Samlesbury Hall
Encyclopedia
Samlesbury Hall is an historic house
in Samlesbury
, a village in Lancashire
, England. It was built in 1325 by Gilbert de Southworth (b. 1270) 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 the Scots in 1322. The Hall has been many things in its past including a public house
and girls boarding school, but since 1925, when it was saved from being demolished for its timber, it has been administered by a registered charitable trust
, the Samlesbury Hall Trust. This Grade I listed medieval manor house
attracts over 50,000 visitors each year.
The Hall was built with its solar end windows facing east, as was the practice. When the chapel was constructed 140 years later, it too was built to face east. However, when the chapel was connected to the main hall a further 60 years later, the angle of connection was less than 90° because of the solstice change in the sun's position over the years.
The chapel was originally built by the Southworth family, to upgrade the house to a manor house, which had to have:
Therefore Samlesbury Hall reflects the building styles and religious beliefs from the 14th century to the present day. The house is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of Lady Dorothy Southworth amongst others.
The location has been investigated twice by Yvette Fielding
and her team of investigators on their hit paranormal show, Most Haunted
. The first time was during the 5th series in 2004 and the second during a Most Haunted Live event in January 2009.
It also appeared on an episode of Ghost Hunters International
. Season one episode 10, Castle of the Damned.
Samlesbury Hall is open to the public daily except on Saturdays.
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 :...
in Samlesbury
Samlesbury
Samlesbury is a small village and civil parish in the South Ribble borough of Lancashire, England. Samlesbury Hall, a historic house, is located in the village as well as Samlesbury Aerodrome...
, a village in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. It was built in 1325 by Gilbert de Southworth (b. 1270) 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 the Scots in 1322. The Hall has been many things in its past including a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and girls boarding school, but since 1925, when it was saved from being demolished for its timber, it has been administered by a registered charitable trust
Charitable trusts in English law
Charitable trusts in English law are a form of express trust dedicated to charitable goals. There are a variety of advantages to charitable trust status, including exception from most forms of tax and freedom for the trustees not found in other types of English trust. To be a valid charitable...
, the Samlesbury Hall Trust. This Grade I listed medieval manor house
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...
attracts over 50,000 visitors each year.
The Hall was built with its solar end windows facing east, as was the practice. When the chapel was constructed 140 years later, it too was built to face east. However, when the chapel was connected to the main hall a further 60 years later, the angle of connection was less than 90° because of the solstice change in the sun's position over the years.
The chapel was originally built by the Southworth family, to upgrade the house to a manor house, which had to have:
-
- A large household,
- A chapel and priest,
- A store of fish for Fridays,
- Usually a pond,
- A water mill and grain store.
Therefore Samlesbury Hall reflects the building styles and religious beliefs from the 14th century to the present day. The house is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of Lady Dorothy Southworth amongst others.
The location has been investigated twice by Yvette Fielding
Yvette Fielding
Yvette Fielding is a British broadcaster, producer and actress. She is best known for being the presenter of the TV shows Blue Peter, Most Haunted and Ghosthunting With....-Early life and career:...
and her team of investigators on their hit paranormal show, 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...
. The first time was during the 5th series in 2004 and the second during a Most Haunted Live event in January 2009.
It also appeared on an episode of Ghost Hunters International
Ghost Hunters International
Ghost Hunters International is a spin-off series of Ghost Hunters that airs on Syfy. The series premiered on January 9, 2008...
. Season one episode 10, Castle of the Damned.
Samlesbury Hall is open to the public daily except on Saturdays.