East Riddlesden Hall facts for kids
East Riddlesden Hall is a really old house from the 1600s. You can find it in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England. Today, the National Trust takes care of it. This means it's kept safe for everyone to visit and learn about its history.
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History of East Riddlesden Hall
Who Built East Riddlesden Hall?
A rich cloth merchant named James Murgatroyd built the hall in 1642. He was from Halifax, West Yorkshire. The hall is now a special "Grade I" listed building, which means it's very important. There's also a very old medieval barn on the property.
What Makes the Hall Special?
East Riddlesden Hall sits on a small hill. It looks over a bend in the River Aire as it flows from Keighley. The house has many cool things to see. You can explore the living areas on two floors. Look out for the two beautiful Yorkshire Rose windows. There's also a pretty walled garden. Some people even say there are ghosts there!
James Murgatroyd and his wife Hannah made the house bigger in 1648. They used local stone from Yorkshire. James Murgatroyd was a Royalist, meaning he supported the King. You can see symbols of the King carved into the building. For example, the old Bothy (which is now a tea room) has carvings of King Charles I of England and Queen Henrietta Maria of France.
East Riddlesden Hall and Ruddigore
The Murgatroyd family might have inspired a famous comic opera called Ruddigore. This opera was written by Gilbert and Sullivan. Some stories say that one of the writers, W. S. Gilbert, often stayed at the Hall.
There's a fun legend about the Murgatroyds. People used to say they were very wild. The legend claims the River Aire changed its path because it was "ashamed" of them! The river now makes a big U-turn around the hall.
East Riddlesden Hall on Screen
East Riddlesden Hall is a popular place for filming movies and TV shows.
- It was used in the 1992 film Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights.
- It also appeared in the 2009 TV version of Wuthering Heights.
- The hall was featured in an episode of the Sharpe TV series in 1997.
- The BBC Television series 'Gunpowder' (2017) also filmed scenes here.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in West Yorkshire
- Listed buildings in Keighley
