Agecroft Hall Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Significant dates

Agecroft
U.S. National Register of Historic Places


Location in Virginia Show map of Virginia Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	4305 Sulgrave Road, Richmond, Virginia
Area	23.1 acres (9.3 ha)
Built	1926
Architect	Henry G. Morse (restoration) Charles Gillette (landscape)
Architectural style	Tudor-Tudor Revival
NRHP reference No.	78003186
Added to NRHP	13 December 1978

Agecroft Hall is a beautiful old English manor house located in Richmond, Virginia, in the United States. This amazing house was built way back in the late 1400s in a place called Lancashire, England. For many years, it stood proudly by the River Irwell.

However, by the 1900s, the house was empty and falling apart. That's when a rich businessman from Richmond, Virginia, named Thomas C. Williams Jr., decided to buy it. He loved the idea of having a real English manor house on his large property overlooking the James River.

So, Agecroft Hall was carefully taken apart, piece by piece. All the parts were packed into crates and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to Virginia. There, it was put back together in a new neighborhood called Windsor Farms. This huge project took two years and cost a lot of money, about $250,000 at the time. The reconstruction was finished in 1928.

Mr. Williams passed away the next year. In his will, he said that after his wife no longer lived there, Agecroft Hall should become a museum. This way, many people could visit and enjoy this unique piece of history.

The Story of Agecroft Hall
- Important Langley Family Members
- Agecroft Hall's Decline and Move
The Legend of the Babes in the Wood
Gallery
See also

The Story of Agecroft Hall

The original Agecroft Hall in Pendlebury, England.

Agecroft Hall was one of three large houses owned by the Prestwich family starting in 1292. They received the land near the River Irwell in Lancashire, England. Later, in 1350, the property passed to the Langley family through marriage. The name "Agecroft" means "field of wild celery." The Langleys lived at Agecroft Hall for many centuries, becoming a very important family in the area.

Important Langley Family Members

The Langley family had several important members. One of them, Robert Langley (born in 1379), was looked after by John of Gaunt, a powerful duke. This Robert later supported Henry IV of England when he became king. Another Robert Langley (born in 1462) was supported by Henry VII of England. A third Robert Langley (born in 1506) was even knighted by Edward VI and later received a special pardon from Elizabeth I.

The Langleys became very wealthy and connected to other important families in Lancashire. However, the last male heir, Sir Robert Langley, had no sons. When he died in 1561, his property was divided among his four daughters. Agecroft Hall went to his third daughter, Anne, who married William Dauntesey.

Agecroft Hall's Decline and Move

By the late 1800s, the area around Agecroft Hall in England changed a lot. Factories and coal mines were built, and railway tracks cut across the land. The ground even started to sink because of the mining, creating a dirty lake nearby. The house itself began to fall apart.

In 1925, Agecroft Hall was sold at an auction to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Williams Jr. They wanted to save the house and bring it to America. Today, Agecroft Hall stands beautifully by the James River in Virginia. Its gardens are designed to look like traditional English gardens, with many fragrant plants, just like its original home.

The Legend of the Babes in the Wood

The gatehouse is all that remains of the original Agecroft Estate in the UK.

There's a famous old story called "The Babes in the Wood." Some people believe this tale was inspired by something that happened at Agecroft Hall long ago, during the time of Edward III.

The legend says that in 1374, a young boy named Roger Langley and his sister escaped from a bad man named Robert de Holland and his followers. They hid in the forest near the Irwell Valley. Loyal helpers took care of them until their guardian, John of Gaunt, the first Duke of Lancaster, came to rescue them. However, other stories say this tale actually happened in a different place, in Norfolk, England.