Hill Hall (Essex) facts for kids
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Hill Hall is a grand old house from the Elizabethan era in England. It is located in Theydon Mount, a village close to Epping in Essex. Even though English Heritage owns it, many parts of the building are private homes today. It is a very important historical building, known as a Grade I listed building.
Hill Hall is special for two main reasons. First, it has some of the oldest classical decorations found on any building still standing in Britain. You can see tall columns and detailed carvings on its walls. Second, a big fire in 1969 destroyed most of the inside. But, amazingly, a series of beautiful wall paintings on the first floor survived! These paintings were made around the time the house was built in the late 1500s. They are a rare example of old, classical-style murals.
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History of Hill Hall
Building the Mansion
The house was first built for Sir Thomas Smith. This happened during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. It replaced an even older house from the 1100s that stood on the same spot. Construction took place in different stages, mainly in 1567-68 and 1572-73. These building times were in between Sir Thomas Smith's trips as an ambassador to France.
In his will, Sir Thomas Smith mentioned that Richard Kyrkebye was the main architect. Kyrkebye followed a special plan that Smith had given him. Lady Philippa Smith, Sir Thomas's wife, also listed some of the furniture in her will from 1578. This included beds made of French walnut wood. These beds were in important rooms like the Great Chamber and the Gallery.
Parkland and Owners
Hill Hall sits within a large park that is about 50 hectares (120 acres) in size. This parkland was designed by a famous landscape architect named Humphrey Repton.
The Smith family, who later became known as the Bowyer-Smyth family, lived in Hill Hall for a long time. They stayed there until the middle of the 1800s.
Later Uses and the Fire
During World War 2, Hill Hall was used as a prisoner of war camp. It also became a safe place for pregnant women from London. Many babies were born there during the early part of the war.
Later, Hill Hall was turned into a women's prison. However, a big fire happened in 1969. After the fire, the building became part of the Heritage Trust. Today, you can sometimes take tours to see the amazing wall paintings inside. Experts from the British Museum have said these paintings are the most important Elizabethan decorative paintings still existing in England.
Local Legends
There are some interesting local stories about Hill Hall. One legend says that seven brothers once fought a duel there. They were fighting for the love of a beautiful girl. Sadly, the story says all seven brothers were killed. Another legend claims that a ghostly black dog haunts the area around Hill Hall.
