Teddesley Hall
Encyclopedia
Teddesley Hall was a large Georgian
country house located close to Penkridge
in Staffordshire
, now demolished. It was the main seat firstly of the Littleton Baronets
and then of the Barons Hatherton
. The site today retains considerable traces of the hall, gardens and other buildings, while the former home farm remains a working farm.
. The Littletons had risen steadily in importance as landowners in the Penkridge
area over the course of more than two centuries. Their seat since the early 16th century had been Pillaton Hall
, a short distance east of the village, the site of which they had inherited from the Wynnesbury family. They had owned Teddesley Hay, an area of 2,625 acres to the north-east of Penkridge, since the mid-16th century. However, the lords of Pillaton had held it as farmers or lessees for at least three centuries before that. The Hay had been formerly part of the royal forest
of Cank or Cannock Chase
. It was very sparsely inhabited: in 1666 the assessment for the hearth tax found only three eligible to pay it in the Hay and it had only 59 inhabitants as late as 1811.
The fourth baronet completed his family's dominance in the area by buying the manor of Penkridge from the Francis Greville, Lord Brooke
in 1749. It seems that he decided to build a new seat for the family at Teddesley around that time, as he moved into the Hall in 1754, before it was entirely completed. It was built on the site of Teddesley Lodge, a smaller house that had earlier accommodated junior members of the Littleton family. It was said that the finance came from large hoards of coins discovered behind panels at Pillaton Hall, which raised the then vast sum of £15,000 on sale.
Sir Edward developed a large park surrounding the Hall. It became noted for the quality of its cattle, and its reputation for agricultural innovation was enhanced by his heir, Edward Walhouse
, a great-nephew who who changed his name to Littleton inorder to succeed to the estates, but not the baronetcy, in 1812. He was to become the first Baron Hatherton
in 1835. Hatherton drained and developed a large area of land to expand the farm into a holding of some 1700 acres around the Hall, with 200 catttle and 2000 sheep, 700 acres under cultivation. By 1860, he had established a free agricultural college for 30 boys there.
Under Hatherton, Teddesley became a political and literary salon. His first wife, Hyacinth Mary Wellesley, daughter of Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
, and thus niece of the Iron Duke
. The Marchioness, Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland, Mary's mother, a French dancer in earlier life, was residing at Teddesley when she died in 1816. Mary presided over life at Teddesley during much of Hatherton's political career but died in 1849. Hatherton married Caroline Davenport, almost twenty years his junior, in 1852. An educated middle-class woman, she had liberal political and literary interests of her own, and one of her guests at Teddesley was the novelist Elizabeth Gaskell
.
The Hall remained the main seat of the Hathertons for five generations, although the first Baron had also inherited Hatherton Hall, another country house, from which he derived his title. It ceased to be the family home after the death of the third Lord Hatherton in 1930. During World War II
it was requisition
ed by the government and used for billeting troops and prisoners of war. After the war, it remained empty for some years. The fifth Lord Hatherton sold most of the Littletons' remaining estates in the area in 1953, including the Hall. Being no longer required, it was demolished by the new owner in 1954, although the service buildings were kept for storage use.
, who lived nearby, worked at Teddesley in the early days, so he is a definite candidate. Another possible designer was William Baker, a Cheshire architect who is known to have drawn up plans for buildings in Teddesley Park in 1757-1759, about a decade after the likely start date for the Hall.
The Hall was large but austere, a three-storied, square, brick structure, with stone dressings. There were seven windows on the upper storeys on all four faces. Its frontage to the garden had a large, projecting bay. The entrance was pediment
ed and pilaster
ed and was approached by a double flight of steps. The main room was octagonal and housed an organ
.
The main building was linked by curved screen walls to flanking ranges, one housing stables, the other kitchens, stores and servants' rooms. These partially enclosed the entrance court to the house.
The grounds contained a formal garden some distance to the south east of the house. To the west was a large expanse of informal parkland, sloping down to the Lodgerail Pool, created by damming a small tributary of the River Penk
. The grounds contained a number of other pools and lakes, some intended specifically for fishing. To the north east was a large complex of farm buildings, mostly of 19th century date around an 18th century core. The overall scope and design of these was owed mainly to the 1st Lord Hatherton. The park was largely bordered by linear wooded areas, the northern section being known as the Wellington Belt.
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
country house located close to Penkridge
Penkridge
Penkridge is a market town and ancient parish in Staffordshire, England with a population of 7,836 . Many locals refer to it as a village, although it has a long history as an ecclesiastical and commercial centre. Its main distinction in the Middle Ages was as the site of an important collegiate...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked 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. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, now demolished. It was the main seat firstly of the Littleton Baronets
Littleton Baronets
Two Baronetcies have been created in the Baronetage of England for members of the Littleton family.The Littleton family had their origins in South Lyttleton, near Evesham, Worcestershire. Thomas de Littleton was appointed a judge at the Court of Common Pleas in 1464 and was created a Knight of the...
and then of the Barons Hatherton
Baron Hatherton
Baron Hatherton, of Hatherton in the County of Stafford, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1835 for the politician Edward Littleton, Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1833 to 1834...
. The site today retains considerable traces of the hall, gardens and other buildings, while the former home farm remains a working farm.
Origins and history
Teddesley Hall was built by Sir Edward Littleton, the fourth to hold the baronetcy, who succeeded in 1742, while still a minorMinor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
. The Littletons had risen steadily in importance as landowners in the Penkridge
Penkridge
Penkridge is a market town and ancient parish in Staffordshire, England with a population of 7,836 . Many locals refer to it as a village, although it has a long history as an ecclesiastical and commercial centre. Its main distinction in the Middle Ages was as the site of an important collegiate...
area over the course of more than two centuries. Their seat since the early 16th century had been Pillaton Hall
Pillaton Hall
Pillaton Hall was an historic house located in Pillaton, Staffordshire, just outside of Penkridge, England. For more than two centuries it was the seat of the Littleton family, a family of local landowners and politicians.-Origins and history:...
, a short distance east of the village, the site of which they had inherited from the Wynnesbury family. They had owned Teddesley Hay, an area of 2,625 acres to the north-east of Penkridge, since the mid-16th century. However, the lords of Pillaton had held it as farmers or lessees for at least three centuries before that. The Hay had been formerly part of the royal forest
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
of Cank or Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
. It was very sparsely inhabited: in 1666 the assessment for the hearth tax found only three eligible to pay it in the Hay and it had only 59 inhabitants as late as 1811.
The fourth baronet completed his family's dominance in the area by buying the manor of Penkridge from the Francis Greville, Lord Brooke
Francis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick
Francis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick KT , known as Lord Brooke from 1727 to 1746 and Earl Brooke from 1746 to 1759, was a British nobleman....
in 1749. It seems that he decided to build a new seat for the family at Teddesley around that time, as he moved into the Hall in 1754, before it was entirely completed. It was built on the site of Teddesley Lodge, a smaller house that had earlier accommodated junior members of the Littleton family. It was said that the finance came from large hoards of coins discovered behind panels at Pillaton Hall, which raised the then vast sum of £15,000 on sale.
Sir Edward developed a large park surrounding the Hall. It became noted for the quality of its cattle, and its reputation for agricultural innovation was enhanced by his heir, Edward Walhouse
Edward Littleton, 1st Baron Hatherton
Edward John Littleton, 1st Baron Hatherton PC, FRS , was a British politician, of first the Canningite Tories and later the Whigs. He had a long political career, active in each of the Houses of Parliament in turn over a period of forty years...
, a great-nephew who who changed his name to Littleton inorder to succeed to the estates, but not the baronetcy, in 1812. He was to become the first Baron Hatherton
Baron Hatherton
Baron Hatherton, of Hatherton in the County of Stafford, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1835 for the politician Edward Littleton, Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1833 to 1834...
in 1835. Hatherton drained and developed a large area of land to expand the farm into a holding of some 1700 acres around the Hall, with 200 catttle and 2000 sheep, 700 acres under cultivation. By 1860, he had established a free agricultural college for 30 boys there.
Under Hatherton, Teddesley became a political and literary salon. His first wife, Hyacinth Mary Wellesley, daughter of Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
, and thus niece of the Iron Duke
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
. The Marchioness, Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland, Mary's mother, a French dancer in earlier life, was residing at Teddesley when she died in 1816. Mary presided over life at Teddesley during much of Hatherton's political career but died in 1849. Hatherton married Caroline Davenport, almost twenty years his junior, in 1852. An educated middle-class woman, she had liberal political and literary interests of her own, and one of her guests at Teddesley was the novelist Elizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson , often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era...
.
The Hall remained the main seat of the Hathertons for five generations, although the first Baron had also inherited Hatherton Hall, another country house, from which he derived his title. It ceased to be the family home after the death of the third Lord Hatherton in 1930. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was requisition
Requisition
A requisition is a request for something, especially a formal written request on a pre-printed form.An online requisition is an electronic document, which can be originated by the requester and then using the company workflow or hierarchy rules, can be submitted to the subsequent levels, until it...
ed by the government and used for billeting troops and prisoners of war. After the war, it remained empty for some years. The fifth Lord Hatherton sold most of the Littletons' remaining estates in the area in 1953, including the Hall. Being no longer required, it was demolished by the new owner in 1954, although the service buildings were kept for storage use.
Building and grounds
The name of the architect who designed Teddesley Hall is not known for certain. It is certain, however, that Charles Cope Trubshaw, forebear of a dynasty of Staffordshire architectsCharles Trubshaw
Charles Trubshaw was an architect specifically associated with railway buildings on the London and North Western Railway and Midland Railway lines...
, who lived nearby, worked at Teddesley in the early days, so he is a definite candidate. Another possible designer was William Baker, a Cheshire architect who is known to have drawn up plans for buildings in Teddesley Park in 1757-1759, about a decade after the likely start date for the Hall.
The Hall was large but austere, a three-storied, square, brick structure, with stone dressings. There were seven windows on the upper storeys on all four faces. Its frontage to the garden had a large, projecting bay. The entrance was pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
ed and 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....
ed and was approached by a double flight of steps. The main room was octagonal and housed an organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
.
The main building was linked by curved screen walls to flanking ranges, one housing stables, the other kitchens, stores and servants' rooms. These partially enclosed the entrance court to the house.
The grounds contained a formal garden some distance to the south east of the house. To the west was a large expanse of informal parkland, sloping down to the Lodgerail Pool, created by damming a small tributary of the River Penk
River Penk
The River Penk is a small river flowing though Staffordshire, England. Its course is mainly within South Staffordshire, and it drains most of the northern part of that district, together with some adjoining areas of Cannock Chase, Stafford, Wolverhampton, and Shropshire...
. The grounds contained a number of other pools and lakes, some intended specifically for fishing. To the north east was a large complex of farm buildings, mostly of 19th century date around an 18th century core. The overall scope and design of these was owed mainly to the 1st Lord Hatherton. The park was largely bordered by linear wooded areas, the northern section being known as the Wellington Belt.
External Links
- Staffordshire Past Track County local history site with maps and photographs.