Speke Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Speke Hall |
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North front of Speke Hall
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| Type | Manor House |
| Location | Speke |
| OS grid reference | SJ 41865 82568 |
| Area | Liverpool |
| Built | 1530 – 1598 |
| Architectural style(s) | Tudor |
| Owner | National Trust |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name: Speke Hall | |
| Designated | 28 June 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1359837 |
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Speke Hall is an amazing old house in Speke, Liverpool, England. It's a special type of house called a manor house built during the Tudor times. It has a wooden frame and walls made from a mix of woven sticks and mud, called wattle-and-daub. Speke Hall is one of the best examples of these old houses that are still standing today.
The National Trust, a charity that looks after historic places, owns Speke Hall. It is also a Grade I listed building, which means it's a very important historical site that needs to be protected.
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A Look Back in Time
Speke Hall has a long and interesting history, going back hundreds of years.
Building Speke Hall
The main part of the house you see today started being built in 1530. A man named Sir William Norris began the work. Before this, other buildings stood on the same spot, and some parts of those older structures are still part of Speke Hall.
The first section built was the Great Hall in 1530. A year later, in 1531, the Great Parlour wing was added. The North Bay was also built around this time. Between 1540 and 1570, the south wing was changed and made bigger. The west wing was added between 1546 and 1547. The last big change happened in 1598 when Edward Norris added the north range. Since then, only small changes have been made to the house and its gardens.
The house's strong oak frame, which was common for houses built back then, sits on a base of red sandstone. A dry moat, which is like a ditch, surrounds the house. The main wooden beams are made stronger with smaller pieces of wood. The spaces between the wood are filled with wattle and daub, a mix of woven sticks and clay or mud.
Secret Hiding Spots
During a time called the Reformation, the Norris family were Roman Catholics. This was a difficult time for Catholics in England. Because of this, Speke Hall has some secret features.
- Priest Hole: There's a hidden room called a priest hole. This was a secret place where a priest could hide if people came to search the house.
- Observation Hole: A special hole was built into a chimney in one of the bedrooms. This allowed someone to see who was coming towards the house. This way, they could warn the priest to hide quickly.
- Eavesdrop: You can also find an eavesdrop. This is a small open hole under the roof's edge. It allowed a servant to listen to conversations of people waiting at the front door. This helped the family know what visitors were saying before they even came inside.
In 1612, a porch was added to the Great Parlour. Later, in 1860, a laundry room and a dairy were built. The laundry room was changed a bit in the 1950s.
Who Lived Here?
The Norris family owned Speke Hall for many generations. In 1736, the last Norris family member, Mary Norris, married Lord Sidney Beauclerk. After Mary passed away in 1766, the house was rented out to different people.
In 1795, a merchant from Liverpool named Richard Watt bought the house and its land from the Beauclerk family. The last person from the Watt family to own Speke Hall was Miss Adelaide Watt. She inherited the house in 1878 when she was 21 years old.
Miss Watt died in 1921. She left the house and land in a special trust for 21 years. During this time, the staff, led by Thomas Whatmore (who was Miss Watt's butler), looked after the house. In 1943, Speke Hall officially became the property of the National Trust.
From 1946 to 1974, Liverpool City Council managed the house. Then, Merseyside County Council took over. They spent seven years, until 1983, fixing and restoring the house. Finally, in 1986, the National Trust took full responsibility for Speke Hall.
Ancient Trees
The gardens around Speke Hall were created in the 1850s. In the main courtyard, there are two very old yew trees. One is male and one is female, and they are called 'Adam' and 'Eve'. People first wrote about these trees in 1712, but experts believe they are at least 500 years old!
Speke Hall Today
Speke Hall is a popular place to visit, and many of its old buildings have been given new life.
What You Can See Now
The old Home Farm building has been updated. It now holds the gift shop, a restaurant, and the main reception area where visitors arrive. The old laundry room is now an education room for school groups. The dairy building has displays that explain more about Speke Hall's history.
Some rooms, like the gun room, have been changed over the years. The National Trust has worked to change them back to how they might have looked in the past. This helps visitors see more of Speke Hall's long history.
If you take a walk around the grounds, you can enjoy amazing views over the Mersey river towards the Wirral Peninsula. Liverpool Airport is also very close to Speke Hall. In 2019, over 224,000 people visited Speke Hall!
Speke Hall in Art
An image of the great hall at Speke Hall was made from a painting by Thomas Allom. This image was published in a book called Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book in 1835. It even had a poem written about it by Letitia Elizabeth Landon.
Images for kids
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Speke Hall from the back
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The courtyard in the middle of the hall
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The Great Hall inside Speke Hall
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The Oak Parlour
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The Tapestry bedroom
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The visitor centre, which used to be the farm building
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The maze behind the visitor centre
