Building record 1582/1/1 - Adlington Hall

Adlington Hall,Mill Lane. Developed from a large moated manor house to an L-shaped plan & finally to a courtyard layout. Great Hall finished 1505 for Thomas Legh I,E range and porch added 1581 for Thomas Legh III,major renovations of N range between 1665-70 for Thomas Legh IV,S range of 1757 & W range of 1740 & 1761 for Charles Legh,both partly demolished & altered 1928. Partly timber framed & partly brick of 2 periods,all with a stone-slate roof. N front - irregular bond brick with stone quoins,encases early manor house. Irregular front of 2 x 3 storeys and 6 gables. E front - timber framed on rubble stone plinth. Close studding with middle rail & herring boning. Ovolo-moulded & mullioned & transomed windows. S front - 2 & 3 storey symmetrical 13-bay front. Giant unfluted Ionic retrastyle portico with plain pillars on octagonal pedestals. W front - mainly demolished but a screen wall rebuilt using elements seen on S front. Courtyard - N side has late C17 large rebated chamfered stone mullioned & transomed windows to hall & former solar. Projecting 2-storey timber framed porch to screen's passage has long inscription of 1581. Int: N range - screens passage shows massive panelled octagonal posts of original spere truss & some ogee-headed panelling. In hall within spere truss is a fine organ & organ gallery of c.1670. Great Hall has hammer beam roof & coving over dias end. N range has good staircase c.1670 (1). Moat now filled in,but part was visible to Butterworth. He suggests the remainder was probably filled in during the enlargement of the house in 1757 (2). Ormerod mentions the domestic chapel in the SE front angle of the hall. This chapel originated in a licence for the celebration of divine service within the manor in 1398 (3). In 1936 the chapel was transferred to the N range (4).

<1> Department of the Environment, 1971-2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, /3/15 (Report). SCH1934.

<2> Angus-Butterworth, LM, 1932, Old Cheshire Families and their Seats, /108 (Book). SCH2321.

<3> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, Ormerod G 1882 3/663 (Book). SCH1389.

<4> Pevsner N & Hubbard E, 1971, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, /54-56 (Book). SCH3078.

<5> Wilson D et al, 1973-1986, Moated Sites Research Group Records (Paper Archive). SCH2205.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ98SW2/1962 (Index). SCH2487.

<7> IPC Media, 1897-Present, Country Life, 18,76,108,112 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH993.

<8> Earwaker, J P, 1877-1880, East Cheshire Past & Present, 2/1880/246 (Y) (Book). SCH1080.

<9> de Figueiredo P & Treuherz J, 1988, Cheshire Country Houses, /15-20 (Book). SCH785.

<10> Higham N J, 1984-9, Professor Nick Higham's Aerial Photographs, 1988/1/1/3 (Aerial Photograph). SCH7659.