Wythenshawe Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wythenshawe Hall |
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Wythenshawe Hall in 2005
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| Location | Wythenshawe, Manchester |
| Built | 1540 |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Wythenshawe Hall | |
| Designated | 25 February 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1255034 |
Wythenshawe Hall is a large, old house from the 1500s. It is made with a special building style called timber-framed. This historic house used to be a big family home, like a manor house. You can find it in Wythenshawe, Manchester, England, about 5 miles south of Manchester city centre inside Wythenshawe Park.
The Tatton family built the hall in 1540 for Robert Tatton. They lived there for almost 400 years! The house has a simple design: a main hall in the middle with two parts sticking out on the sides.
During the winter of 1643–44, the house was attacked during the English Civil War. This was a big fight between two groups in England: the Parliamentarians (who supported Parliament) and the Royalists (who supported the King). Robert Tatton and his Royalist friends bravely defended the house. But the Parliamentarians, also called Roundheads, had stronger weapons and eventually won.
The house was fixed up and changed a lot in the late 1700s and 1800s. They added a walled garden, a special ice house (for keeping food cold), glass houses, and a hall for tenants (people who rented land from the family). In 1926, Wythenshawe Hall and the park around it were given to Manchester City Council. By 1930, it opened to the public as a museum.
Sadly, a fire started on purpose in March 2016, causing a lot of damage to the building. After many repairs, the hall finally opened its doors to visitors again in September 2022.
Contents
History of Wythenshawe Hall
Long ago, even before the 1300s, there was a special enclosed area for deer in Wythenshawe. The Tatton family owned land here by 1297. Around 1540, Robert Tatton, who was from Chester, built Wythenshawe Hall to be his family's home. This timber-framed house, built in the Tudor style, was where the Tatton family lived for nearly four centuries. It might have even had a moat around it at first!
The English Civil War Siege
During the English Civil War, Wythenshawe Hall was attacked. This happened in the winter of 1643–44. Robert Duckenfield led the Parliamentarian forces who surrounded the hall. Royalists led by Robert Tatton defended it. The fight was tough, but the Roundheads brought two cannons from Manchester. Because of these powerful weapons, the Royalists had to give up on February 27, 1644.
After the surrender, the Parliamentarians took Wythenshawe Hall. But the Tatton family got it back later by paying a fine of just over £700. Once they had their estate back, they made it much bigger, growing it to about 2,500 acres.
Becoming a Public Park
In 1924, Robert Henry Grenville Tatton inherited the Wythenshawe estate. Around this time, Manchester Corporation (which is like the city council today) was very interested in buying land. They wanted to build a new neighborhood, a "garden suburb," to help people move out of crowded, old houses.
By April 1926, Wythenshawe Hall and about 250 acres of its land were sold to Ernest Simon, 1st Baron Simon of Wythenshawe and Shena Simon, Lady Simon of Wythenshawe. They then gave this land to Manchester City Council. Their gift was made so the land would "be used solely for the public good." Later that year, the council bought the rest of the estate. They went on to build one of the largest housing areas in Europe on this land.
Repairs and Fire Damage
The hall had some repairs in the 1950s. On February 25, 1952, it was given a special status as a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a very important historic building that needs to be protected. The old stable building next to the hall also became a Grade II listed building in 1974.
On March 15, 2016, a fire started on purpose at the hall around 3:30 am. The roof and an upper floor were badly damaged. The clock tower also suffered damage. A person was later found responsible for starting the fire. Because of the fire, the hall was added to the Heritage at Risk Register in October 2016. This list includes important historic places that are in danger.
In November 2016, plans were made to fix the building. The goal was to use as much of the original material as possible. The repairs cost about £6.7 million. The good news is that the building reopened to the public in September 2022!
Architecture and Design
The hall was partly rebuilt between 1795 and 1800 by Lewis Wyatt. It was changed again around 1840, possibly by Edward Blore. During these changes, new parts were added, like a walled garden, an ice house, and glass houses. In the Victorian era (the 1800s), the dining room was updated, and a special hall for tenants was built.
The timber-framed house has a main hall with two parts sticking out, plus a porch and special bays. The entrance hall, also called the ante-room, might have been a chapel a long time ago. Later, it became a room for playing billiards before turning into the entrance hall in the 1870s.
Wythenshawe Hall as a Museum
In 1930, Wythenshawe Hall became a museum and art gallery. When the Tatton family moved out in 1926, they took most of their original furniture. So, the furniture and paintings you saw in the hall when it was a museum often came from the Manchester City Galleries collection.
Until 2007, there was a fun event every July. People would dress up and act out the 1643 siege of Wythenshawe Hall by Cromwell's troops.
By 2004, the hall was only open once a week for four months a year. In 2010, it closed completely because of money problems at the council. Some people thought Manchester City Council might sell the building to the National Trust, which protects historic places.
In summer 2012, the hall opened for 10 days for the Wythenshawe Games. A group of friends was formed in September 2012 to help keep the hall open. They started holding monthly open days and regular events. The furniture that this friends group put in the hall, including a four-poster bed with the Tatton family crest carved on it, was not damaged by the fire.
Wythenshawe Park
Wythenshawe Park covers about 270 acres of land around the hall in Northern Moor. The park has many different areas, including woodlands, flower beds, open grasslands, and meadows. It also has sports facilities, Wythenshawe community farm, and a gardening center. North Lodge, the old gate lodge on the north side of the park, was built in the mid to late 1800s in the Tudor style and is also a Grade II listed building.
In front of the hall, there is a tall bronze statue of Oliver Cromwell. It stands about 7.16 meters (23.5 feet) high on a stone base. Matthew Noble sculpted it in 1875. This statue is also a Grade II listed item. It used to be in a different part of Manchester called Deansgate, but it was moved to the park in 1968.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
- Listed buildings in Manchester-M23
