Whitmore Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Whitmore Hall |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Carolean |
| Location | Whitmore, Staffordshire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 52°58′06″N 02°16′58″W / 52.96833°N 2.28278°W |
| Owner | Private ownership, Cavenagh-Mainwaring family, formerly leased to Thomas Twyford |
Whitmore Hall is a beautiful old house located in Whitmore, Staffordshire, England. It is the home of the Cavenagh-Mainwaring family. This special building is known as a Grade I listed building, which means it's super important for its history and amazing design. It's a great example of a `Carolean style` manor house, built during the time of King Charles II.
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A Look Back in Time
The land where Whitmore Hall stands has a very long history. Even before the Norman Conquest in 1066, a person named Richard the Forester owned the `manor` (a large estate with a main house).
Early Owners
Whitmore is even mentioned in the Domesday Book, a famous survey from 1086. Back then, it was valued at 10 shillings. By the year 1204, William Boterel owned the estate. He was known as "Lord of Whitmore near Newcastle-under-Lyme".
The Mainwaring Family
The Mainwaring family took over the estate in 1519. They got it through Alice Boghay, who was a descendant of the Boterel family. The Mainwarings have owned Whitmore Hall ever since! Many members of this family, like five different Edward Mainwarings, served as the `High Sheriff of Staffordshire` between 1645 and 1767. A High Sheriff was an important local official, like a chief law enforcement officer.
Whitmore Hall Today
For about 60 years, starting in 1863, the house was rented out. One of the people who lived there was Thomas Twyford, who made pottery. He stayed for 30 years! The Cavenagh-Mainwaring family moved back into the hall in the 1920s. Today, Whitmore Hall is a private home. However, you can visit it on certain days between May and August.
The Hall's Design
The original house was updated with red brick during the reign of King Charles II. This work was finished around 1676. The front of the house has a `balustraded frontage`, which means it has a fancy railing along the roofline. It also has nine `bays` (sections with windows) and two floors. There's also a very old and well-kept `Elizabethan` stable block, which is a building where horses were kept.
See Also
- List of Grade I listed buildings in Staffordshire
- Listed buildings in Whitmore, Staffordshire
