Clayton Hall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clayton Hall
Clayton Hall
General information
Town or city	Clayton, Greater Manchester
Country	England
Coordinates	53°29′01″N 2°10′46″W / 53.483513°N 2.17945°W / 53.483513; -2.17945
Completed	15th century
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name: Clayton Hall
Designated:	25 February 1952
Reference #:	1197795

Clayton Hall is a very old manor house from the 1400s. You can find it in Clayton, Manchester, England. It's a bit hidden behind trees in a small park. This special building is a Grade II* listed building, which means it's very important historically. The ground it sits on is also a scheduled ancient monument.

The hall is famous for its moat, which is a ditch filled with water. This moat surrounds the hall, making it like an island. The island is about 66 by 74 meters wide. Over the years, the hall was changed in the 1500s and 1600s. It was made even bigger in the 1700s.

Today, the hall has parts built in the Georgian style and parts in the Tudor style. These parts are what's left of a much bigger building. To get to the hall, you cross the moat on an old stone bridge. This bridge is also a listed building and is thought to be from the late 1600s.

History of Clayton Hall

Who Lived at Clayton Hall?

The oldest part of Clayton Hall was built in the 1400s. It stands where an even older house from the 1100s once was. The first owners were the Clayton family. In 1194, Cecilia Clayton married Robert de Byron. This is how the Byron family took over the hall. A famous poet, Lord Byron, was a later member of this family.

The Byrons lived at Clayton Hall for over 400 years. Then, in 1620, they sold it for £4,700. The new owners were George and Humphrey Chetham. They were merchants from London but grew up in Manchester. George Chetham passed away in 1625. He left his share of the hall to his brother, Humphrey Chetham. Humphrey Chetham later died at the hall in 1653.

Chetham's Legacy

After Humphrey Chetham died, his nephew, George Chetham, inherited the hall. Humphrey Chetham had a dream to help educate young people. Part of his money was used by his family to start Chetham's School and Library. This famous place is in the center of Manchester, near the cathedral. An artist named Ford Madox Brown even painted a picture about Humphrey's dream. This painting is part of the Manchester Murals at Manchester Town Hall.

George Chetham was an important local official in 1660. He died in 1664. In 1666, James Chetham's house had 18 fireplaces. This made it the biggest house in the area at the time. Clayton Hall then passed through different family members. It ended up with Arabella Penelope Eliza Greene. She married a banker named Peter Richard Hoare.

Later Years and Restoration

From 1863 to 1897, different people rented Clayton Hall. These included clergy from St Cross Church. In 1897, Charles A. R. Hoare sold the hall to Manchester City Corporation. The city then restored the hall in 1900.

The part of the hall from the 1500s was rented out. The part from the 1700s had the dining room, kitchen, and other service rooms. The oldest structure still on the site is the stone bridge over the moat. It was built in the late medieval period. It replaced an earlier wooden drawbridge.

During the Civil War, soldiers stayed at Clayton Hall. They were cavalry fighting for Parliament. Legend says that Oliver Cromwell himself stayed there for three nights after the attack on Manchester.

Clayton Hall Today

A Living History Museum

In 2009, volunteers from the Friends of Clayton Park group started something amazing. They turned the left side of the hall into a living history museum. This means you can see how people lived in the past! They created six rooms. These rooms are decorated in the style of the late Victorian era. This is the most recent time the hall was owned by a private family.

There is also a special room for textiles. It shows old clothes and how people used to sew. You can see antique sewing machines there. Another room is full of local history. It has many items about the history of the area and Britain.

Visiting the Museum

The museum is open to everyone, and it's free to visit! You can go on the first and third Saturday of most months (February to November). They also offer free history talks about the hall and its past owners. These talks happen at 12 noon and 2 pm.

Schools and other groups can also arrange special visits. The museum hosts family events several times a year. Sometimes there's a small fee for these events to help cover costs. However, some activities are free.

The money made from these activities helps to keep the hall in good condition. It also helps to make visits even better for everyone. Manchester City Council still owns the hall and its grounds. They support the Friends group and are responsible for the building itself.

In 2014, the museum's founders created a charity. It's called The Clayton Hall Living History Museum Charitable Incorporated Organisation.

Newer Sections and Tea Room

In 2017, the older part of the hall (from the 1400s) also became part of the museum. On the first floor, there's a room dedicated to Humphrey Chetham. This was a wish when the hall was sold to Manchester Corporation. There's also a room about the history of Clayton Hall itself.

On the ground floor, you'll find a Tudor tea room. The Friends group also runs this. It's open on museum days and for other events. To reach the upper floor, you climb a spiral staircase. This staircase is inside the hall's belltower.

Architecture of Clayton Hall

Clayton Hall was rebuilt in the 1400s. It might have had a square shape or three wings. Most of it was taken down when a new house was built in the 1600s. More parts were added in the 1700s. The hall was then restored in 1900. This Grade II* listed hall is made of red brick. It also has some timber framing and stone slate roofs.

The older part of the hall has two sections on the ground floor. It has a simple doorway and windows with two panes of glass. The first floor has wooden panels. The upper floor has three wooden windows with leaded glass. There is a small bell tower on the roof. The wing also has a staircase tower. There is a large stone chimney on the wall.

The newer part of the hall is made of handmade bricks. It has stone corners. It has a doorway with a curved stone frame. On each side of the doorway are pairs of diamond-shaped windows. There are three similar windows of different sizes on the first floor. The drainpipes on the building are dated 1900.

The Moated Site

The scheduled monument is the rectangular island where the hall sits. It measures about 66 by 74 meters. This is the site of the original hall. The monument also includes the spot where a chapel once stood. This chapel was built in the late 1300s or early 1400s. It was taken down in the early 1700s.

You can get to the island by a stone bridge with two arches. This bridge replaced an older wooden one. The hall itself, along with its buildings, fences, and gateposts on the north-east side of the island, are not part of the scheduled monument. The moat, which has been lined with concrete, is also not part of the monument.

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
• Listed buildings in Manchester-M11