Chorley Old Hall
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Chorley Old Hall is a moated manor house on the A535 road to the southwest of Alderley Edge, Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ837782). The house is a Grade I listed building[1] and the moated site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[2] It is the oldest inhabited country house in Cheshire and consists of two ranges, one medieval (built around 1330) and the other Elizabethan (built in the mid-16th century).[2]
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[edit] History
The original part of the house was built around 1330 by Robert de Chorley. By 1523 the house was owned by the Davenport family and during the mid-16th century they constructed a half-timbered house adjoining the existing building's north-western corner. In the early 17th century the house was owned by the Stanley family who carried out alterations around 1640 and built a bridge across the moat. The two houses were joined by a brick link in the late 18th or the early 19th century. In 1915 the house was fully restored and further renovations were carried out in 1975.[2]
[edit] Structure
The house is L-shaped with a south and west ranges. The south range is the oldest part, which is built in buff sandstone rubble with some later ashlar and brick. It has a Kerridge stone-slate roof and a stone chimney. The range is in two storeys and has three bays, each with a gable. In the upper storey of each bay is a five-light window, in the lower storey of the left bay is a four-light window and in the lower storey of the right bay is a six-light window. All these windows are stone and are mullioned and transomed. In the middle bay is an arched doorway. The timberwork in each gable is different; in the left bay it is heavy with close studding and a middle rail, in the middle bay the timberwork is light, and in the right bay it is herringbone. The west range is timber framed on a stone plinth with a Kerridge stone-slate roof, a stone ridge and a massive lateral stone chimney. It has two storeys and two bays with a central gable. In the left bay is a five-light window in each storey and the right bay has a four-light window in the upper storey with a door in the lower storey. All these windows are wooden, mullioned and transomed. The timber decoration consists of chevrons on the ground floor, and roundels and cross motifs above.[1]
[edit] Surroundings
The house is surrounded by a moat which widens at the northeast corner where there are two ornamental islands. South of the moat are fishponds.[2] The bridge over the moat, and the gate piers and wing walls to the bridge are listed Grade II.[3][4]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Images of England: Chorley Old Hall. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
- ^ a b c d Pastscape: Chorley Old Hall. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
- ^ Images of England: Bridge over moat. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
- ^ Images of England: Gate piers and wing walls. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
