Gainsborough Old Hall, Lincolnshire: Medieval Manor House

Gainsborough Old Hall in Lincolnshire is more than 500 years old.

It's one of the best preserved medieval manor houses in England, featuring an impressive medieval kitchen with an enormous fireplace and great hall built in 1460.

The medieval kitchen is one of the largest and most complete to survive from the Middle Ages.

Meanwhile, the Great Hall, featuring an ornate wooden ceiling, is another impressive room, was built by Sir Thomas Burgh in 1460.

Now owned by English Heritage, Gainsborough is available to visit for just £9 per adult.

The Burghs were rich, flamboyant and powerful - Gainsborough Old Hall was not only their home, but also a demonstration of their wealth and importance.

Burgh was a benefactor to Newark Church and also the founder of the Chantry and Alms House at Gainsborough.

In 1470, the manor was attacked by Sir Robert Welles over a clash about lands, status, and honour, but it was not severely damaged.

In 1484, Thomas entertained King Richard III in his hall, pictured below.

Henry VIII intended to raise Thomas to the pre-eminence of a Barony, but no second writ was issued, nor was a patent.

In 1510, Thomas Burgh's son, Edward Burgh, 2nd Baron Burgh, was incarcerated at the Old Hall after being declared a lunatic, never having attended the House of Lords.

He died in 1528, leaving his eldest son Sir Thomas as head of the family.

Henry VIII visited Gainsborough twice: once in 1509, and again in 1541 with his fifth wife, Queen Catherine Howard.

The Queen was accused of indiscretions at Gainsborough, and she was later executed.

Catherine Parr, by this time widowed twice (Edward Burgh having died in 1533), became Henry's sixth wife.

When Thomas, the fifth Lord Burgh, died without an heir, the Hall was sold in 1596 to William Hickman, a merchant from London, who made many improvements, especially to the east wing.

William and his mother Rose supported John Smyth and the Separatist movement, and allowed them to meet and worship in the hall from 1603 until they sailed to the low countries to find religious freedom and establish the Baptist movement.

The Hickman family continued to play a prominent role in the development of Gainsborough, and many became local members of Parliament.

Sir Neville Hickman invited John Wesley to preach in the Great Hall several times in 1759, and in 1761 and 1764.

In 1720, a new house was built at Thonock on the edge of the town and the Old Hall became unoccupied. It remained in the family and was used for a variety of purposes.

Architecturally, the Old Hall has changed very little over the years.

It is principally a timber framed building, giving a characteristic 'striped' or 'black and white' appearance. On the north-east corner is a brick tower.

A splendid view of the town is available after a fifty-nine-step climb to the top.

Today, the Hall with its elaborate timber roof survives, with a kitchen which is possibly the most complete medieval kitchen in England.

The kitchen still contains many original features, including two open fireplaces, each large enough to roast an ox, and two bread ovens served by a third chimney.

The tower of the Old Hall is supposedly haunted by the Grey Lady, thought to be the daughter of the Lord of the Manor, who fell in love with a poor soldier and planned to elope with him.

Her father discovered the plan and locked her away in the tower, where she died from a broken heart.

According to local legend, the girl's spirit still wanders the tower, endlessly waiting for her lover to arrive.

The house was looked after from 1949 by a volunteer group, The Friends of the Old Hall (FOHA), who saved the building and first opened it to the public.

Kitchens in the Middle Ages

In simpler homes where there were no chimneys, the medieval kitchen consisted of a stone hearth in the center of the room.

This was not only where the cooking took place, but also the source of central heating. In peasant families, the wife did the cooking and baking.

The peasant diet consisted of breads, vegetables from their own gardens, dairy products from their own sheep, goats, and cows, and pork from their own livestock.

Often the true taste of their meat, salted and used throughout the year, was masked by the addition of herbs, leftover breads, and vegetables.

Some vegetables, such as cabbages, leeks, and onions became known as "pot-herbs."

This pottage was a staple of the peasant diet.

The kitchens of manor houses and castles had big fireplaces where meat, even large oxen, could be roasted on spits.

These kitchens were usually in separate buildings, to minimise the threat of fire.

Pantries were hung with birds and beasts, including swans, blackbirds, ducks, pigeons, rabbits, mutton, venison, and wild boar.

Many of these animals were caught on hunts.

Today, Gainsborough Hall is now owned by English Heritage and is open to the public as a museum.

According to reviews on TripAdvisor, a visit to Gainsborough is highly recommend.

Once recent visitor said: “Another visit to Gainsborough Old Hall, this time we had a guided tour around the Hall.

”Our guide was excellent and told us so much more about the Hall's history and the people who lived there for the centuries since it was built in 1460.

”It really is a hidden gem in Lincolnshire and is worth while making the effort to go.

”We were also fortunate to observe the experience that young schoolchildren gained from dressing up in period costumes.

”We were able to examine the costumes after the children had move on and were amazed at the workmanship in creating such garments.”

To book your tickets, visit the English Heritage website.

You don’t need to book your ticket in advance, but you will always get the best price and guaranteed entry by booking online ahead of your visit.

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