Arley Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arley Hall |
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South front
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| Location | Arley, Cheshire, England |
| OS grid reference | SJ 675 810 |
| Built | 1832–45 |
| Built for | Rowland Egerton-Warburton |
| Restored | 1968, 1987 |
| Architect | George Latham (hall) Anthony Salvin (chapel) |
| Architectural style(s) | Jacobethan |
| Owner | Viscount Ashbrook |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Designated | 5 March 1959 |
| Reference no. | 1329694 |
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Arley Hall is a beautiful old country house located in Arley, Cheshire, England. It's about 4 miles (6 km) south of Lymm and 5 miles (8 km) north of Northwich. This historic home belongs to Viscount Ashbrook and his family.
The house is a very important historic building, listed as Grade II*. Its nearby chapel also has this special listing. The amazing gardens around the hall are also listed as Grade II*. Even more buildings on the estate, like a very old barn, are listed as Grade I or Grade II.
The current Arley Hall was built for Rowland Egerton-Warburton between 1832 and 1845. It replaced an older house that used to be on the same spot. A local architect named George Latham designed the house. He used a style called Jacobethan, which copied old Elizabethan architecture. Later, a chapel was added next to the hall. It was designed by Anthony Salvin in a Gothic Revival style.
By the mid-1900s, some parts of the house were in bad shape. They were taken down and replaced with five new homes that matched the hall's style. The beautiful gardens you see today were started in the 1830s and grew over the years. Arley Hall's herbaceous border was the first of its kind in England.
The house and gardens have been open to visitors since the 1960s. They have also been used as a place to film movies and TV shows. Part of the Arley estate, Stockley Farm, is a fun place for children and families to visit too!
Contents
Arley Hall: A Look Inside
How the Hall Was Built
The land where Arley Hall stands has belonged to the Warburton family since the late 1100s. In 1469, Piers Warburton made Arley his main home. He built the first house there. It was a timber-framed building shaped like a 'U' and surrounded by a moat.
Later, in the 1570s, a three-story front was added. This made the house a complete square with a large courtyard in the middle. By the 1700s, the house was getting old and worn out. So, in 1758, Sir Peter Warburton, 4th Baronet, covered the whole building with new brick walls.
Problems with the building continued. In 1813, Rowland Egerton-Warburton inherited the house and estate when he was only eight years old. When he turned 21 in 1826, he decided to build a completely new house. He wanted the new house to show how old his family's history was, but he also wanted it to use modern building methods.
He chose George Latham as his architect. Latham was young and not very well known at the time. Rowland Egerton-Warburton and Latham visited many 16th-century houses. They wanted to make sure every part of the new house looked exactly like a real Elizabethan building.
The first part of building happened between 1832 and 1835. The old parts of the house were taken down. The new house was built with modern plumbing. It was also raised on arches to keep it dry from the wet ground. The second part of building took place from 1840 to 1845. The total cost of the house was nearly £30,000.
In the 1900s, Elizabeth Egerton-Warburton inherited the estate. She married Desmond Flower, who became the 10th Viscount Ashbrook. Later, some parts of the house were damaged. To save money on upkeep, these parts were taken down in 1968. However, this changed the look of the building. So, in 1987, five new houses were built in the same style. These were sold to help pay for the estate.
What the Hall Looks Like
Outside the Hall
Arley Hall is shaped like an "L". It is made of red brick with blue patterns and stone details. The roof is made of slate. It has two main floors, plus attics and a basement. The windows have stone frames and are divided by stone bars.
The front of the house facing south is balanced, with seven sections and a decorative stone wall at the top. The parts of the house on the ends stick out. A small porch comes out from the middle section. The entrance has a curved opening with a family coat of arms above it. The chimneys are in a Tudor style, grouped in threes and fours.
Inside the Hall
The main entrance used to be through the porch on the south side. But it let in too much cold air! So, in 1862, a new entrance was made on the west side. This leads into the West Hall, which has old wooden panels from the original house.
The West Hall leads to the Library. This room has one of Latham's most detailed ceilings. The windows have beautiful French stained glass. The Library then leads to the Dining Room. This room used to be the Front Hall. In the Dining Room, you can see a painting of a nobleman.
The Gallery was the family's main living room in the 1800s. Above the fireplace, there are sculptures of St George fighting the dragon. There are also figures representing Hope and Patience. The Drawing Room looks different from the other rooms. It has plaster walls instead of wood panels and lots of gold decoration. This room is dedicated to Rowland Egerton-Warburton and has many family portraits.
The Small Dining Room has a curved ceiling. In this room, you can see a very old English keyboard instrument called a virginals, made in 1675. It has portraits of King Charles II and Queen Catherine on its front.
The Grand Staircase is thought to be Latham's best work in the house. The stairs and doorways are made of oak wood. The decorations are made of plaster and fancy strapwork. Above the staircase, there is a glass-walled dome.
Upstairs, the South Bay Bedroom was once the main bedroom. It holds a collection of watercolours by Elizabeth Ashbrook. The Exhibition Room tells the story of the hall. The Emperor's Room is named after Prince Louis Napoleon (later Napoleon III), who stayed there in 1847–48. It has watercolours by Piers Egerton-Warburton. The General's Room is dedicated to Sir George Higginson, the great-grandfather of the current Viscount Ashbrook. It has many items related to him.
The Chapel
Chapel History
Rowland Egerton-Warburton wanted to add a Gothic chapel to the north-east of the house. He asked Anthony Salvin to design it. The chapel was officially opened in September 1845. Later, in 1856–57, a side aisle and entrance porch were added. The chapel is named after St Mary. It still has an organ made in Manchester, and church services are still held there.
Chapel Design
The chapel is built from red sandstone and brick, with a slate and tile roof. The stone came from quarries in Runcorn. It has a main area (nave), a side aisle, a chancel, a porch, and a bell tower. On the east side, there is a curved window supported by a buttress. The bell tower is eight-sided with narrow windows. It has a red-tiled spire at the top.
Inside, there is a beautifully painted iron screen. This screen hides the heating system. There are also three round chandeliers. The stained glass in the east window, from 1895, was made by Kempe. The font is a stone bowl with rich carvings.
Amazing Gardens
Garden History
The first gardens at Arley were created in the 1700s by Sir Peter Warburton, 4th Baronet. He made lovely pleasure grounds, a walled kitchen garden, and a park. His son, Sir Peter Warburton, 5th Baronet, made the park bigger.
In the 1800s, Rowland and Mary Egerton-Warburton started to create the pleasure gardens to the west of the house. They added new features, including a ha-ha (a hidden ditch that acts as a fence). The gardens you see today are much like how the Egerton-Warburtons designed them.
During World War II, the gardens were used to grow food for the house. After the war, in 1960, the gardens were opened to the public. They are still kept in the style of a country house garden from before the war.
What You Can See in the Gardens
The gardens and park are considered very important, listed as Grade II*. This means they are "particularly important, of more than special interest." They have been called "some of the finest in Britain."
The formal gardens cover about 12 acres (4.9 ha). As you arrive, you walk along an avenue of pleached lime trees. These trees are trimmed every year. The main path goes under the Clock Tower. A path to the right leads into the Flag Garden, named for its flagstones paths.
This leads to the Furlong Drive, a straight path that goes from the house to the Sundial Circle. It's exactly a furlong (about 220 yd or ~200 m) long. The parkland is on one side of this path, separated from the formal gardens by the ha-ha.
To the north of this path is the double Herbaceous Border. This was the first of its kind in England! It has four pairs of flowerbeds. They are backed by an old wall on one side and a yew hedge on the other. Between the sections of the border, yew trees are trimmed into fun shapes.
South of the herbaceous border is the Ilex Avenue. This has seven pairs of holm oaks trimmed into tall, round shapes. In the corner between the Herbaceous Border and the Ilex Avenue is the Shrub Rose Garden.
At the end of the Furlong Drive is the Sundial Circle. It has a sundial surrounded by a lawn and borders of roses and other flowering shrubs. From here, a path leads to an area called the Rootree. This was once a rock garden but now has flowering shrubs.
From the Rootery, paths go to the Fish Garden, a small garden with a pond. They also lead to the Rough, which is a wilder area. From the north end of the Ilex Avenue, a gate leads into the Walled Garden. This used to be a kitchen garden and was redesigned in 1960. It has a pond with statues of four heraldic beasts. These statues were once on the roof of the house! In the middle of the pond is a modern flower sculpture. This garden also has lawns, trees, and shrubs.
Next to it is the Kitchen Garden, where vegetables, flowers, and crab apples are grown. To the east of the Kitchen Garden are two smaller gardens: the Herb Garden and the Scented Garden. The Herb Garden has different herbs, and the Scented Garden has strong-smelling flowers and shrubs.
The newest area is the Grove, north and northeast of the hall. This area used to be neglected. But since about 1970, it has been cleared and planted with many different trees, shrubs, and bulbs. A woodland walk has been created at the far east of the Grove.
Other Interesting Things to See
The main way into the grounds is through an arch with a 19th-century Clock Tower above it. The clock on this tower only has one hand! South of the Clock Tower is a building called The Ride. This was originally a barn built in 1471. In the 1800s, it was turned into an indoor riding school. It's a timber-framed building with brick walls and a slate roof. This building is listed as Grade I, meaning it's "of exceptional interest."
North of the Clock Tower is another barn, built around 1602. It's made of brick and has a slate roof. This barn is now a tea shop and kitchen, and it's listed as Grade II. A Grade II building is "nationally important and of special interest."
The walls and gateposts at the front of the hall, and the balustrade (a row of small columns) to the east, are also listed as Grade II. Both the Walled Garden and the Kitchen Garden are listed Grade II. At the west end of the Herbaceous Border is a structure called The Alcove, built around 1790. This is a garden seat with decorations, and it's listed Grade II.
Attached to the north wall of the Kitchen Garden is a greenhouse called the Vinery, built in 1872–73. It has fig trees that were planted soon after it was built. It is listed as Grade II. A sundial in front of the house is also a Grade II listed structure. It's from the 1700s and has a lead figure of a kneeling American Indian holding the sundial on his head.
North of the Shrub Rose Garden is a half-timbered building called the Tea Cottage. This was built in the mid-1800s. The family used it for afternoon tea and garden parties. It now has panels with verses that used to be on the main house. In the Kitchen Garden, there's a seat under an arch of Malus trees, called the Malus Seat. Opposite it is a fancy white wirework arbour.
The entire Arley estate covers about 2,000 acres (800 ha). This includes Stockley Farm's 750 acres (300 ha). Stockley is an organic farm that grows fruit and other crops. It also has 200 milking cows. The farm is open to the public and is a popular place for families, especially children.
Arley Hall Today
Arley Hall and its estate are located southeast of Arley village. The hall was listed as a Grade II* building on March 5, 1959. The chapel received the same listing on September 7, 1979.
The hall, chapel, gardens, and grounds are open to the public at certain times. You can even have civil wedding ceremonies at the hall. Parts of the hall can be rented for private events and parties. Arley Hall has also been used as a location for filming many movies and TV shows.
Many events happen at the hall and its grounds. The Tudor Barn has been turned into a restaurant. There's also a shop and a plant nursery nearby. In 1987, the gardens won the Christie's Garden of the Year Award. In 2008, they were chosen as one of the Gardens of Distinction for Cheshire's Year of the Gardens.
Stockley Farm is also open to the public. The farm won the Farm Attraction of the year 2007 award. In 2008, it was the Supreme Champion Farm in the Cheshire Farms Competition.
Arley Hall has been a filming location for shows like Cluedo and The Forsyte Saga. It was also used for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Two Coronation Street weddings were filmed there. In 2016, it appeared in the BBC show Peaky Blinders. The Netflix drama, Fool Me Once was also filmed here.
See Also
- Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire East
- Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire East
- Listed buildings in Aston by Budworth
Images for kids
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Arley Hall.jpg
South front of Arley Hall
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West front of Arley Hall
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St Mary's Chapel at Arley Hall
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Herbaceous Border in autumn, looking to the east
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Herbaceous Border in summer, looking towards The Alcove
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Looking across the Ilex Avenue
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The approach along the Lime Avenue from the west, with the Clock Tower in the distance
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The Clock Tower from the northeast with The Ride on the left and the Tudor Barn to the right
