Tatton Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tatton Hall |
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South face of Tatton Hall
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| Location | Tatton Park, Cheshire, England |
| OS grid reference | SJ 745 815 |
| Built | c. 1716 |
| Built for | John Egerton |
| Rebuilt | 1770s–1810s |
| Architects | Thomas Farnolls Pritchard Samuel Wyatt Lewis William Wyatt G. H. Stokes |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical |
| Governing body | National Trust Cheshire East Council |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Designated | 5 March 1959 |
| Reference no. | 1329670 |
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Tatton Hall is a grand old house located in Tatton Park near Knutsford, Cheshire, England. It's known as a "country house" because it was once a large home for a wealthy family, surrounded by lots of land.
Today, Tatton Hall is a very important building. It's officially called a Grade I listed building, which means it's one of the most special historic places in England. You can even visit it yourself!
Contents
History of Tatton Hall
Tatton Hall wasn't always in the same spot. The very first house, called Tatton Old Hall, was built somewhere else in Tatton Park.
Around 1716, a new house was built on a higher spot, about 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) west of the old one. This new house was a big, rectangular building with seven sections and three floors.
Who Built Tatton Hall?
In 1758, the owner, Samuel Egerton, started making the house even better. He added a fancy "rococo" style interior to his drawing room. This special design was created by an architect named Thomas Farnolls Pritchard.
Later, in the 1770s, Samuel Egerton hired another architect, Samuel Wyatt, to design a new house. This design was in the "Neoclassical" style, which means it looked like ancient Greek and Roman buildings.
Both Samuel Egerton and Samuel Wyatt passed away before the house was finished. So, Wilbraham Egerton and Lewis William Wyatt (Samuel Wyatt's nephew) completed it between 1807 and 1816. They made it a bit smaller than originally planned.
Wilbraham Egerton bought many beautiful paintings and furniture pieces for the house. Much of the furniture was made by a famous company called Gillows of Lancaster.
Changes Over the Years
In 1861–62, an extra floor was added to the family part of the house. This was designed by G. H. Stokes.
More changes happened in 1884. A new entrance hall was added on the north side, and a smoking room was built on the far west side. This was also when electricity was first put into the hall!
Famous Visitors to Tatton Hall
In the late 1800s, Wilbraham Egerton, 1st Earl Egerton, hosted many big parties at Tatton Hall. Important guests came to stay.
Some of these famous visitors included the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1887. Later, the Shah of Persia and the Crown Prince of Siam also visited.
Tatton Hall Today
The last member of the Egerton family to live in the hall was Maurice Egerton. He loved to travel and collected many interesting objects from all over the world. Some of these items are still on display in the hall today.
When Maurice Egerton passed away in 1958, he gave the mansion and its beautiful gardens to the National Trust. This means it's now looked after so everyone can enjoy it.
What Does Tatton Hall Look Like?
The main part of Tatton Hall and the family wing (a section of the house) are built from a type of stone called "ashlar Runcorn sandstone." The roofs are made of slate and lead.
The newer parts added in 1884, like the family entrance hall and smoking room, are covered in yellow "terracotta."
Outside the Hall
The south side of the hall has seven sections. In the middle, there's a large "Corinthian portico." This is a fancy entrance with four huge columns.
The north side is simpler, also with seven sections, and has a porch with two columns. The east side has five sections with decorative columns.
The family wing also has seven sections. Its south side has a "Tuscan colonnade" (a row of columns) on the bottom floor. Above that, there's an "Ionic colonnade" with a veranda and a decorative railing.
Inside Tatton Hall
Not all the rooms at Tatton Hall are open to the public. But many of the main rooms are, and they are full of history and beautiful things.
Ground Floor Rooms
The Entrance Hall
The Entrance Hall is decorated in a "neoclassical" style. It has a marble floor, red columns, and a ceiling with geometric shapes.
You can see old furniture here, like Italian chests from the late 1600s and a walnut chest from around 1730. There are also marble statues of important figures like the Duke of Wellington.
A very large painting in this hall is The Cheshire Hunt, 1839 by Henry Calvert.
The Card Room
Next to the Entrance Hall is the Card Room. This room was where visitors would leave their "calling cards" (like old-fashioned business cards), not for playing card games.
It has a fancy fireplace and chairs from around 1785. You can also see a rare silver "Horn Book" in a display case. The room has paintings by famous artists like Chardin and Abraham Bloemaert.
The Music Room
The Music Room has walls covered in cherry-colored silk. Much of the furniture here is in the French "Boulle revival" style, which means it has brass designs.
The fireplace is made of white marble and decorated with musical instruments. There's also a harpsichord from 1789. The room displays paintings by artists such as Gaspard Dughet and Aernout van der Neer.
The Drawing Room
South of the Music Room is the Drawing Room, which is decorated in a similar fancy style. Its ceiling is gilded (covered in gold leaf) and has decorative rosettes.
This room is considered the "most impressive" in the house because of its elaborate furniture and decorations. It features famous paintings, including two views of Venice by Canaletto and The Martyrdom of St. Stephen by Van Dyck.
The Library
Behind the main entrance on the south side is the Library. The furniture here is more practical and was also made by Gillows.
The bookcases date from 1811 to 1812. You can see a pair of globes (one for land, one for stars) made by the Cary family. The room holds over 8,000 books, many of them very old and in excellent condition. Some are even first editions of novels by Jane Austen.
Most of the paintings in the library are portraits of the Egerton family.
The Dining Room
West of the Library is the Dining Room. This room is special because it's part of the original house. It's decorated in the "rococo" style designed by Thomas Farnolls Pritchard.
The white marble fireplace is from 1840. Most of the furniture is made of mahogany by Gillows. All the paintings in this room are portraits of the Egerton family.
The Main Staircase and Halls
In the middle of the house are the main stairs. They start in the Staircase Hall, which gets light from a domed skylight.
Next to this hall is the Cupola Hall. On its floor, there's a unique carpet with designs of stars and the signs of the Zodiac. These halls also have English furniture and beautiful oriental pottery.
Upper Floor Rooms
The Upper Landing and Portraits
On the walls of the upper landing, you'll see ten full-length portraits. These are known as The Cheshire Gentlemen. They show ten important gentlemen from the area who met to decide whether to support King George I or James Stuart during a rebellion in 1715.
They chose to support the king, which likely saved their lives and their estates (their land and homes).
Bedrooms and Dressing Rooms
The bedrooms are often named after the color or type of fabric used for their curtains. All the bedrooms, except one, have a dressing room next to them. All the furniture in these rooms was made by Gillows.
The Silk Bedroom was a main guest room. It has mahogany furniture with black wood designs. Its dressing room has a large tin bathtub on wheels!
Other bedrooms include the Chintz Bedroom, the Lemon Bedroom, and the Amber Bedroom, which is set up like a Victorian-era children's nursery. Most of the paintings in the bedrooms show family members.
The Egerton Room used to be the Blue Bedroom. Now, it's used for an exhibition about the Egerton family. This room also has paintings that show plans for the house's design.
The Family Wing
When you enter the family wing from the main hall, the first room on your left is the Yellow Drawing Room. This room feels more cozy and has a collection of satinwood furniture by Gillows. It also features family portraits.
Opposite this room is the Family Entrance. The Oak Staircase, which was moved here from another old house, is also in this area.
The Servants' Quarters are on two floors: the ground floor and the basement. These rooms show how the servants lived and worked. Many of them still have the tools and equipment that were used long ago.
One room, called the Maurice Egerton Exhibition Room, displays items that Maurice Egerton collected from his travels around the world.
The Cellar Railway
In the basement of Tatton Hall, there's a small railway! It's a 400 mm gauge coal railway, made by a company called Decauville. This railway was used to carry coal to the heating system's boilers. It might have been installed around 1884 when other changes were made to the house.
Tatton Hall Today
Tatton Hall was officially recognized as a Grade I listed building on March 5, 1959.
Today, the National Trust looks after the hall. Cheshire East Council helps to fund it. The house is open to the public at certain times, so you can go and explore this amazing historic home!
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire
- Listed buildings in Tatton, Cheshire
