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{{Short description|Building in Greater Manchester, England}} |
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[[Image:Bramall Hall 3.jpg|thumb|300px|Bramall Hall, from the west. This is the main entrance side. The courtyard can be seen, as well as the north and south wings. In the centre is the Great Hall.]] |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} |
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'''Bramall Hall''' (often misspelt as Bram''h''all Hall)<ref name=BramhallWeb /> is a [[Tudor style architecture|Tudor]] [[mansion]] located in [[Bramhall]], [[Stockport]], [[England]]. It is a [[Timber framing|timber framed]] [[manor house]] located in the middle of {{convert|70|acre|ha|0}} of landscaped parkland featuring lakes, woodland walks and gardens.<ref name=StockportBramhallPark>{{cite web |url=http://www.stockport.gov.uk/content/leisureculture/parksrecreation/parks/bramhallpark/?view=Standard&a=5441 |title=Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council<nowiki>|</nowiki>Bramhall Park |accessdate=2007-11-04 }}</ref> Dating back to Saxon times, the hall has passed through the hands of the families Massey, Davenport, Nevill and Davies. Today it is run by [[Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council]], and the hall and grounds are open to the public. |
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{{Use British English|date=February 2023}} |
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{{Infobox building |
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| image = Bramall Hall from west, 2011.jpg |
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| caption = Bramall Hall from the west, the side of the main entrance, showing the courtyard and the north and south wings. The Great Hall is in the centre. |
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| alt = Photo a long, two-storeyed house with exposed wooden beams, many gables and small-paned windows. In the foreground is a lawn and trees are on the left. |
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| name = Bramall Hall |
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| location_town = [[Bramhall]], Greater Manchester |
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| location_country = England |
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| map_type = Greater Manchester |
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| map_alt = Bramall Hall is situated in the southern part of Greater Manchester, in the borough of Stockport, close to the borders with [[Cheshire]] and [[Derbyshire]]. It is in the [[North West England|north-west of England]]. |
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| coordinates = {{coord|53.3740|-2.1666|display=inline,title}} |
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| architect = |
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| client = |
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| engineer = |
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| construction_start_date= 14th century |
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| completion_date = |
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| date_demolished = |
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| cost = |
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| structural_system = [[Timber framing|Timber framed]] |
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| style = [[Tudor style architecture|Tudor]] |
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| size = |
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| embedded = {{Designation list |embed = yes |designation1 = Grade I Listed Building |designation1_offname = Bramall Hall |designation1_date = 9 August 1966 |designation1_number = 1260476}} |
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| website = {{URL|https://www.stockport.gov.uk/topic/bramall-hall|Bramall Hall – Stockport Council}} |
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}} |
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'''Bramall Hall''' is a largely [[Tudor style architecture|Tudor]] [[manor house]] in [[Bramhall]], [[Greater Manchester]], England. The building is [[Timber framing|timber-framed]] and its oldest parts date from the 14th century, with additions from the 16th and 19th centuries. The house functions as a museum and its {{convert|70|acre|ha}} of landscaped parkland ('''Bramhall Park''') are open to the public. |
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The oldest parts of the hall date from the 14th century, and it is constructed of [[oak]] [[timber]] framing, which was originally infilled by [[wattle and daub]]. The building also has [[Motif (visual arts)|motifs]] from the Victorian era. |
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The manor of Bramall was first described in the ''[[Domesday Book]]'' in 1086, when it was held by the Massey family. From the late 14th century, it was owned by the Davenports, who built the present house and remained lords of the manor for about 500 years. In 1877, they sold the estate of nearly {{convert|2,000|acres}} to the Manchester Freeholders' Company, a property company formed to exploit the estate's potential for residential building development. The hall and a residual park of over {{convert|50|acres}} was sold on by the Freeholders to the Nevill family of successful industrialists. |
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Today the hall functions as a museum, and guided tours are available. Bramall also provides an extensive education service in conjunction with local schools, and there are regular special events that give visitors the chance to experience what Tudor life may have been like.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://7agesofmanchester.org/main/support_team.htm |title=7 Ages of Manchester Festival 2006: Support Team |accessdate=2007-11-14 }}</ref> |
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In 1925, it was purchased by [[John Henry Davies]] and then, in 1935, acquired by Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council. Following a local government reorganisation in 1974, Bramall Hall is now owned by [[Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council]], which describes it as "the most prestigious and historically significant building in the Bramhall Park [[Conservation Area]]."<ref name=SMBC2005 /> |
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== History == |
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[[Image:Bramallhall1819.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Bramall Hall from a postcard in 1819. At this time, it had yet to get its current black and white appearance.]] |
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The manor of Bramall dates from the [[History of Anglo-Saxon England|Saxon]] period, when it was held as two separate manors owned by two Saxon freemen, Brun and Hacun. In 1070, [[William the Conqueror]] subdued the north-west of England, and divided the land among his followers. The manor of "Bramale" was given to [[Hamon de Massey]], who eventually became the first Baron of [[Dunham Massey]].<ref name=StockportBramhall2005>{{cite web |url=http://www.stockport.gov.uk/content/business/regeneration/historicareasregeneration/Conservation1/conservationareas/bramhallpark?a=5441 |title=Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council<nowiki>|</nowiki>Bramhall Park (2005) |accessdate=2007-11-04 }}</ref> The earliest reference to Bramall was recorded in the [[Domesday Book]] as "Bramale", a name derived from the Old English words ''brom'' meaning [[broom (shrub)|broom]], both indigenous to the area, and ''halh'' meaning nook or secret place, probably by water. When de Masci received the manor, it was wasteland, having been devastated by William the Conqueror's harsh subdual. By the time of the Domesday survey, the land was recovering and cultivated again.<ref name=Deanp14>Dean, p14</ref> |
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==History== |
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=== The de Bromales === |
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=== Early history === |
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The founder of this family was probably a follower or relative of the first Hamon de Massey. About the time of [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] the land passed from the second Baron of Dunham Massey to [[Matthew de Bromale]], one of his kinsmen who took his name from the land he had received. Matthew's father is said to have held the land previously, and may have been the kinsman of the first Hamon de Massey. Matthew was succeeded by his grandson Richard, and then two subsequent Richards, the second dying without issue. He was succeeded by his younger brother Geoffrey, who had two daughters Alice and Ellen. Alice eventually inherited the land, and married John de Davenport of Wheltrough circa 1370–1380, thus changing the family name to Davenport.<ref name=Deanp14 /> |
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The name "Bramall" means "nook of land where broom grows" and is derived from the [[Old English]] noun ''brōm'' meaning [[broom (shrub)|broom]], a type of shrub common in the area, and the Old English noun ''halh'', which has several meanings—including nook, secret place and valley—that could refer to Bramall.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Dictionary of British Place-Names |url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/pages/Subjects_and_Titles__2B_05 |last=Mills |first=A.D. |year=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-852758-6}}</ref> The manor of Bramall dates from the [[History of Anglo-Saxon England|Anglo-Saxon period]], when it was held as two separate estates owned by the [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] freemen Brun and Hacun.<ref name=SMBCbook/> The manor was devastated during [[William the Conqueror]]'s [[Harrying of the North]].<ref name=Dean14>Dean, p.14</ref> After William subdued the north-west of England, the land was divided among his followers and Bramall was given to [[Hamon de Massey]] in around 1070.<ref name=SMBCbook /> |
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The earliest reference to Bramall was recorded in the ''[[Domesday Book]]'' as "Bramale" at which time the manor was part of the [[Hundreds of Cheshire|Hamestan Hundred]] in Cheshire. With [[Cheadle, Greater Manchester|Cheadle]] and [[Norbury, Greater Manchester|Norbury]], Bramall was one of three places described in the ''Domesday Book'' that today lie within the modern-day [[Metropolitan Borough of Stockport]].<ref name=SMBC2005 /> While its value was 32 shillings before 1066, it was worth only 5 shillings by 1086.<ref name=williams729and1318>Williams (ed., 2003), pp.729, 1318.</ref> |
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=== The Davenports === |
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The Davenport family can be traced back to Orm de Davenport, who lived around the time of William the Conqueror. The name "Davenport" comes from "Dauen-port", meaning "the town on the trickling stream", where he lived. The family soon became important landowners, and in the early 13th century the office of grand sergeant of [[Macclesfield]] was granted to Vivian Davenport. Over the next 100 years, various branches of the family became established at [[Wheltrough]], [[Henbury]], [[Woodford]] and finally at Bramhall.<ref>Dean, p15</ref> Robert, the son of John and Alice was the first Davenport of Bramhall. His grandson, John succeeded him, and was lord of the manor from 1436 to 1478. Succeeding John were five Williams, the first of whom was lord of the manor from 1478 to 1528. He took an active part in the [[Battle of Bosworth]], which ended the [[Wars of the Roses]] and put [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] on the throne.<ref>Dean, p16</ref> The following year, on [[3 September]] [[1486]], William was granted an annuity of 20 marks a year for life, in recognition of his services.<ref>Campbell, vol.2 p30</ref> About 10 years later, one of William's houses was destroyed by Randle Hassall, who carried off the timber, resulting in a warrant being issued for his arrest.<ref>''37th Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records'' (1876), appendix 2, p352</ref> It is probable that the house destroyed was Bramall, supporting the idea that Bramall was rebuilt around the time of Henry VII. The first William Davenport was also notable for being one of the original trustees of the Macclesfield Grammar School.<ref>Dean, p17</ref> The second William Davenport is more memorable for his death than his life. His will, dated [[1 June]] [[1541]] provides the first known record of the chapel: |
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In the first part of the 12th century, the manor passed from the second [[Baron of Dunham Massey]] to Matthew de Bromale. According to Dean, Matthew's father is said to have founded the de Bromale family, naming himself after the manor, and he may have been related to or a follower of the de Masseys. He may have also held the manor at some point. The de Bromales held the manor until 1370 when Alice de Bromale married [[John de Davenport]], and so the estate came to be held by the Davenport family until the late 19th century.<ref name=Dean14 /> |
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{{cquote|I will that myne executo[rs] cause an honest priest to celebrate masse and other devine services for the soulles of me my father my mother my aunceto[rs] and all Christen soulles in the church of Stopford and chappell of Bromall by the space of one wholle yeare next after my deathe ffor convenienr wage to do so...<ref>Piccope, vol.33 pp.76-81</ref>}} |
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===Early Davenports=== |
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An inventory of William's belongings was made in 1541, and shows that he was a wealthy man. There is mention of a "yate house chamber", showing that at this date there was a fourth side to the hall, with an entrance by a gatehouse. There is also mention of a "chapell chamber", the room above the chapel, which may have been the priest's room.<ref>Dean, p18</ref> The third William Davenport succeeded his father, and it was he who was the originator of the Bramhall heraldic tapestry. Shields depicting various marriages are commemorated on it, and its arrangement makes it appear as though it was intended to be a cover of some sort, possibly for the high table.<ref>Dean, p19</ref> His son, another William, succeeded in 1576, and was lord for nine years. It would have been during his time that a priest's hide would have been built at Bramall, and it would have been done on this William Davenport's orders. He and his wife Margaret were both [[Catholic]], so it seems fairly likely that this happened.<ref>Dean, p20</ref> The fifth William Davenport inherited Bramall in 1585, and lived there with his wife Dorothy for nearly 55 years. The first marriage at Bramall was recorded at this time, and it was of William, the eldest son of William and Dorothy, and Frances Wilbraham. William was 15 and Frances was 11, and the entry of the marriage was made in the register of Stockport Parish Church.<ref>Dean, p21</ref> On [[22 April]] [[1603]] the fifth William Davenport was knighted by [[James I of England|James I]] at [[Newark-on-Trent|Newark]], where the king was staying on his six-week journey from Edinburgh to London.<ref>Nichols, vol.1 pp.88,90</ref> |
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[[File:Davenport.gif|thumb|upright|The Davenport coat of arms|alt=A shield with three crosses of complex form in a triangular pattern. It is surmounted by a man's head with a noose around the neck.]] |
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The Davenports were a family of significant landowners in the north-west of England whose [[Antecedent (genealogy)|antecedents]] can be traced back to the time of the [[Norman conquest]]. Orm de Davenport lived close to what is now [[Marton, Cheshire|Marton]] in Cheshire, and his name derives from the [[Norman language|Norman French]] ''Dauen-port'' meaning "the town on the trickling stream", referring to his home on the [[River Dane]].<ref name=Dean15>Dean, p.15</ref> In 1160, the family became responsible for [[Macclesfield Forest]],<ref name=Riley6>Riley, p.6</ref> and in the early 13th century Vivian Davenport became its Grand Sergeant. The family's [[achievement of arms]] has, as the [[crest (heraldry)|crest]], a felon's head with a rope around the neck, which is said to represent the family's power over life and death during this period. The Davenports acquired land throughout the area, notably at [[Wheltrough]], [[Henbury, Cheshire|Henbury]], [[Woodford, Greater Manchester|Woodford]] and lastly at Bramhall through marriage.<ref name=Dean15 /> |
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The Davenports held the manor for around 500 years, and it is likely that they built the current house after their accession. The first William Davenport was lord of the manor from 1478 to 1528,<ref name=Dean16>Dean, p.16</ref> and one of the first recorded trustees of [[Macclesfield Grammar School]].<ref name=Dean17>Dean, p.17</ref> It is possible that he was heavily involved in the final battle of the [[Wars of the Roses]] at [[Battle of Bosworth|Bosworth]] and thereby instrumental in gaining the crown for [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]],<ref>Riley, p.16</ref> who rewarded him with a pension of 20 marks per year payable for his lifetime.<ref>Riley, p.17</ref> According to Dean, it was during this first William's tenure that Bramall may have been vandalised by a man named Randle Hassall, who destroyed all or part of nine houses and stole the timber. This gives credence to the theory that Bramall was rebuilt, replacing or partially replacing an older building.<ref name=Dean17 /> |
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From 1869 to 1876, the hall was leased to [[Wakefield Christy]], a member of the well-known Stockport hatting firm.<ref>Dean, p49</ref> [[John William Handley Davenport]] became the legal owner in 1876, but on [[24 January]] [[1877]] it was announced the estate had been arranged to be sold.<ref>Dean, p54</ref> Much of the [[furniture]] was auctioned, and some of these pieces can be seen at [[Capesthorne Hall]] in Cheshire.<ref name=TourUK /> The hall itself, and rest of the Bramall estate totalling {{nowrap|{{convert|1918|acre|sqkm|1}}}} was sold to Freeholders Company Limited, a [[Manchester]] property development firm, on [[3 August]] [[1877]] for £200,000.<ref>Dean, p59</ref> It remained empty until 1882 when it was purchased by Thomas Nevill, a local industrialist whose wealth came from [[calico printing]], as a wedding present for his son, Charles Nevill.<ref>Dean, p62</ref><ref name=StockportBramhall2005 /> While living in the hall, Charles carried out substantial restoration and remodelling of the building as well as redesigning the landscaping of its grounds. Most notably, the interior was made more comfortable while retaining most of the building's external features, with the assistance of the [[architect]] [[George Faulkener Armitage]].<ref name=Manchester2002>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/history/history3.html |title=Nether Alderley Mill, Bramhall Hall and Manchester in Tudor times & Reformation Manchester |accessdate=2007-11-04 }}</ref> |
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[[File:William Davenport.JPG|thumb|left|alt=Formal portrait of Sir William Davenport, standing. He has a long pale face, hair combed back from his forehead and a trim full-face beard. He wears dark clothing with a falling collar and cuffs bordered with needle lace and a ring on his finger|The fifth William Davenport in 1627, at the age of 65]] |
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The third William Davenport, who succeeded his father of the same name in 1541, took part in what later became known as [[The Rough Wooing]], a series of attacks against Scotland ordered by [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]. He was knighted in Scotland for his efforts at the [[Burning of Edinburgh (1544)|burning of Edinburgh in May 1544]].<ref>Dean, p.18</ref> The fifth William Davenport inherited Bramall in 1585 from his father of the same name, and lived there with his wife Dorothy for over 50 years. The first marriage in Bramall's chapel was recorded in 1599,<ref name=Dean21>Dean, p.21</ref> between William (aged 15), eldest son of the fifth William and Dorothy, and Frances Wilbraham (aged 11).<ref>Riley, p.21</ref> On 22 April 1603, the fifth William Davenport was knighted by [[James I of England|James I and VI]] at [[Newark-on-Trent|Newark]] (where the king was staying on his journey from Edinburgh to London) and later became the High Sheriff of Cheshire and a commissioner of the Hundred of Macclesfield.<ref name=Dean21 /> During the tenure of the fifth William, many alterations were made to the building, including the addition of a room above the Great Hall (which would later become the Withdrawing Room), and a [[long gallery]].<ref name="Riley, p.22">Riley, p.22</ref> The internal decorations were also updated with additions such as wall paintings and portraits.<ref name=Dean22>Dean, p.22</ref> |
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The sixth William succeeded his father in 1639 shortly before the [[English Civil War]] broke out.<ref>Dean, p.24</ref> He was a [[Royalist]], though said not to have been a particularly dedicated one. Many of his tenants became [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] soldiers,<ref>Riley, p.25</ref> and over the next three years he had numerous visits from Parliamentarian soldiers, mostly seeking to acquire goods such as horses and weapons for the war, and using the house for quartering soldiers.<ref name=Riley27>Riley, p.27</ref> Bramall was also host to Royalist soldiers, who confiscated some of the Davenport property for use in the war.<ref>Dean, p.26</ref> William Davenport was at one point charged with [[Felony|delinquency]], and ordered to pay a fine of £750 (equivalent to £{{formatnum:{{inflation|UK|750|1642|r=-4}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}),<ref name=Riley27 />{{inflation-fn|UK}} and soldiers continued to use Bramall Hall because of its convenience.<ref name=Dean27>Dean, p.27</ref> |
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The hall remained in the Nevill family until 1925, when with changing fortunes after the [[World War I|first world war]] the family was forced to sell the estate to John Henry Davies. He lived in the hall until his death in 1927, and his widow Amy remained in the property until 1935 when she sold it to [[Hazel Grove and Bramhall|Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council]] with the intention that the hall and Park should be open to the public.<ref name=Manchester2002 /><ref name=StockportBramhall2005 /> |
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=== Later Davenports === |
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Following local government reorganisation, the estate became the property of [[Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council]] in 1974 and has remained so ever since.<ref name=Manchester2002 /> |
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[[File:Dorothy Davenport.JPG|thumb|alt=Formal portrait of Dorothy Davenport. She wears a dress of plain dark cloth with richly embroidered undersleeves, a ruff and frilled cuffs. On her head is a high-crowned felt hat trimmed with a flower.|Dorothy Davenport in 1627, at the age of 66]] |
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The sixth William was briefly succeeded by his son Peter,<ref name=Dean27 /> who was followed by his son William.<ref>Dean, p.28</ref> William the seventh's son was the eighth William Davenport,<ref name=Riley28 /> and an inventory of his property made shortly after his death in 1706 shows the gallery and gatehouse of Bramall were still intact.<ref>Dean, p.30</ref> His two eldest sons each inherited the estate but both died young and heirless,<ref name=Riley28 /> so the estate passed to their younger brother Warren Davenport. Warren became part of the clergy, and during his tenure at Bramall set up a school close to the entrance of the estate.<ref>Dean, p.33</ref> The tenth and final William Davenport succeeded his father, Warren at the age of four. Many changes were made to the house during his tenure, including the dismantling of the gatehouse side of the courtyard and the long gallery, the latter of which may have been done because of their being considered unsafe.<ref name=Dean34>Dean, p.34</ref> William had no sons, so the estate passed to [[Salusbury Pryce Humphreys]], the husband of his illegitimate daughter Maria.<ref name=Riley28 /> |
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Humphreys, a naval captain, had married Maria Davenport in 1810, and lived at Bramall Hall long before he succeeded his father-in-law.<ref name=Riley28>Riley, p.28</ref> He became widely respected in the Stockport area, but following his succession to the estate in 1829, there were disputes from other members of the Davenport family who claimed a right to the property.<ref name=Dean39>Dean, p.39</ref> Edmund Davenport, who claimed ancestry from Thomas Davenport, the third son of Peter, unsuccessfully contested the succession in two different courts; Edmund was eventually imprisoned for failing to pay the legal fees.<ref name=Dean40>Dean, p.40</ref> Humphreys was knighted in 1834 for his services, and in 1838 changed his name to Davenport, in an effort to continue the Davenport line.<ref name=Riley28 /> He moved with Maria to [[Cheltenham]] in 1841, most likely because living at Bramall had become expensive or because of health concerns. Salusbury died there four years later and was buried in [[Leckhampton]].<ref>Dean, p.43</ref> |
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== Building == |
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[[Image:Bramall Hall 1.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The east side of Bramall Hall. This side was the original entrance before the road through the park was rebuilt.]] |
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There has been a settlement at Bramall since Saxon times. The hall was not always in the current location, the current one having been built around the fourteenth century. According to local legend, the original home of the Bromales is said to be Crow Holt Wood, where artificial ditches which remain today are thought to have come from a moat.<ref>Dean, p11</ref> The current hall is a grade I [[listed building]], and the oldest surviving parts date from the late 14th century, with extensive additions and alterations from the 16th and 19th centuries.<ref name=StockportBramhall2005 /> It is built with foundations of stone, but the main part is made of [[oak]] [[timber]]s, joined together using [[mortice and tenon]] [[Woodworking joints|joints]], and held in place with oak pegs. [[Wattle and daub]] or [[lath]] and [[plaster]] are used to fill the spaces between the timbers. The hall was originally approached on the east side; the drive followed the route of the Ladybrook stream, crossed the Carrbrook and went uphill towards the chapel on the south side, reaching the courtyard on the other side. Today the main entrance is on west, on the side of the courtyard.<ref>Dean, p3</ref> The [[gable]]s date from the 19th century, and are an imitation of nearby [[Little Moreton Hall]]. The current layout can clearly be seen from the west side of the building: the service wing is on the left, the Great Hall is in the centre, and the solar wing is on the right.<ref name=TourUK /> The service, or north wing contains the servants' hall and working quarters, with bedroom accommodation upstairs. The rooms are small, badly lit, and poorly arranged.<ref>Earwaker, p449</ref> They have been remodelled so much over the years, little antiquity remains in this area. However, the roof timbers are still intact, and indicate this wing is as old as the rest of the hall.<ref>Dean, p10</ref> There was a gatehouse on the west side, and it formed a courtyard in the centre.<ref>Watson, p441</ref> It was built for defence purposes, but in the late 18th century it was no longer necessary or fashionable, and was thus removed.<ref>Dean, pp.34-35</ref> |
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Over the next decade, the house was likely to have been let, as Maria Davenport preferred to live elsewhere. Her eldest son, William Davenport, married firstly to Camilla Maria Gatt and then secondly to Diana Handley,<ref name=Riley28 /> who he lived with at Bramall for four years before the estate was passed to him. Maria moved to London where she lived with her youngest son, Charles, and died in 1866.<ref>Dean, p.44</ref> During William's tenure Bramall was regularly visited by members of the public, and the Chapel continued to be used for regular services of worship.<ref>Dean, p.45</ref> However, following his death in 1869, the property was let to [[Wakefield Christy]] of Christys & Co Hatting, therefore ending direct involvement from the Davenport family.<ref name=Dean49>Dean, p.49</ref> This occurred because William's son, John, was too young to inherit the estate.<ref>Dean, p.46</ref> John's whereabouts during Christy's seven-year tenure is unknown, though he was shown as a visitor at Bramall in 1871, and in 1874 became the first chairman of the Bramhall School Board. In 1876, shortly before he returned to the house, he was listed as living on Ack Lane in Bramhall.<ref>Dean, p.47</ref> |
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=== Ground floor === |
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[[Image:Bramallmap.jpg|thumb|300px|left|A plan of the ground floor.]] |
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The Great Hall is the central part of Bramall. In the middle ages, this is the place where the business of the house was conducted and a communal eating room for the household. Some of the servants would probably have slept there too. It was originally an open-roofed, single-storey building with two cross wings but was floored over in the 16th century.<ref>Dean, p5</ref><ref name=TourUK /> The Hall was largely rebuilt and the Withdrawing Room constructed above it towards the end of the 16th century, a [[long gallery]] was later added as a third storey.<ref>Dean, p22</ref> The history of the gallery is uncertain, it was in existence in 1790 but was taken down before 1819,<ref>Ormerod, vol.3 p402</ref> because it was considered unsafe.<ref>Dean, p34</ref> |
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===Later history=== |
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There was once a belief that a right of way existed through the Hall, popularised by [[Harrison Ainsworth]] in the mid-19th century. He wrote that the road took the traveller through the Great Hall, where he was entertained, and sometimes refreshed.<ref>Ainsworth, chapter 4</ref> Tradition also claims that food from the buttery hatch was handed out to the poor who had gathered in the front porch. There is however no evidence for any right of way through the Hall.<ref name=Deanp4>Dean, p4</ref> The Banqueting Hall, which leads off the Lesser Hall was built in the early 15th century, and in the 19th century it was used as a [[billiards]] room.<ref name=BramhallWeb>{{cite web |url=http://www.bramhallweb.co.uk/bramallhall.htm |title=Bramall Hall in Stockprt, Cheshire, ENGLAND |accessdate=2007-11-04 }}</ref> Its northern wall is possibly the oldest part of the present hall, having not been renovated like the rest of the courtyard walls.<ref name=Deanp4 /> The chapel, opposite the Banqueting Hall was the only place of public worship in Bramhall for many centuries. It was closed some time between 1869 and 1890, and later fell into disrepair. In 1938 it was restored, and religious services were resumed. On the north wall are unglazed windows which face the wall of the library. The origin of these is obscure, but they do provide evidence that the south wing was once separate from the Great Hall. On the west wall are written the [[Ten Commandments]]. Much of it has faded away now, and in doing so an older painting has been revealed. It is a pre-[[English Reformation|Reformation]] [[Passion (Christianity)|passion]] painting. These were outlawed following the Reformation, and whitewashed over. It was only in the 20th century that an effort was made to restore Passion paintings, but very little of this particular painting survives.<ref>Dean, p7</ref> |
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[[File:Salusbury Davenport.JPG|thumb|alt=Miniature portrait of Salusbury Davenport in formal dress wearing the star of his knighthood.|Rear-Admiral Sir Salusbury Davenport]] |
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[[File:Bramall by Francis Orpen Morris.jpg|thumb|alt=Coloured print of Bramall Hall atop a hill, framed by trees and set in open parkland. A driveway leads up to it on the left side. A stream runs along the bottom of the hill in the valley.|Bramall in 1880, showing the original route of the drive before its realignment in 1888]] |
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John Davenport returned to Bramall in 1876 at the age of 25, but on 24 January 1877 it was announced that the estate was to be sold. The furniture was auctioned,<ref>Dean, p.54</ref> while the house itself and rest of the Bramall estate (totalling {{nowrap|{{convert|1918|acre|km2|1}}}}) was sold to the Freeholders Company Limited, a [[Manchester]] property development firm, on 3 August 1877 for £200,000 (about £{{formatprice|{{inflation|UK|200000|1877}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}).<ref name=Dean59>Dean, p.59</ref> According to speculation, the sale was motivated by financial issues and a personal distaste of the building.<ref>Dean, p.58</ref> It remained empty until 1882 when it was purchased by Thomas Nevill, a local industrialist whose wealth came from [[Calico (textile)|calico]] printing, for his son, Charles.<ref name=Riley29>Riley, p.29</ref> While living in the house, Charles Nevill commissioned substantial restoration and remodelling, making the interior more comfortable while retaining most of the building's external features,<ref>Dean, pp.64–69</ref> under the direction of architect George Faulkner Armitage.<ref name="NHLE" /> The landscape of the grounds was redesigned,<ref name=history /> and a new stable was built along with a west and east lodge, housing the coachman and head gardener respectively.<ref name=Dean69>Dean, p.69</ref><ref name=Dean70>Dean, p.70</ref> Another building, known as Hall Cottage, was also built in the vicinity, and housed the Sidebottom family.<ref>Dean, pp.70–71</ref> |
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Thomas Nevill, Charles' nephew and adopted son, inherited the estate in 1916,<ref name=Riley29 /> but decided to sell it following financial difficulties after the First World War. In 1923, many items of furniture were auctioned off,<ref>Dean, p.79</ref> but there was no interest in purchase of the house. During that decade rumours arose that Bramall would be dismantled and transported to the United States; this may have been popularised by the autobiography of [[Kate Douglas Wiggin]], which described the author's visit to Bramall in 1890. In 1925, the house was auctioned, with the condition that if no purchaser came forward it would be demolished and the materials sold off.<ref>Dean, p.80</ref> At one point the neighbouring local authority, Stockport County Borough Council, offered to buy the estate, but Nevill rejected their offer as "unacceptable".<ref>Dean, p.81</ref> The auction received no acceptable offers. However, one of those present, [[John Henry Davies]], president of [[Manchester United]], later offered £15,000 (about £{{formatnum:{{inflation|UK|15000|1925|r=-3}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}) for the house; this was accepted.<ref>Dean, p.82</ref> He lived in the house until his death in 1927, and his widow Amy remained there until 1935,<ref name=Riley29 /> when she sold it to [[Hazel Grove and Bramhall|Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council]] for £14,360 (worth about £{{formatnum:{{inflation|UK|14360|1935|r=-3}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}) with the intention that the house and park be open to the public.<ref>Dean, p.86</ref> |
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=== First floor === |
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The [[ballroom]], or upper banqueting hall dates from the late 15th century.<ref name=TourUK>{{cite web |url=http://www.touruk.co.uk/houses/house-cheshire-bramall-hall.htm |title=Bramall Hall in Cheshire |accessdate=2007-11-04 }}</ref> It contains rare 16th century wall paintings depicting various scenes, painted directly on to the wood. There is one depicting the [[nursery rhyme]] "[[Ride a cock horse]]", and along the east wall there is a mural of a man with a [[mandoline]], playing music from a scroll held by a lady wearing a long gown. There may have once been a musicians' gallery there. Above the Chapel is the Chapel Room, or Queen Anne Room. In its current form it is almost all 19th century in origin. The room was divided in two during the Davenport days, the first part being the anteroom, and the second larger part being the state bedroom. The room also became known as the Priest's Room, being directly over the chapel, it is most likely a priest would have used this room, if there was ever one resident at Bramall.<ref>Dean, p8</ref> The Plaster Room is named after what would have been the original flooring. It contains the most important item in the hall, a large table carpet dating from the 1560s, depicting the coats of arms of [[Elizabeth I]] and the Davenports with their marriage alliances.<ref name=TourUK /> The Paradise Room is named after the bed hangings which contain embroidered images of [[Adam and Eve]] and their fall from paradise, as well as the fact ''paradise'' was a name used in the middle ages for a bedchamber or favourite room. There is a cupboard on the right hand side of the fireplace, and on the other side there is a large cavity which until recently was hidden by modern boarding. A description from 1882 describes it as {{cquote|...a dark passage which is said to lead to some region unknown...<ref>{{cite news |author=Antiquus (pseud.) |title=Bramhall and the Davenports |publisher=North Cheshire Herald |date=[[1882-04-06]] }}</ref>}} This is the most likely place in Bramall a priest's hide could be found, in the thick wall of the chimney breast, near to the chapel and chapel room. By the 19th century this room had earned the alternative name "the ghost room" due to the frequent stories of sightings coming from it. There have also been stories of a secret passage leading from the paradise room to the drive outside, or down to the chapel, but they are only imaginative tales.<ref>Dean, pp.8–9</ref> The largest upstairs room is the Withdrawing Room, situated above the Great Hall. It was built for [[William Davenport]], and dates from 1592. It contains Davenport family portraits and a plaster ceiling.<ref name=TourUK /> There is an overmantel bearing the arms of Elizabeth I above the fireplace, and tradition has it that it was presented by the queen herself as a thank you for hospitality received. However, there is no evidence for this, the queen only likely to ever have come as far north as Chester.<ref>Dean, p9</ref> |
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Under council ownership, the house was occupied by a caretaker, though most of the building was open to the public. The house and grounds were used for various functions, such as the proclamation of [[George VI of the United Kingdom|George VI]] succeeding his brother [[King Edward VIII]] to the throne.<ref>Dean, p.87</ref> At that time, the house was sparsely furnished as the council was unable to afford much furniture.<ref name=Dean88>Dean, p.88</ref> One of the council's earliest projects was the restoration of the chapel, which had fallen out of use towards the end of the 19th century.<ref>Dean, p.89</ref> It was restored to resemble how it would have been when the Davenports were last at Bramall,<ref>Dean, p.90</ref> and a service of consecration was held on 30 October 1938 once the work had been completed.<ref>Dean, p.92</ref> In 1947, an association called the Friends of Bramall Hall was set up, primarily to find furnishings for the house, but also to advertise and assist in the upkeep of the house and grounds. Over the years, many furnishings which had once belonged to the house were returned,<ref>Dean, p.95</ref> including portraits of the occupants. The estate is now the property of [[Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council]] (SMBC), which acquired it in 1974, following local government reorganisation.<ref>Dean, p.100</ref> |
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== Name == |
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The area around Bramall is [[Bramhall]], but the correct name of the estate is without the "h". The Domesday book spells Bramall as "Bramale", and the current spelling was preferred by Charles Nevill, as well as Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council, so "Bramall" became the correct spelling. It is often still confused however.<ref name=BramhallWeb /> |
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== |
=== Present day === |
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[[File:Bramall Hall 2.jpg|thumb|left|alt=The exterior of a large house. There are several chimneys, leaded windows and wings. In the foreground are two rows of hedges.|The east side of the house. The room in the centre is the chapel.]] |
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[[Image:Bramall Hall lakes.jpg|thumb|300px|Part of the grounds and lakes.]] |
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The house and grounds are open to the public and are run by SMBC.<ref name=SMBCleisure>{{cite web |url=http://www.stockport.gov.uk/services/leisureculture/parksandrecreation/parks/bramhallpark/ |title=Leisure, parks and attractions |publisher=Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council |access-date=9 February 2021 |archive-date=15 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215074218/http://www.stockport.gov.uk/services/leisureculture/parksandrecreation/parks/bramhallpark |url-status=dead}}</ref> Visitors may take an official tour of the house or explore it at their own pace on a self-guided basis. The public is able to wander the grounds freely at all times.<ref name="BramallHall">{{cite web |url=https://www.stockport.gov.uk/topic/bramall-hall |title=Bramhall Hall |publisher=Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council |access-date=9 February 2021}}</ref> Events and club meetings are held in the house and grounds throughout the year,<ref name="BramallHall"/> and local schools often visit to experience life in a particular era.<ref name="BramallHall"/> The house is licensed for wedding and civil partnership ceremonies,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stockport.gov.uk/wedding-venues/approved-wedding-venues |title=Weddings |publisher=Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council |access-date=9 February 2021}}</ref> and has been used as a background for television series and films, including ''[[Prank Patrol (British TV series)|Prank Patrol]]'', ''[[Cash in the Attic]]'', ''[[Coronation Street]]'', ''[[The Making of a Lady]]'' and ''[[The Last Vampyre]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bramallhall.org.uk/tv_film.asp |title=TV & Film |publisher=Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council |access-date=13 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417023600/http://www.bramallhall.org.uk/tv_film.asp|archive-date=17 April 2012}}</ref> |
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The hall is set in 70 acres of parkland, which have been landscaped in the style of [[Capability Brown]]. The park was originally an estate attached to the hall, and would have served as a deer park, stocked with [[deer]] and used as a hunting ground. From the seventeenth century, the park was gradually converted into agricultural land. In the 1880s Charles Nevill remodelled the park into what can be seen today, creating the lakes by altering the course of the [[Ladybrook]].<ref name=StockportBramhallPark /> A new road through the park was built in the spring and summer of 1888, which was taken well away from the hall. The east entrance was turned into a private doorway leading into the garden, where Charles Nevill laid out terraces.<ref>Dean, p69</ref> |
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Currently the house is named "Bramall" while the park is named "Bramhall", though there remain some local inconsistencies.<ref>Riley, pp.5–6</ref><ref name=BramhallPark>{{cite web |url=https://www.stockport.gov.uk/bramhall-park |title=Bramhall Park |publisher=Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council |access-date=9 February 2021}}</ref> However, both have been spelt as "Bramhall", "Bramal" and other variations over the years. The ''Domesday Book'' used the spelling "Bramale", which led Charles Nevill to prefer "Bramall", a convention maintained by Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council when it acquired the property.<ref name=Dean88 /> Stockport Council consistently refer to the hall as "Bramall" and the park as "Bramhall" respectively.<ref name="BramallHall"/><ref name="BramhallPark"/> |
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There have been a number of archaeological finds in and around Bramall, including an early [[Bronze Age]] arrowhead and flints. The park contains substantial mature woodland and open grassland, which provide a natural boundary, as well as two lakes.<ref name=BramhallWeb /><ref name=StockportBramhall2005 /> |
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''Italic text'' |
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== |
==House== |
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[[File:Bramall Hall, Bramhall, Greater Manchester, England-11Feb2010.jpg|thumb|left|The east side of Bramall Hall|alt=Exterior view of the side of a large black and white building with numerous chimneys. In the foreground are two rows of hedges.]] |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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There has been a settlement at Bramhall since Saxon times.<ref name=SMBCbook /> According to Alfred Burton, who wrote about Bramhall in the late 19th century, the house has not always been in the present location, and was originally at Crow Holt Wood. This theory was rejected by another historian, Frederick Moorhouse, who became convinced in 1909 that Crow Holt Wood was a place where animals would have been taken to be sorted. There is no conclusive evidence to support either theory.<ref>Dean, p.11</ref> Today the house has stream valleys to its south and east sides. It is a grade I [[listed building]],<ref name="NHLE">{{National Heritage List for England| num=1260476 |desc=Bramall Hall |grade=I |access-date=10 September 2016}}</ref> and the oldest parts date from the late 14th century, with later renovations dating from the 16th and 19th centuries.<ref name=SMBC2005>{{cite web |url=http://www.stockport.gov.uk/services/business/regeneration/consheritage/conservationareas/bramhallpark |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928055725/http://www.stockport.gov.uk/services/business/regeneration/consheritage/conservationareas/bramhallpark |archive-date=28 September 2011 |title=Bramhall Park (2005) |publisher=Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council |access-date=12 September 2009}}</ref> It was originally accessed from the east side – the drive followed the route of the Ladybrook stream, then uphill towards the chapel on the south side, reaching the courtyard on the other side. The main entrance is now on the side of the courtyard, in the west,<ref name=Dean3>Dean, p.3</ref> because of the restructuring of the drive in 1888.<ref name=Dean69 /> The current layout of the house can clearly be seen from the west side of the building, in the courtyard: the service wing is on the left, the Great Hall is in the centre, and the Banqueting Hall is on the right.<ref name=Dean5>Dean, p.5</ref> Before the 19th century, the courtyard was enclosed by a gatehouse which was taken down between 1774 and 1819,<ref>Riley, p.7</ref><ref name=Emory>Emery, p.515</ref> because of its being neither required nor in vogue.<ref name=Dean34 /> |
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{{coor title d|53.374055|N|2.16653|W|type:landmark}} |
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[[File:Bramall 2.jpg|thumb|The east side of the house in 1883|alt=A sketch of the exterior of the side of a large building atop a hill with a tree in the foreground.]] |
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== References == |
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The house is built with stone foundations, and the main structure is made of [[oak]] timbers, joined using [[mortice and tenon]] [[Woodworking joints|joints]], and held in place with oak pegs. [[Wattle and daub]] or [[lath]] and [[plaster]] are used to fill the spaces between the timbers. The black and white appearance from the [[timber framing]] construction dates from the Tudor period, though some parts have been repaired in later years.<ref name=Dean3 /> |
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*{{cite book |last=Ainsworth |first=Harrison |authorlink=William Harrison Ainsworth |title=Rookwood |publisher=Carey, Lea & Blanchard | location=Philadelphia |year=1834 }} |
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*{{cite book |last=Campbell |first=W. |title=Materials for a History of the Reign of Henry VII |year=1873-1877 }} (Roll series, no.60) |
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*{{cite book |last=Dean |first=E. Barbara |title=Bramall Hall: The Story of an Elizabethan Manor House |year=1977 |publisher=Recreation & Culture Division, Metropolitan Borough Council of Stockport |location=Stockport |isbn=0905164067 }} |
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*{{cite book |last=Earwaker |first=J.P. |title=East Cheshire Past and Present |year=1877 |location=London }} |
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*{{cite book |last=Nichols |first=J. |title=The Progresses of King James I |year=1828 }} |
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*{{cite book |last=Ormerod |first=George |title=The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester |year=1980 |publisher= E. J. Morten Publishers|location=Manchester |isbn=0859720454 }} |
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*{{cite book |last=Piccope |first=G.J. |title=Lancs. & Ches. Wills and Inventories |year=1855 |publisher=Chetham Society }} |
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*{{cite book |last=Watson |first=John |title=Survey of Bramhall }} |
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===Ground floor=== |
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== External links == |
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[[File:Bramall 19c.JPG|thumb|left|A 19th-century view imagining the courtyard at the beginning of the 17th century, and showing the large bay windows of the Great Hall and Withdrawing Room|alt=Engraved picture of the courtyard with people in 17th century costume and horses.]] |
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*[http://www.bramallhall.org.uk/ Bramall Hall] |
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The Great Hall is the central part of Bramall Hall. As with typical [[great hall]]s in the Middle Ages, this would have been the room where the business of the house, estate and its villagers was conducted as well as a communal eating room for the household. It was originally an open-roofed, single-storey building,<ref name=Dean5 /> with a fireplace situated in the middle of the floor.<ref name=SMBCbook>Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council</ref> It was probably first built around the end of the 14th century when the Davenports became lords of the manor.<ref name=Emory /> Towards the end of the 16th century, the Great Hall was substantially rebuilt, and the Withdrawing Room was created above it. A [[long gallery]] was also added as a third storey.<ref name=Dean22 /> The history of the gallery is uncertain; it was intact in 1790 but was taken down before 1819,<ref>Dean, p.35</ref> because it was believed to be unsafe.<ref name=Dean34 /> A similar gallery was built at [[Little Moreton Hall]], and it is still intact, causing the lower storeys to buckle under the weight.<ref name="Riley, p.22"/> The Great Hall has a [[bay window]] with leaded windows, common throughout the building.<ref name=Dean4>Dean, p.4</ref> [[William Harrison Ainsworth]] wrote about a right of way through the Great Hall, in his 1834 novel ''[[Rookwood (novel)|Rookwood]]''. He described how a traveller could pass through the Great Hall, and be entertained and sometimes refreshed. He described Bramall as "[the] best specimen of its class ... its class, in our opinion, is the best ... to be met with in Cheshire".<ref>Ainsworth, p.31</ref> No evidence exists for any such right of way. According to another tale, food from the buttery hatch was given to the poor who congregated outside.<ref name=Dean4 /> |
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[[File:Bramall banqueting room.jpg|thumb|The Solar or Great Chamber of late Tudor or early Jacobean days as imagined in the 1840s|alt=A large room with an arched roof, with the timbers visible. Some people are sitting at a table, and others are standing.]] |
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[[Category:Houses in Greater Manchester]] |
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The Lesser Hall leads off the southern end of the Great Hall. Its walls are panelled with oak, and the timbers that the ceiling is constructed of are decorated with cross and rose shapes dating from the Victorian era. The Banqueting Hall, which leads off the Lesser Hall to the west,<ref>Dean, p.6</ref> is believed by Dean to be the oldest part of the house. Its northern wall is possibly the oldest part of the house, not having been renovated like the rest of the courtyard walls.<ref name=Dean4 /> The Nevills used this room as a [[billiards room]].<ref name=SMBCbook /> The chapel, opposite the Banqueting Hall, was the only place of public worship in Bramhall until the 19th century.<ref name=Dean7>Dean, p.7</ref> Its existence was first recorded in 1541, when it was referred to in the will of the second William Davenport.<ref name=SMBCbook /> It fell into disrepair after its closure between 1869 and 1890, and was restored by Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council, following its purchase of the property in 1935, and religious services began to be held there again. On the north wall are unglazed windows which face the wall of the Library, showing that the south wing was once separate from the Great Hall. The [[Ten Commandments]] are written on the west wall. Underneath the Commandments, an older, pre-[[English Reformation|Reformation]] [[Passion (Christianity)|Passion]] painting, is visible. Such depictions were banned during the Reformation, and whitewashed over. It was not until the 20th century that efforts were made to restore Passion paintings, but very little of this particular painting survives.<ref name=Dean7 /> |
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[[Category:Buildings and structures in Stockport]] |
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===First floor=== |
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[[File:Bramallhall1819.jpg|thumb|A postcard from March 1819 depicting Bramall, with its long gallery. The gallery had probably been taken down by the time the card was used.|alt=A postcard depicting a building and a path leading up to it. Smoke rises from a chimney on the structure.]] |
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The [[Ballroom]], also known as the Upper Banqueting Hall, has an arched roof and according to Dean likely dates from the 16th century. It contains rare 16th-century wall murals, including one which according to Dean may depict the nursery rhyme "[[Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross|Ride a cock horse]]", and another along the east wall depicting a man playing a [[mandolin]]. Above the chapel is the Chapel Room, also known as the Queen Anne Room, the Priest's Room,<ref name=Dean8>Dean, p.8</ref> and Nevill's Room. It had been two rooms, a state bedroom and [[Antechamber|ante-room]], but was almost totally transformed in the late 19th century into one larger room. A blocked-up door next to the fireplace was thought to have been a [[priest hole]], but is more likely to have been the entrance to the first floor of the house from an external staircase before the wing was restructured, probably in the late 16th century or the early 17th century.<ref name=SMBCbook /> |
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North of the Chapel Room is the Paradise Room, whose name derives from the bed hangings which include embroidered images of [[Adam and Eve]] and their fall from paradise, as well as the use in Tudor times of the name "paradise" for a favourite room, often a bedchamber. This room has panelled walls,<ref name=Dean8 /> and a fireplace with a cupboard on the right hand side. On the other side there is a small recess, which was described in an 1882 newspaper as "a dark passage which is said to lead to some region unknown".<ref>{{cite news |title=Bramhall and the Davenports |work=North Cheshire Herald |date=6 April 1882}}</ref> It is possible that this was a priest's hide, adjacent to the Chapel and Chapel Room. Less romantically, it may, alternatively, have been a [[garderobe]] or privy. This room became associated with sightings of ghosts in the 19th century, and legends of a secret passage that led from the room outside or to the Chapel arose, though no such passages exist.<ref name=Dean9>Dean, p.9</ref> |
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[[File:Bramall withdrawing room.jpg|thumb|left|A 19th-century interpretation of how the Withdrawing Room might have looked in the early 1600s|alt=A large room with an elaborate textured ceiling. The walls are oak-panelled, and there are a number of Davenport family portraits. There is a fireplace on the left, and two large bay windows on the right. There is a chair in the closest window, and there are a few people in the room.]] |
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The largest room on the first floor is the Withdrawing Room, situated above the Great Hall. It has an elaborate plaster ceiling, and the overmantel above the fireplace bears the arms of [[Queen Elizabeth I]].<ref name=SMBCbook /> The frieze of the Withdrawing Room incorporates shields of arms representing marriages of the Davenports. |
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The northern wing of Bramall came to be the service wing with the kitchen, scullery, butler's pantry, dairy and store rooms on the ground floor and the servants' bedrooms in the attic.<ref name=Dean10>Dean, p.10</ref> |
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==Grounds== |
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[[File:Bramall Hall lakes.jpg|thumb|Part of the grounds and lakes|alt=A grassy field with a trail running through it. In the background are trees and a pond.]] |
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The house is set in around {{convert|70|acre|ha}} of parkland,<ref name=SMBCleisure /> only a part of the estate originally attached to the house, which was, at one time, about {{convert|2000|acre|ha}} in extent.<ref name=Dean59 /> The park was used for hunting, and the grounds were home to cattle, deer and horses,<ref name=history>{{cite web |url=http://www.stockport.gov.uk/services/leisureculture/parksandrecreation/parks/bramhallpark/79559/ |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160517171012/http://www.stockport.gov.uk/services/leisureculture/parksandrecreation/parks/bramhallpark/79559/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 May 2016 |title=History |publisher=Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council |access-date=5 April 2010}}</ref> until the 17th century, when it was used as agricultural land. Two water courses run through the park: the [[Micker Brook|Ladybrook]], which, a little beyond the Park, becomes the Micker Brook, before flowing into the River Mersey, and a stream known as the Carr Brook. In the 1880s, Charles Nevill remodelled the grounds in the Romantic Victorian taste, altering the course of the Ladybrook, adding considerably to the trees in the park<ref name=SMBC2005 /> and creating artificial ponds<ref name=SMBC2005 /> The ponds were stocked with [[trout]] (though they are no longer fished),.<ref name=history /><ref>Dean, p.63</ref> In 1888, a new drive was made through the park, a few yards further to the south of the house than the previous drive,<ref name=Dean69 /> and below the East Front of the house Nevill set out terraces.<ref name=Dean70 /> |
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The park is open to the public and features woodland, open grass areas, gardens, a café, a bowling green, and children's play areas.<ref name=SMBCleisure /> |
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==See also== |
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{{portal|Greater Manchester}} |
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*[[Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester]] |
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*[[Listed buildings in Hazel Grove and Bramhall]] |
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==Notes== |
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{{reflist|colwidth=25em}} |
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==References== |
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{{refbegin}} |
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*{{cite book |title=Bramall Hall |publisher=Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council |year=1981}} |
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*{{cite book |last=Ainsworth |first=William Harrison |title=Rookwood |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.285841 |year=1834}} |
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*{{cite book |last=Dean |first=E. Barbara |title=Bramall Hall: The Story of an Elizabethan Manor House |year=1977 |publisher=Recreation & Culture Division, Metropolitan Borough Council of Stockport |location=Stockport |isbn=0-905164-06-7}} |
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*{{cite book |last=Emery |first=Anthony |title=Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300–1500 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-521-58131-8}} |
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*{{cite book |last=Riley |first=Peter |title=Bramall Hall and the Davenport Family |year=2006 |publisher=P & D Riley |location=Cheshire |isbn=978-1-874712-51-0}} |
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*{{cite book |editor-last=Williams |editor-first=Ann |year=2003 |title=Domesday Book: A Complete Translation |publisher=Penguin Classics |isbn=0-14-143994-7}} |
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{{refend}} |
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==Further reading== |
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{{refbegin}} |
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*{{Citation |last=Hartwell |first=Claire |last2=Hyde |first2=Matthew |last3=Hubbard |first3=Edward | author3-link=Edward Hubbard |last4=Pevsner |first4=Nikolaus | author4-link =Nikolaus Pevsner |series=The Buildings of England |title=Cheshire |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |year=2011| orig-year=1971 |location=New Haven and London |pages=173–178 |isbn=978-0-300-17043-6}} |
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{{refend}} |
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==External links== |
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{{Commons category}} |
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*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080120000221/http://gennotes.150m.com/davenport.html Genealogy of the Davenports] |
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*{{NHLE|num=1260476}} |
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*[http://www.cvma.ac.uk/jsp/location.do?locationKey=565&mode=COUNTY Information about the stained glass from the Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) of Great Britain] |
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{{featured article}} |
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{{Museums and galleries in Greater Manchester}} |
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{{Buildings and structures in Stockport Borough}} |
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[[Category:Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester]] |
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[[Category:Country houses in Greater Manchester]] |
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[[Category:Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport]] |
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[[Category:Historic house museums in Greater Manchester]] |
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[[Category:Tourist attractions in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport]] |
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[[Category:Hall houses]] |
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[[Category:Culture in Stockport]] |
Latest revision as of 17:23, 29 April 2024
Bramall Hall | |
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![]() Bramall Hall from the west, the side of the main entrance, showing the courtyard and the north and south wings. The Great Hall is in the centre. | |
General information | |
Architectural style | Tudor |
Town or city | Bramhall, Greater Manchester |
Country | England |
Coordinates | 53°22′26″N 2°10′00″W / 53.3740°N 2.1666°W |
Construction started | 14th century |
Technical details | |
Structural system | Timber framed |
Website | |
Bramall Hall – Stockport Council | |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Official name | Bramall Hall |
Designated | 9 August 1966 |
Reference no. | 1260476 |
Bramall Hall is a largely Tudor manor house in Bramhall, Greater Manchester, England. The building is timber-framed and its oldest parts date from the 14th century, with additions from the 16th and 19th centuries. The house functions as a museum and its 70 acres (28 ha) of landscaped parkland (Bramhall Park) are open to the public.
The manor of Bramall was first described in the Domesday Book in 1086, when it was held by the Massey family. From the late 14th century, it was owned by the Davenports, who built the present house and remained lords of the manor for about 500 years. In 1877, they sold the estate of nearly 2,000 acres (810 ha) to the Manchester Freeholders' Company, a property company formed to exploit the estate's potential for residential building development. The hall and a residual park of over 50 acres (20 ha) was sold on by the Freeholders to the Nevill family of successful industrialists.
In 1925, it was purchased by John Henry Davies and then, in 1935, acquired by Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council. Following a local government reorganisation in 1974, Bramall Hall is now owned by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, which describes it as "the most prestigious and historically significant building in the Bramhall Park Conservation Area."[1]
History
Early history
The name "Bramall" means "nook of land where broom grows" and is derived from the Old English noun brōm meaning broom, a type of shrub common in the area, and the Old English noun halh, which has several meanings—including nook, secret place and valley—that could refer to Bramall.[2] The manor of Bramall dates from the Anglo-Saxon period, when it was held as two separate estates owned by the Anglo-Saxon freemen Brun and Hacun.[3] The manor was devastated during William the Conqueror's Harrying of the North.[4] After William subdued the north-west of England, the land was divided among his followers and Bramall was given to Hamon de Massey in around 1070.[3]
The earliest reference to Bramall was recorded in the Domesday Book as "Bramale" at which time the manor was part of the Hamestan Hundred in Cheshire. With Cheadle and Norbury, Bramall was one of three places described in the Domesday Book that today lie within the modern-day Metropolitan Borough of Stockport.[1] While its value was 32 shillings before 1066, it was worth only 5 shillings by 1086.[5]
In the first part of the 12th century, the manor passed from the second Baron of Dunham Massey to Matthew de Bromale. According to Dean, Matthew's father is said to have founded the de Bromale family, naming himself after the manor, and he may have been related to or a follower of the de Masseys. He may have also held the manor at some point. The de Bromales held the manor until 1370 when Alice de Bromale married John de Davenport, and so the estate came to be held by the Davenport family until the late 19th century.[4]
Early Davenports
![A shield with three crosses of complex form in a triangular pattern. It is surmounted by a man's head with a noose around the neck.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Davenport.gif/170px-Davenport.gif)
The Davenports were a family of significant landowners in the north-west of England whose antecedents can be traced back to the time of the Norman conquest. Orm de Davenport lived close to what is now Marton in Cheshire, and his name derives from the Norman French Dauen-port meaning "the town on the trickling stream", referring to his home on the River Dane.[6] In 1160, the family became responsible for Macclesfield Forest,[7] and in the early 13th century Vivian Davenport became its Grand Sergeant. The family's achievement of arms has, as the crest, a felon's head with a rope around the neck, which is said to represent the family's power over life and death during this period. The Davenports acquired land throughout the area, notably at Wheltrough, Henbury, Woodford and lastly at Bramhall through marriage.[6]
The Davenports held the manor for around 500 years, and it is likely that they built the current house after their accession. The first William Davenport was lord of the manor from 1478 to 1528,[8] and one of the first recorded trustees of Macclesfield Grammar School.[9] It is possible that he was heavily involved in the final battle of the Wars of the Roses at Bosworth and thereby instrumental in gaining the crown for Henry VII,[10] who rewarded him with a pension of 20 marks per year payable for his lifetime.[11] According to Dean, it was during this first William's tenure that Bramall may have been vandalised by a man named Randle Hassall, who destroyed all or part of nine houses and stole the timber. This gives credence to the theory that Bramall was rebuilt, replacing or partially replacing an older building.[9]
The third William Davenport, who succeeded his father of the same name in 1541, took part in what later became known as The Rough Wooing, a series of attacks against Scotland ordered by Henry VIII. He was knighted in Scotland for his efforts at the burning of Edinburgh in May 1544.[12] The fifth William Davenport inherited Bramall in 1585 from his father of the same name, and lived there with his wife Dorothy for over 50 years. The first marriage in Bramall's chapel was recorded in 1599,[13] between William (aged 15), eldest son of the fifth William and Dorothy, and Frances Wilbraham (aged 11).[14] On 22 April 1603, the fifth William Davenport was knighted by James I and VI at Newark (where the king was staying on his journey from Edinburgh to London) and later became the High Sheriff of Cheshire and a commissioner of the Hundred of Macclesfield.[13] During the tenure of the fifth William, many alterations were made to the building, including the addition of a room above the Great Hall (which would later become the Withdrawing Room), and a long gallery.[15] The internal decorations were also updated with additions such as wall paintings and portraits.[16]
The sixth William succeeded his father in 1639 shortly before the English Civil War broke out.[17] He was a Royalist, though said not to have been a particularly dedicated one. Many of his tenants became Parliamentarian soldiers,[18] and over the next three years he had numerous visits from Parliamentarian soldiers, mostly seeking to acquire goods such as horses and weapons for the war, and using the house for quartering soldiers.[19] Bramall was also host to Royalist soldiers, who confiscated some of the Davenport property for use in the war.[20] William Davenport was at one point charged with delinquency, and ordered to pay a fine of £750 (equivalent to £160,000 in 2024),[19][21] and soldiers continued to use Bramall Hall because of its convenience.[22]
Later Davenports
The sixth William was briefly succeeded by his son Peter,[22] who was followed by his son William.[23] William the seventh's son was the eighth William Davenport,[24] and an inventory of his property made shortly after his death in 1706 shows the gallery and gatehouse of Bramall were still intact.[25] His two eldest sons each inherited the estate but both died young and heirless,[24] so the estate passed to their younger brother Warren Davenport. Warren became part of the clergy, and during his tenure at Bramall set up a school close to the entrance of the estate.[26] The tenth and final William Davenport succeeded his father, Warren at the age of four. Many changes were made to the house during his tenure, including the dismantling of the gatehouse side of the courtyard and the long gallery, the latter of which may have been done because of their being considered unsafe.[27] William had no sons, so the estate passed to Salusbury Pryce Humphreys, the husband of his illegitimate daughter Maria.[24]
Humphreys, a naval captain, had married Maria Davenport in 1810, and lived at Bramall Hall long before he succeeded his father-in-law.[24] He became widely respected in the Stockport area, but following his succession to the estate in 1829, there were disputes from other members of the Davenport family who claimed a right to the property.[28] Edmund Davenport, who claimed ancestry from Thomas Davenport, the third son of Peter, unsuccessfully contested the succession in two different courts; Edmund was eventually imprisoned for failing to pay the legal fees.[29] Humphreys was knighted in 1834 for his services, and in 1838 changed his name to Davenport, in an effort to continue the Davenport line.[24] He moved with Maria to Cheltenham in 1841, most likely because living at Bramall had become expensive or because of health concerns. Salusbury died there four years later and was buried in Leckhampton.[30]
Over the next decade, the house was likely to have been let, as Maria Davenport preferred to live elsewhere. Her eldest son, William Davenport, married firstly to Camilla Maria Gatt and then secondly to Diana Handley,[24] who he lived with at Bramall for four years before the estate was passed to him. Maria moved to London where she lived with her youngest son, Charles, and died in 1866.[31] During William's tenure Bramall was regularly visited by members of the public, and the Chapel continued to be used for regular services of worship.[32] However, following his death in 1869, the property was let to Wakefield Christy of Christys & Co Hatting, therefore ending direct involvement from the Davenport family.[33] This occurred because William's son, John, was too young to inherit the estate.[34] John's whereabouts during Christy's seven-year tenure is unknown, though he was shown as a visitor at Bramall in 1871, and in 1874 became the first chairman of the Bramhall School Board. In 1876, shortly before he returned to the house, he was listed as living on Ack Lane in Bramhall.[35]
Later history
![Coloured print of Bramall Hall atop a hill, framed by trees and set in open parkland. A driveway leads up to it on the left side. A stream runs along the bottom of the hill in the valley.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Bramall_by_Francis_Orpen_Morris.jpg/220px-Bramall_by_Francis_Orpen_Morris.jpg)
John Davenport returned to Bramall in 1876 at the age of 25, but on 24 January 1877 it was announced that the estate was to be sold. The furniture was auctioned,[36] while the house itself and rest of the Bramall estate (totalling 1,918 acres (7.8 km2)) was sold to the Freeholders Company Limited, a Manchester property development firm, on 3 August 1877 for £200,000 (about £23.8 million in 2024).[37] According to speculation, the sale was motivated by financial issues and a personal distaste of the building.[38] It remained empty until 1882 when it was purchased by Thomas Nevill, a local industrialist whose wealth came from calico printing, for his son, Charles.[39] While living in the house, Charles Nevill commissioned substantial restoration and remodelling, making the interior more comfortable while retaining most of the building's external features,[40] under the direction of architect George Faulkner Armitage.[41] The landscape of the grounds was redesigned,[42] and a new stable was built along with a west and east lodge, housing the coachman and head gardener respectively.[43][44] Another building, known as Hall Cottage, was also built in the vicinity, and housed the Sidebottom family.[45]
Thomas Nevill, Charles' nephew and adopted son, inherited the estate in 1916,[39] but decided to sell it following financial difficulties after the First World War. In 1923, many items of furniture were auctioned off,[46] but there was no interest in purchase of the house. During that decade rumours arose that Bramall would be dismantled and transported to the United States; this may have been popularised by the autobiography of Kate Douglas Wiggin, which described the author's visit to Bramall in 1890. In 1925, the house was auctioned, with the condition that if no purchaser came forward it would be demolished and the materials sold off.[47] At one point the neighbouring local authority, Stockport County Borough Council, offered to buy the estate, but Nevill rejected their offer as "unacceptable".[48] The auction received no acceptable offers. However, one of those present, John Henry Davies, president of Manchester United, later offered £15,000 (about £1,081,000 in 2024) for the house; this was accepted.[49] He lived in the house until his death in 1927, and his widow Amy remained there until 1935,[39] when she sold it to Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council for £14,360 (worth about £1,259,000 in 2024) with the intention that the house and park be open to the public.[50]
Under council ownership, the house was occupied by a caretaker, though most of the building was open to the public. The house and grounds were used for various functions, such as the proclamation of George VI succeeding his brother King Edward VIII to the throne.[51] At that time, the house was sparsely furnished as the council was unable to afford much furniture.[52] One of the council's earliest projects was the restoration of the chapel, which had fallen out of use towards the end of the 19th century.[53] It was restored to resemble how it would have been when the Davenports were last at Bramall,[54] and a service of consecration was held on 30 October 1938 once the work had been completed.[55] In 1947, an association called the Friends of Bramall Hall was set up, primarily to find furnishings for the house, but also to advertise and assist in the upkeep of the house and grounds. Over the years, many furnishings which had once belonged to the house were returned,[56] including portraits of the occupants. The estate is now the property of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC), which acquired it in 1974, following local government reorganisation.[57]
Present day
![The exterior of a large house. There are several chimneys, leaded windows and wings. In the foreground are two rows of hedges.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Bramall_Hall_2.jpg/220px-Bramall_Hall_2.jpg)
The house and grounds are open to the public and are run by SMBC.[58] Visitors may take an official tour of the house or explore it at their own pace on a self-guided basis. The public is able to wander the grounds freely at all times.[59] Events and club meetings are held in the house and grounds throughout the year,[59] and local schools often visit to experience life in a particular era.[59] The house is licensed for wedding and civil partnership ceremonies,[60] and has been used as a background for television series and films, including Prank Patrol, Cash in the Attic, Coronation Street, The Making of a Lady and The Last Vampyre.[61]
Currently the house is named "Bramall" while the park is named "Bramhall", though there remain some local inconsistencies.[62][63] However, both have been spelt as "Bramhall", "Bramal" and other variations over the years. The Domesday Book used the spelling "Bramale", which led Charles Nevill to prefer "Bramall", a convention maintained by Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council when it acquired the property.[52] Stockport Council consistently refer to the hall as "Bramall" and the park as "Bramhall" respectively.[59][63]
House
![Exterior view of the side of a large black and white building with numerous chimneys. In the foreground are two rows of hedges.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Bramall_Hall%2C_Bramhall%2C_Greater_Manchester%2C_England-11Feb2010.jpg/220px-Bramall_Hall%2C_Bramhall%2C_Greater_Manchester%2C_England-11Feb2010.jpg)
There has been a settlement at Bramhall since Saxon times.[3] According to Alfred Burton, who wrote about Bramhall in the late 19th century, the house has not always been in the present location, and was originally at Crow Holt Wood. This theory was rejected by another historian, Frederick Moorhouse, who became convinced in 1909 that Crow Holt Wood was a place where animals would have been taken to be sorted. There is no conclusive evidence to support either theory.[64] Today the house has stream valleys to its south and east sides. It is a grade I listed building,[41] and the oldest parts date from the late 14th century, with later renovations dating from the 16th and 19th centuries.[1] It was originally accessed from the east side – the drive followed the route of the Ladybrook stream, then uphill towards the chapel on the south side, reaching the courtyard on the other side. The main entrance is now on the side of the courtyard, in the west,[65] because of the restructuring of the drive in 1888.[43] The current layout of the house can clearly be seen from the west side of the building, in the courtyard: the service wing is on the left, the Great Hall is in the centre, and the Banqueting Hall is on the right.[66] Before the 19th century, the courtyard was enclosed by a gatehouse which was taken down between 1774 and 1819,[67][68] because of its being neither required nor in vogue.[27]
![A sketch of the exterior of the side of a large building atop a hill with a tree in the foreground.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Bramall_2.jpg/220px-Bramall_2.jpg)
The house is built with stone foundations, and the main structure is made of oak timbers, joined using mortice and tenon joints, and held in place with oak pegs. Wattle and daub or lath and plaster are used to fill the spaces between the timbers. The black and white appearance from the timber framing construction dates from the Tudor period, though some parts have been repaired in later years.[65]
Ground floor
The Great Hall is the central part of Bramall Hall. As with typical great halls in the Middle Ages, this would have been the room where the business of the house, estate and its villagers was conducted as well as a communal eating room for the household. It was originally an open-roofed, single-storey building,[66] with a fireplace situated in the middle of the floor.[3] It was probably first built around the end of the 14th century when the Davenports became lords of the manor.[68] Towards the end of the 16th century, the Great Hall was substantially rebuilt, and the Withdrawing Room was created above it. A long gallery was also added as a third storey.[16] The history of the gallery is uncertain; it was intact in 1790 but was taken down before 1819,[69] because it was believed to be unsafe.[27] A similar gallery was built at Little Moreton Hall, and it is still intact, causing the lower storeys to buckle under the weight.[15] The Great Hall has a bay window with leaded windows, common throughout the building.[70] William Harrison Ainsworth wrote about a right of way through the Great Hall, in his 1834 novel Rookwood. He described how a traveller could pass through the Great Hall, and be entertained and sometimes refreshed. He described Bramall as "[the] best specimen of its class ... its class, in our opinion, is the best ... to be met with in Cheshire".[71] No evidence exists for any such right of way. According to another tale, food from the buttery hatch was given to the poor who congregated outside.[70]
![A large room with an arched roof, with the timbers visible. Some people are sitting at a table, and others are standing.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Bramall_banqueting_room.jpg/220px-Bramall_banqueting_room.jpg)
The Lesser Hall leads off the southern end of the Great Hall. Its walls are panelled with oak, and the timbers that the ceiling is constructed of are decorated with cross and rose shapes dating from the Victorian era. The Banqueting Hall, which leads off the Lesser Hall to the west,[72] is believed by Dean to be the oldest part of the house. Its northern wall is possibly the oldest part of the house, not having been renovated like the rest of the courtyard walls.[70] The Nevills used this room as a billiards room.[3] The chapel, opposite the Banqueting Hall, was the only place of public worship in Bramhall until the 19th century.[73] Its existence was first recorded in 1541, when it was referred to in the will of the second William Davenport.[3] It fell into disrepair after its closure between 1869 and 1890, and was restored by Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council, following its purchase of the property in 1935, and religious services began to be held there again. On the north wall are unglazed windows which face the wall of the Library, showing that the south wing was once separate from the Great Hall. The Ten Commandments are written on the west wall. Underneath the Commandments, an older, pre-Reformation Passion painting, is visible. Such depictions were banned during the Reformation, and whitewashed over. It was not until the 20th century that efforts were made to restore Passion paintings, but very little of this particular painting survives.[73]
First floor
![A postcard depicting a building and a path leading up to it. Smoke rises from a chimney on the structure.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Bramallhall1819.jpg/220px-Bramallhall1819.jpg)
The Ballroom, also known as the Upper Banqueting Hall, has an arched roof and according to Dean likely dates from the 16th century. It contains rare 16th-century wall murals, including one which according to Dean may depict the nursery rhyme "Ride a cock horse", and another along the east wall depicting a man playing a mandolin. Above the chapel is the Chapel Room, also known as the Queen Anne Room, the Priest's Room,[74] and Nevill's Room. It had been two rooms, a state bedroom and ante-room, but was almost totally transformed in the late 19th century into one larger room. A blocked-up door next to the fireplace was thought to have been a priest hole, but is more likely to have been the entrance to the first floor of the house from an external staircase before the wing was restructured, probably in the late 16th century or the early 17th century.[3]
North of the Chapel Room is the Paradise Room, whose name derives from the bed hangings which include embroidered images of Adam and Eve and their fall from paradise, as well as the use in Tudor times of the name "paradise" for a favourite room, often a bedchamber. This room has panelled walls,[74] and a fireplace with a cupboard on the right hand side. On the other side there is a small recess, which was described in an 1882 newspaper as "a dark passage which is said to lead to some region unknown".[75] It is possible that this was a priest's hide, adjacent to the Chapel and Chapel Room. Less romantically, it may, alternatively, have been a garderobe or privy. This room became associated with sightings of ghosts in the 19th century, and legends of a secret passage that led from the room outside or to the Chapel arose, though no such passages exist.[76]
![A large room with an elaborate textured ceiling. The walls are oak-panelled, and there are a number of Davenport family portraits. There is a fireplace on the left, and two large bay windows on the right. There is a chair in the closest window, and there are a few people in the room.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Bramall_withdrawing_room.jpg/220px-Bramall_withdrawing_room.jpg)
The largest room on the first floor is the Withdrawing Room, situated above the Great Hall. It has an elaborate plaster ceiling, and the overmantel above the fireplace bears the arms of Queen Elizabeth I.[3] The frieze of the Withdrawing Room incorporates shields of arms representing marriages of the Davenports.
The northern wing of Bramall came to be the service wing with the kitchen, scullery, butler's pantry, dairy and store rooms on the ground floor and the servants' bedrooms in the attic.[77]
Grounds
![A grassy field with a trail running through it. In the background are trees and a pond.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Bramall_Hall_lakes.jpg/220px-Bramall_Hall_lakes.jpg)
The house is set in around 70 acres (28 ha) of parkland,[58] only a part of the estate originally attached to the house, which was, at one time, about 2,000 acres (810 ha) in extent.[37] The park was used for hunting, and the grounds were home to cattle, deer and horses,[42] until the 17th century, when it was used as agricultural land. Two water courses run through the park: the Ladybrook, which, a little beyond the Park, becomes the Micker Brook, before flowing into the River Mersey, and a stream known as the Carr Brook. In the 1880s, Charles Nevill remodelled the grounds in the Romantic Victorian taste, altering the course of the Ladybrook, adding considerably to the trees in the park[1] and creating artificial ponds[1] The ponds were stocked with trout (though they are no longer fished),.[42][78] In 1888, a new drive was made through the park, a few yards further to the south of the house than the previous drive,[43] and below the East Front of the house Nevill set out terraces.[44]
The park is open to the public and features woodland, open grass areas, gardens, a café, a bowling green, and children's play areas.[58]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d e "Bramhall Park (2005)". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
- ^ Mills, A.D. (2003). A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-852758-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
- ^ a b Dean, p.14
- ^ Williams (ed., 2003), pp.729, 1318.
- ^ a b Dean, p.15
- ^ Riley, p.6
- ^ Dean, p.16
- ^ a b Dean, p.17
- ^ Riley, p.16
- ^ Riley, p.17
- ^ Dean, p.18
- ^ a b Dean, p.21
- ^ Riley, p.21
- ^ a b Riley, p.22
- ^ a b Dean, p.22
- ^ Dean, p.24
- ^ Riley, p.25
- ^ a b Riley, p.27
- ^ Dean, p.26
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ a b Dean, p.27
- ^ Dean, p.28
- ^ a b c d e f Riley, p.28
- ^ Dean, p.30
- ^ Dean, p.33
- ^ a b c Dean, p.34
- ^ Dean, p.39
- ^ Dean, p.40
- ^ Dean, p.43
- ^ Dean, p.44
- ^ Dean, p.45
- ^ Dean, p.49
- ^ Dean, p.46
- ^ Dean, p.47
- ^ Dean, p.54
- ^ a b Dean, p.59
- ^ Dean, p.58
- ^ a b c Riley, p.29
- ^ Dean, pp.64–69
- ^ a b Historic England. "Bramall Hall (Grade I) (1260476)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ a b c "History". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 17 May 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
- ^ a b c Dean, p.69
- ^ a b Dean, p.70
- ^ Dean, pp.70–71
- ^ Dean, p.79
- ^ Dean, p.80
- ^ Dean, p.81
- ^ Dean, p.82
- ^ Dean, p.86
- ^ Dean, p.87
- ^ a b Dean, p.88
- ^ Dean, p.89
- ^ Dean, p.90
- ^ Dean, p.92
- ^ Dean, p.95
- ^ Dean, p.100
- ^ a b c "Leisure, parks and attractions". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Bramhall Hall". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "Weddings". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "TV & Film". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
- ^ Riley, pp.5–6
- ^ a b "Bramhall Park". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ Dean, p.11
- ^ a b Dean, p.3
- ^ a b Dean, p.5
- ^ Riley, p.7
- ^ a b Emery, p.515
- ^ Dean, p.35
- ^ a b c Dean, p.4
- ^ Ainsworth, p.31
- ^ Dean, p.6
- ^ a b Dean, p.7
- ^ a b Dean, p.8
- ^ "Bramhall and the Davenports". North Cheshire Herald. 6 April 1882.
- ^ Dean, p.9
- ^ Dean, p.10
- ^ Dean, p.63
References
- Bramall Hall. Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. 1981.
- Ainsworth, William Harrison (1834). Rookwood.
- Dean, E. Barbara (1977). Bramall Hall: The Story of an Elizabethan Manor House. Stockport: Recreation & Culture Division, Metropolitan Borough Council of Stockport. ISBN 0-905164-06-7.
- Emery, Anthony (2000). Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300–1500. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-58131-8.
- Riley, Peter (2006). Bramall Hall and the Davenport Family. Cheshire: P & D Riley. ISBN 978-1-874712-51-0.
- Williams, Ann, ed. (2003). Domesday Book: A Complete Translation. Penguin Classics. ISBN 0-14-143994-7.
Further reading
- Hartwell, Claire; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, pp. 173–178, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
External links
- Genealogy of the Davenports
- Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1260476)". National Heritage List for England.
- Information about the stained glass from the Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) of Great Britain