Scheduled Monument: Tabley Old Hall Moated Site And Gatehouse. (1012354)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Tabley Old Hall moated site and gatehouse. PARISH: TABLEY INFERIOR DISTRICT: MACCLESFIELD COUNTY: CHESHIRE NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 13494 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SJ71987737 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument is the moated site of Tabley Old Hall. It lies upon what was formerly a peninsula protruding into Tabley Mere. This was modified by the cutting of a channel on the north-west side, thus creating an island with the mere acting as a substantial moat. The island covers some 0.5ha and contains much of the north and east walls of the old hall together with fragments of internal walls. Rubble lies over a large area both within and around the ruin. Close to the south-eastern corner of the island are the sandstone foundations of a chapel. A flight of steps leads from the island's northeastern corner to the mere, a wall runs along much of the north-western edge of the island and a fallen sundial indicates a former garden area to the west of the ruin. There are traces of an old boat house on the island's south-west side. The waterlogged channel separating the island from the mainland is some 18m wide x 1.5m deep. A gatehouse to the former footbridge stands on the mainland opposite the island's northern corner. It is included in the scheduling. Access to the island is presently by a bridge of tree trunks laid side to side. Tabley Old Hall was built on this site c.1380, replacing an earlier manor house nearby. In the 16th century alterations were made to the hall and in the latter half of the 17th century the timber and plaster house was encased in brick on three sides. About this time the chapel was built and a tower added in 1724. Further additions took place in the 19th century. Parts of the hall collapsed in 1927 and the building was subsequently abandoned and the chapel taken down. The ruins of Tabley Old Hall are Listed Grade II*. These ruins are included in the scheduling as they may include medieval fabric. Moreover, any works on them would disturb underlying archaeological remains. The access bridge is excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath it is included. 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. Tabley Old Hall is an unusual example of this class of monument. A natural feature - in this case a peninsula protruding into a mere - was modified to create a moated site. The effort required was minimal but the result strikingly effective. The island will contain evidence of the medieval and later phases of Tabley Old Hall beneath the present late 17th-century ruin and remains of the chapel finally dismantled in the 1920s. MONUMENT INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE ON 24th September 1992