Smithills Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Smithills Hall |
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Smithills Hall
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| Type | Manor house |
| Location | Smithills, Greater Manchester, England |
| Built | 14th–19th century |
| Architectural style(s) | 14th century half-timbered hall house extended several times. |
| Owner | Metropolitan Borough of Bolton |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name: Smithills Hall | |
| Designated | 23 April 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1388279 |
| Designated | 12 November 1991 |
| Reference no. | 43437 |
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Smithills Hall is a very old and important house in Smithills, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It's known as a Grade I listed building, which means it's a really special historic place. It's also a scheduled monument, meaning it's protected by the government because of its history.
The hall sits on the hills of the West Pennine Moors, high above Bolton. It's about 3 miles (5 km) north-west of the town centre. The oldest parts of the house, like the great hall, were built in the 1400s. Over time, it has been changed and made bigger. Some parts of the hall used to be surrounded by a moat, which was a ditch filled with water for protection. Today, Smithills Hall is owned by the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton and is open for everyone to visit.
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History of Smithills Hall
The name Smithills comes from old English words meaning "smooth hill." Records of the hall go back to 1335. The Radcliffe family owned it first, from 1335 until 1485. After them, the Barton family, who were rich sheep farmers, lived there for almost 200 years.
In 1659, the hall became part of the Belasyse family through marriage. Later, in 1722, the Byrom family bought it. Then, in 1801, the Ainsworth family took over. They were very wealthy because they owned factories that made cloth white, called bleachworks, in a nearby area. Around 1875, Richard Henry Ainsworth hired an architect named George Devey to make the hall bigger and more modern.
In 1938, the Ainsworths sold Smithills Hall to Bolton Council. Parts of it were used as a home for older people and a day centre for a while.
The oldest parts of the hall opened as a museum in 1963. In the 1990s, the museum grew to include some of the newer Victorian parts of the building. The west wing was fixed up by the council in 1999. Today, the ground floor also has a fun tea room called Poppins at Smithills, which is inspired by the character Mary Poppins.
The Legend of George Marsh's Footprint
In 1554, a preacher named George Marsh was questioned at Smithills Hall. He was later sent to Chester, found guilty of his beliefs, and executed. There's a famous legend that a footprint, supposedly left by Marsh, appears to bleed every year on April 24th, the anniversary of his death.
A famous American writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, visited Smithills Hall in 1855. He was working as a representative for the United States in Liverpool at the time.
The Winter Hill Mass Trespass
In 1896, a big event called the "mass trespass" happened near Smithills Hall. About 12,000 people marched to Winter Hill. This was because Colonel Henry Ainsworth, who owned the land, had blocked a path that people used to get to the moorland. He wanted to use the land just for hunting.
This path, called Coal Pit Road, was very important. It connected Bolton to other areas and allowed people to escape the busy, polluted towns and enjoy nature. When the path was blocked, people broke down the gate to show they wanted access. This protest helped lead to the idea of "public rights of way," which means certain paths must stay open for everyone to use. A stone on Coalpit Road remembers this event. By 1996, the road was officially declared a public right of way.
Architecture of the Hall
Smithills Hall is built on a flat area, surrounded by parkland. It sits on the south side of a valley.
The hall has three main sections built around an open courtyard. The oldest part is the great hall in the north section, likely built in the early 1300s. It has been changed over time but still looks much like it did long ago. The oldest parts were made with wooden frames, and the stone walls are built from rough, uneven stones. The west wing, added in the 1800s, is made of neatly cut stone and has decorative wooden parts. All the roofs are covered with stone tiles.
Park and Gardens
The hall has 48 acres (19 hectares) of gardens and pleasure grounds. These are on a sloping area at the edge of the moorland. To the north, there's a steep, wooded valley and a lake. Around the hall itself, there are more formal gardens.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester
- Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester
- Listed buildings in Bolton
- Petrosomatoglyph
Images for kids
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Sign claiming the footprint of George Marsh
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The supposed footprint
