Ayscoughfee Hall facts for kids
Ayscoughfee Hall is a very old and important building in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England. It's a famous landmark in the Fens area. Today, it's a museum and a fun place for the community.
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History of Ayscoughfee Hall
How Old Is Ayscoughfee Hall?
This amazing house, which is now a museum, was built a very long time ago. People believe it was built for a local wool merchant named Richard Ailwyn. This was in the 1400s! Experts studied the wood in the roof. They found that the house was built all at once. Most of the building was finished in 1451.
Richard Ailwyn's son, Sir Nicholas Ailwyn, became a very important person. He was the Lord Mayor of London in 1499. If someone from the 1400s visited the house today, they would still recognize it. It hasn't changed much since then!
Who Owned the Hall?
In the early 1500s, the Ayscough family was thought to own the Hall. That's where the name "Ayscoughfee" comes from. "Fee" refers to a knight's fee, which was land given for service. King Henry VIII even gave land in Spalding to Sir William Ayscough.
Later, in the 1600s, the Johnson family took over the Hall. The most famous Johnson was Maurice Johnson (1688–1755). He was known as "the Antiquary" because he loved old things. In 1710, he started the Spalding Gentlemen's Society. This is one of the oldest groups of people who study history and old objects. Maurice Johnson was also friends with another famous historian, William Stukeley.
A Museum and Community Place
How the Hall Became a Museum
The last family to live in Ayscoughfee Hall was the Bonners. They left in 1896. After that, the Hall and its gardens were bought for the people of Spalding. This was done to remember Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It was given to the town on August 9, 1902. This celebrated the crowning of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
Today, Ayscoughfee Hall is a museum and a place for the community. It was even used as a primary school for many years in the 1900s.
Exploring the Gardens
The gardens at Ayscoughfee Hall are about 5 acres (20,000 square meters) big. Some parts of the gardens were designed by William Sands in the early 1700s. You can still see his designs today! The gardens have many cool features. These include tall yew hedges and an old ice-house. There's also a beautiful ornamental lake.
At the end of the lake, you'll find the Spalding War Memorial. This memorial was opened in 1922. It was designed by a famous architect named Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens. It became a very important historical building in 2015.
The gardens also have a bowling green, tennis courts, and a place for birds called an aviary. There's even a café where you can get a snack! A rustic bandstand was built in 1937. It was made to celebrate the crowning of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Sadly, it was destroyed by fire in the early 1970s. However, the Friends of Ayscoughfee still organize summer concerts on the south lawn.
Restoring the Hall
In 2003, Ayscoughfee Hall closed for a big restoration project. This was done with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The goal was to carefully fix up the Hall. It officially reopened to the public on Friday, June 30, 2006. Dr. Jonathan Clark from the University of York helped open it.
Since then, the Hall has started to host many events. These include plays, craft fairs, and more. You can even have civil wedding ceremonies there!
Images for kids
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Stained glass
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Kitchen exhibition
