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605....
in Ordsall Hall's Star Chamber. Guy Fawkes is supposed to have escaped capture by the king's soldiers by way of an underground tunnel from Ordsall Hall to an inn at the cathedral end of Hanging Bridge, at the northern end of present-day Deansgate. There is no firm supporting evidence, but the Radclyffe's were prominent Roman Catholics and were acquainted with the Catesby family. The legend is remembered in the name of the modern road that runs to the east of the hall, Guy Fawkes Street.
Hauntings
Like many old buildings, Ordsall Hall has stories of hauntings. The White Lady who is said to appear in the Great Hall or Star Chamber is popularly believed to be Margaret Radclyffe, who died of a broken heart in 1599 following the death at sea of her twin, Alexander. There are webcamWebcam
A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...
s overseeing the areas that are said to be the most haunted. An episode of the television programme Most Haunted
Most 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...
was filmed in the hall in 2004.