Bramall Hall, Manchester: Tudor Manor House

Bramall Hall is a superb example of a Tudor Manor House with origins dating back to the Middle Ages.

The building is timber-framed and its oldest parts date from the 14th century, with additions from the 16th and 19th centuries.

The house functions as a museum and its 70 acres of landscaped parkland are open to the public.

The Hall, one of the most beautiful treasures of England, is of great national importance.

The magnificent 16th Century wall paintings, striking Elizabethan plaster ceiling, the Victorian Kitchens and Servants’ Quarters give this Hall its unique charm.

The manor of Bramall was first described in the Domesday Book in 1086, when it was held by the Massey family.

From the late 14th century, it was owned by the Davenports, who built the present house and remained lords of the manor for about 500 years.

In 1877, they sold the estate of nearly 2,000 acres to the Manchester Freeholders' Company, a property company formed to exploit the estate's potential for residential building development.

In, 1935, it was sold to Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council for £14,360 (worth about £1,061,000 in 2024) with the intention that the house and park be open to the public.

The Great Hall is the central part of Bramall Hall.

As with typical great halls in the Middle Ages, this would have been the room where the business of the house, estate and its villagers was conducted as well as a communal eating room for the household.

It was originally an open-roofed, single-storey building, with a fireplace situated in the middle of the floor.

It was probably first built around the end of the 14th century when the Davenports became lords of the manor.

The Lesser Hall leads off the southern end of the Great Hall.

Its walls are panelled with oak, and the timbers that the ceiling is constructed of are decorated with cross and rose shapes dating from the Victorian era.

The Banqueting Hall, which leads off the Lesser Hall to the west, is believed by Dean to be the oldest part of the house.

Its northern wall is possibly the oldest part of the house, not having been renovated like the rest of the courtyard walls.

The largest room on the first floor is the Withdrawing Room, situated above the Great Hall.

It has an elaborate plaster ceiling, and the overmantel above the fireplace bears the arms of Queen Elizabeth I.

The frieze of the Withdrawing Room incorporates shields of arms representing marriages of the Davenports.

The northern wing of Bramall came to be the service wing with the kitchen, scullery, butler's pantry, dairy and store rooms on the ground floor and the servants' bedrooms in the attic.

The Ballroom, also known as the Upper Banqueting Hall, has an arched roof and according to Dean likely dates from the 16th century.

It contains rare 16th-century wall murals, including one which according to Dean may depict the nursery rhyme "Ride a cock horse", and another along the east wall depicting a man playing a mandolin.

Above the chapel is the Chapel Room, also known as the Queen Anne Room, the Priest's Room, and Nevill's Room.

A blocked-up door next to the fireplace was thought to have been a priest hole.

However, it is more likely to have been the entrance to the first floor of the house from an external staircase before the wing was restructured, probably in the late 16th century or the early 17th century.

The Hall offers unique insights into the families and servants who lived and worked here.

It stands in about 70 acres of parkland designed in the Victorian Romantic style.

The park was used for hunting, and the grounds were home to cattle, deer and horses, until the 17th century, when it was used as agricultural land.

Today, the park is open to the public and features woodland, open grass areas, gardens, a café, a bowling green, and children's play areas.

Someone who recently visited the hall said: “Bramhall hall really excels as a historic house to visit.

”It is deceiving in that it is alot bigger than expected. We probably spent more time in this house than in any we have previously visited and you definitely get your money's worth.

”It is so great to have both guides and the interactive screens which play really informative videos about the history of each room.

”The house itself is really beautiful and has some really special, unique features. The Christmas decorations were wonderful and festive and really added to the experience.

”You can really appreciate the hard work that has been put into making a visit a memorable experience.”

This magnificent structure is also Grade 1 listed.

A building is listed when it is of special architectural or historic interest considered to be of national importance and therefore worth protecting.

Tickets cost around £6 per adult and can be purchased online in advance.

If you’d like to visit, the address is: Hall Rd, Bramhall, Stockport SK7 3NX.

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