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	December 13, 1978

Agecroft Hall is a beautiful old manor house that looks like it came straight from a storybook. It's located in Richmond, Virginia, in the United States. What makes Agecroft Hall so special is that it was originally built in England way back in the late 1400s!

By the 1900s, the house in England was empty and falling apart. But a rich American businessman named Thomas C. Williams, Jr. had a brilliant idea. He wanted a real English manor house for his home in Virginia. So, he bought Agecroft Hall.

The entire house was carefully taken apart, packed into crates, and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean. Then, it was rebuilt in Richmond, Virginia, in a fancy new neighborhood called Windsor Farms. This amazing project was finished in 1928.

Williams wanted his new home to feel like an old English manor, but also be comfortable for modern life. So, the original layout was changed. Many new features were added, like bathrooms and electricity. The reconstruction took two years and cost a lot of money.

Sadly, Mr. Williams passed away the next year. In his will, he said that after his wife died or moved, Agecroft Hall should become a house museum. This means people like you can visit it and learn about its amazing history!

The Long History of Agecroft Hall
- Changes in England
The Legend of the Babes in the Wood
Gallery
See also

The Long History of Agecroft Hall

The original Agecroft Hall in Pendlebury, Lancashire, England.

Agecroft Hall has a very long and interesting past. It was one of three manor houses owned by the Prestwich family. They got the land in 1292 from a powerful English noble.

Around 1350, the name "Agecroft" was adopted. It means "field of wild celery." The Langley family then lived at Agecroft Hall for many centuries. They were a very important family in the area.

Many members of the Langley family were named Robert. One Robert Langley (born 1379) was looked after by John of Gaunt, a very important duke. This Robert later supported Henry IV when he became king.

Another Robert Langley (born 1462) was supported by Henry VII, who also became king. Yet another Robert Langley (born 1506) was even made a knight by Edward VI. He later received a special pardon from Queen Elizabeth I.

By this time, the Langleys were very wealthy. They had married into many other important families in the area. But Sir Robert Langley (the last male heir) and his wife had no sons. So, when he died in 1561, the property was split among his four daughters. One daughter, Anne, inherited Agecroft Hall.

Changes in England

In the late 1800s, the area around Agecroft Hall in England changed a lot. Factories and coal mines were built. Railway tracks cut across the land. The ground even sank in some places because of mining.

The house started to fall apart. So, in 1925, it was sold at an auction to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Williams. This is when its journey to America began!

Today, Agecroft Hall sits beautifully by the James River in Virginia. The gardens around the house were designed to look like old English gardens. They even have plants that were popular in Elizabethan times.

The Legend of the Babes in the Wood

The gatehouse, or lodge, is all that remains of the Agecroft Estate in the UK.

There's a local legend that says the famous story of the Babes in the Wood might have been inspired by something that happened at Agecroft Hall.

The story goes that in 1374, a young boy named Roger Langley and his sister had to hide in the forest. They were escaping from a bad guy named Robert de Holland and his men. Loyal helpers looked after them in the woods. They stayed hidden until their guardian, John of Gaunt, rescued them.

However, some people believe the "Babes in the Wood" story actually came from a different place in England. It's still a fun legend to think about when you visit Agecroft Hall!