Rainham Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rainham Hall |
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Rainham Hall, front view
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Town or city | Rainham |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°31′4.44″N 00°11′26.52″E / 51.5179000°N 0.1907000°E |
| Owner | National Trust |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Designated | 7 Jan 1955 |
| Reference no. | 1358506 |
Rainham Hall is a beautiful Georgian house in Rainham, England. It is owned by the National Trust. The house was built in 1729 for a sea captain named John Harle.
Rainham Hall is a very important historical building. It is listed as Grade II*, which means it is a building of special interest. After being a private home for many years, it opened to the public in 2015. You might have even seen it on TV! It was used as a filming location for the 2019 BBC show A Christmas Carol.
Contents
Exploring Rainham Hall
Rainham Hall is a three-story house made of brown and red bricks. It stands next to the St Helen and St Giles church in the middle of Rainham. The house is a great example of a Dutch-influenced Queen Anne style.
Many of the original parts of the house are still there. You can see special paintings on the walls that look like real objects, called trompe-l'œil frescoes. There are also beautiful Delft tiles in the fireplaces.
Outside the Hall
In front of the house, there are amazing wrought-iron railings. These railings are also Grade II* listed. They have the initials of Captain Harle and his wife Mary woven into the design. People say they are some of the best ironwork from that time in London. Some even think a famous blacksmith, Jean Tijou, who worked on Hampton Court Palace, might have made them.
The property also has a stable and a coach house, plus a small lodge building. These were also listed as Grade II* in 1955. Even some garden walls and stone vases from the same time are protected.
The Garden and Its History
The garden at Rainham Hall is two acres big. It has a newly planted orchard with 30 fruit trees, which is one of the largest in London. Captain Harle used the coach house and the main hall for his business. It's special because it's rare to see a merchant's home and business buildings so close together from that time.
Experts have suggested that Rainham Hall should be given an even higher protection status, Grade I. They say it's "one of the finest and best-preserved examples" of an early Georgian merchant's house in England.
The Hall's Story
Rainham Hall has a long and interesting history, full of different families and uses.
The Harle Family and Early Owners
John Harle was born in 1688 and became a sea captain and merchant. In 1728, he bought the land in Rainham, including a wharf. He made the River Ingrebourne deeper so his trading ships could reach Rainham from the Thames.
He built Rainham Hall in 1729. He used high-quality materials, partly to show off the building products he sold. John Harle was very important in helping Rainham Village grow in the 1700s.
John's wife, Mary, died in 1739. He then married Sarah Gregory. John died in 1742, leaving the house to Sarah and their young son, John Jr. After Sarah died, John Jr. moved away, and the house's contents were sold. The property was managed by a trustee until John Jr. grew up.
Later, the property passed to distant relatives and was rented out. In 1887, two brothers, Edward and Octavius Daldy, who had been tenants, bought the house.
Changes and New Owners
In 1874, Reverend Nicholas Brady moved into Rainham Hall as a tenant. He was a naturalist and also worked at a nearby church. Brady bought the Hall in 1900. After he died, it went to his wife, and then to their nieces and nephews.
In 1917, Colonel Herbert Hall Mulliner bought the house. He collected old English furniture and pottery. He added some 18th-century features to the Hall, like fireplaces. He even put the Harle family's coat of arms above the entrance hall fireplace. However, Mulliner never actually lived there.
After Mulliner died in 1924, his lawyer, William Murray Sturges, bought the house. He added more rooms in the attic for his six children. When he died in 1945, the house was given to the National Trust in 1949.
A Nursery and Private Homes
During World War II, Rainham Hall was used as a nursery by Essex County Council. This helped mothers work while their children were cared for. It stayed a nursery until 1954.
After the nursery closed, the National Trust rented the house to different people. One tenant was Walter Ison, a historian, and his wife Leonora Payne, an artist. They lived there but also gave tours to the public.
Later, a photographer named Anthony Denney lived in the Hall. He loved modern design but also collected 18th-century furniture. He spent money making the house look great, including restoring the paintwork. After him, other musicians and artists rented the Hall.
Rainham Hall Today
In 2010, the National Trust decided to make Rainham Hall a public place for the Rainham village community. They wanted to invest more in non-royal historic buildings.
The stable block was turned into a cafe, a bookshop, and an exhibition area. The house itself was updated to be safe for visitors. Many historical parts were restored to show its long history. In 2013, archaeologists dug in the gardens. They found old pottery, glass, and metal items. They even found a strange garden border made of animal bones!
Rainham Hall opened to visitors in October 2015. It now shows off the different styles added by its past residents. It also displays items found hidden under the floorboards, which tell more of its story.
As mentioned, in 2019, Rainham Hall was used for the BBC show A Christmas Carol. Both the inside and outside of the house were used to create the home of Ebeneezer Scrooge. That same year, an exhibition about Anthony Denney's work was held there. Today, the house has different exhibitions that explore its owners and history, including John Harle, the nursery years, and Anthony Denney.
See also
- Grade I and II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Havering
