Scheduled Monument: Bradlegh Old Hall Moated Site And Fishpond (1011885)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bradlegh Old Hall moated site and fishpond PARISH: BURTONWOOD DISTRICT: WARRINGTON COUNTY: WARRINGTON NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 13479 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SJ57169386 SJ57069388 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument is the moated site of Bradlegh Old Hall and its fishpond. The site includes a rectangular island c.58m x 52m upon which stands Bradlegh Old Hall and its outbuildings, a 15th century sandstone gatehouse through which the driveway passes to the Hall, and well tended lawns and shrubs. Surrounding the island is a waterlogged moat averaging c.12-14m wide x 1.4m deep. Water feeds into the W arm via a pipe and exits by an outlet pipe in the E arm. Along the W half of the N arm the outer scarp has been given a shallower batter to measure c.25m across at this point. Access to the island is across the N arm via a modern causeway leading to the gatehouse that replaced an earlier stone bridge. A short distance to the W of the moat is a narrow Lshaped fishpond - its N arm measuring c.60m long x 8m wide, and its W arm measuring c.30m long x 8m wide before opening out at its S end into a subrectangular dry hollow c.20m x 14m x 1.5m deep. Bradlegh Old Hall was originally a 15th century moated manor house of which only the gatehouse and moat remain. The present building is late 16th century incorporating earlier features. The hall and gatehouse are both Listed Buildings Grade II. Bradlegh Old Hall, its outbuildings and service pipes; the gatehouse, driveway and sandstone flanking walls the modern causeway; the moat inlet and outlet pipes; an oil storage tank, all fences, flagged areas, and an ornate timber feature on the E lawn, are all excluded from the scheduling. The ground beneath all these features, however, is included. The monument includes two separate protected areas. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE Around 6,000 moated sites are known in England. They consist of wide ditches, often or seasonally water-filled, partly or completely enclosing one or more islands of dry ground on which stood domestic or religious buildings. In some cases the islands were used for horticulture. The majority of moated sites served as prestigious aristocratic and seigneurial residences with the provision of a moat intended as a status symbol rather than a practical military defence. The peak period during which moated sites were built was between about 1250 and 1350 and by far the greatest concentration lies in central and eastern parts of England. However, moated sites were built throughout the medieval period, are widely scattered throughout England and exhibit a high level of diversity in their forms and sizes. They form a significant class of medieval monument and are important for the understanding of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside. Many examples provide conditions favourable to the survival of organic remains. The monument is a well preserved example of the site of a late medieval moated manor house. The monument retains its original 15th century gateway and considerable evidence of the original Bradlegh Old Hall will survive beneath the present house and gardens. Additionally the waterlogged moat and fishpond will preserve organic material. MONUMENT INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE ON 28th November 1991