Site Event/Activity record ECH6344 - Walton Hall- Research and Recording

Walton Hall is the ancestral home of the Greenall family (later Lord Daresbury). The grounds around the hall today are a public park and golf course. Basically they remain much as they were in 1941 when the estate was broken up and Warrington purchased the hall and surrounding land. Principal remaining features Walton Hall - the principal building Conservatory Stables Piggeries Retaining wall, sandstone balustrades and steps between lawns east of Walton Hall2 Sandstone boundary wall Terraces Pond Rockery Walton Hall Lodge (now lodge to crematorium) Gates, gatepiers and screens at Walton Hall Lodge Description (numbers in brackets refer to site photographs) The estate sits on the east-west sandstone escarpment which crosses much of north Cheshire. The escarpment slopes down northwards to the Mersey valley. The view from the estate is to the north over Warrington. The main lodge (11) to the estate is situated on the A56 Warrington to Chester Road. It is now the entrance to the crematorium and is still in use although in need of repair. The drive past the crematorium is straight and, according to the 1910 OS map, always has been straight and tree-lined. Some trees remain. This area was originally parkland but has been re-landscaped in order to create gardens and memorials related to the crematorium. The driveway meets Walton Lea Road, formerly a service road to the hall, and then crosses the Bridgewater Canal (13). According to the Tithe map (Map 2), when the hall was first built, the drive continued more or less straight up to the hall. However this was altered to create a meandering drive so providing a scenic route through the parkland and up to the hall. Today this area is dedicated to families, having playgrounds, crazy golf, open grassland and a small-animal zoo. Some of the trees have been removed to make way for this development but the basic layout remains. In this section of the parkland a sandstone column may be seen. It was one of the rubbing posts used by the Kerry cattle kept by the Greenalls (15). Another has been destroyed. Behind the zoo is the back lodge, now a private residence (12). Also behind the zoo are the former piggeries, now used as a shooting range. The view from the hall overlooks the conservatory (14) and associated greenhouses, now derelict. However, a grant has been awarded from the Heritage Lottery Fund and there are plans to renovate/rebuild the conservatory and some of the greenhouses. A small ha-ha ran from the conservatory area up towards the hall where it met the balustrade around the terraced gardens to the east of the hall. This would have been to keep the cattle to the parkland area (9). Remains of a gate may be seen at the point where the drive meets the ha-ha (16). On the east side of the hall is the terraced garden which used to have beds of flowers. Now it is lawn. The sandstone balustrade to the east of this garden remains (17) and was repaired over the winter of 2015/2016 but the section which ran east-west at the south end of the garden has been removed. To the south-west of the hall lie the formal gardens. These are retained but not to the original design, as they have been simplified over the years. Some original hard landscaping features may also still be seen such as gate piers, terraces, steps and paths. In the 1970s it was deemed necessary to demolish parts of the hall, leaving only the east wing and the clock tower. A large part of the south-facing hall was lost and consequently the gardens were extended in this area and a driveway added to allow access from the west side of the estate. The greenhouses which formerly served the original kitchen garden remained until late in the twentieth century. This area has recently been developed into a car park for functions at the hall. The wall against which the greenhouses leaned is still there but is covered in ivy. Next to this are the remains of the boiler house which heated the greenhouses. To the west of the formal gardens there are shrubs and former “dell” areas. Pathways meander through these, northwards, past the hall and down to the formal pond (19) alongside which runs the main drive from the hall towards the former stabling and shippon area. These buildings are currently used by Council staff and the public. The original parkland to the west and south of the hall is now used as a golf course. At the southern boundary of the parkland, adjoining Park Lane, was the site of the kennels for the hounds, along with the house which was presumably for the master of the hounds. The original house remains and is now privately owned. The estate is mostly enclosed by a sandstone wall which is fairly intact although trees and, occasionally, vehicles have caused sections to collapse.