Speke Hall
| Speke Hall | |
|---|---|
National Trust | |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | Speke Hall |
| Designated | 28 June 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1359837 |
  Location of Speke Hall in Merseyside | |
Speke Hall is a wood-framed
History
Construction of the current building began under
The oak frame, typical of the period, rests on a base of red sandstone surrounded by a now dry moat. The main beams of the house are stiffened with smaller timbers and filled with wattle and daub.
During the turmoil of the Reformation the Norrises were Roman Catholics[4] so the house incorporated a priest hole and a special observation hole built into a chimney in a bedroom to allow the occupant to see the approach to the house to warn the priest that people were coming. There is also an eavesdrop (a small open hole under the eaves of the house) which allowed a servant to listen in on the conversations of people awaiting admission at the original front door.
In 1612 a porch was added to the Great Parlour. A laundry and dairy were founded in 1860; the laundry was altered in the 1950s.
The house was owned by the Norris family for many generations
The gardens date from the 1850s. In the courtyard of the main building are two ancient yew trees, male and female, called 'Adam' and 'Eve'. First recorded in correspondence dating to 1712, they are estimated to be at least 500 years old.[9]
21st century
The Home Farm building has been renovated and now houses the shop, restaurant and reception. The
In Art and Literature
An engraving of a painting of the great hall by Thomas Allom was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835, with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon.[11]
Images
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Speke Hall from the rear -
Courtyard at the centre of the hall -
The Great Hall -
The Oak Parlour -
Tapestry bedroom -
Visitor centre, the former home farm of the estate -
Maze behind the visitor centre
References
- ^ "Speke Hall, Liverpool". Historic England. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ^ "Speke Hall, Gardens & Estate". Visit Liverpool. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- ^ "Guide to Liverpool Buildings" (PDF). European Conference on Visual Perception. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- ^ ISBN 0-906367-13-1.
- ^ "The Norrises". National Trust. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
- ^ "The Beauclerks". National Trust. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
- ^ "The Watts". National Trust. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
- ^ Whatmore, Tom. "Speke Hall. My Home". tomwhatmore.webspace.virginmedia.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011.
- ^ "Gardens". National Trust. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
- ^ "ALVA - Association of Leading Visitor Attractions". www.alva.org.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1834). "picture and poetical illustation". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835. Fisher, Son & Co.
External links
