Tatton Old Hall
Set in an enclosure in beautiful Tatton Park, historic Tatton Old Hall was built as a manor house in the early fifteenth century by either the Stanley family or by Sir Richard Brereton. By 1585 a two-storey wing had been added at a right angle to the original house by Sir Thomas Egerton, Lord Chancellor of England.
The Tudor Great Hall
The hall, which is reputedly haunted, stands near to the site of the now disappeared village of Tatton, the site of which is now just about discernable by the humps and hollows in the ground. In the 1770s a new hall was built on the site of the present Tatton Hall after which the old hall was used as an estate farmhouse and then around a century later it was converted into three estate cottages. The hall remained in the possession of the Egerton family until 1958 when, along with the rest of the estate, it was given into the care of the National Trust.
The Old Hall now presents as a tour through time, travelling through 500 years of occupancy. The building is entered via the Tudor Great Hall, which is atmospherically lit by tallow candles and a flickering fire. The upstairs bedrooms are furnished in sixteenth century style, while the remaining downstairs rooms reflect Victorian tastes and those of the 1950's, the last years of Egerton ownership.
Sixteenth century bedroom
A cruck barn dating from the early seventeenth century stands in the grounds of the hall. The barn originally stood in a farm at Frodsham, in a state of poor repair, it was moved from its original site in 1976 and rebuilt and restored at Tatton. The barn is timber-framed with brick infill and has a thatched roof.
The interior of the Cruck Barn
Fascinating escorted tours of the old hall by costumed guide are available.