Brimstage Hall and Tower
| Brimstage Hall and Tower | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 53°20′12″N 3°02′47″W / 53.336602°N 3.046332°W |
| Built | c. 1398 |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Designated | 27 December 1962 |
| Reference no. | 1183702 |
Brimstage Hall and Tower is a
History
The exact date of the site's construction is unknown as well as its original purpose, however estimates suggest it was built some time between 1175 and 1350 and contained a moat with high embankments. Sir Hugh Hulse and his wife Marjory are recorded as the hall's first occupants with documents showing the granting of permission for the construction of a tower on 11 February 1398.[3][4]
In 1432, the estate was inherited by the Troutbeck family, with Sir William Troutbeck occupying Brimstage Hall and later dying in the
Cheshire Cat
In a vaulted chamber at the base of the tower, which was possibly used as a chapel, there is a roughly-cut corbel which resembles a smiling cat, although it may actually be a red lion rampant.
In his memoirs, Lewis Carroll wrote that he "saw a Cheshire cat with a gigantic smile at Brimstage carved into the wall". This is therefore believed to be the inspiration for the Cheshire Cat character in his book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.[5][6]
References
- ^ "Brimstage Hall and Tower". Historic England. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ "SJ3082 : Brimstage Hall and Tower". Geograph Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ "History". brimstagehall.co.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ "Villages of The Wirral Part 1". historyofwallasey.co.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ "Brimstage". Cheshire Now. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ "Brimstage Hall, Cheshire, England". Geni. Retrieved 30 August 2020.