Ordsall Hall

Since its sale by the Radclyffes in 1662, the hall has been put to many uses: a working men's club, a school for clergy, and a radio station among them. The house was bought by the old Salford Council in 1959 and opened to the public in 1972, as a period house and local history museum. The hall is a Grade I listed building, and entrance is free.

History

Ordsall Hall is a formerly moated Tudor mansion, the oldest parts of which were built during the 13th century, although there has been a house on the site for over 750 years. David de Hulton is recorded as the owner of the original hall, in 1251. The manor of Ordsall came into the possession of the Radclyffe family in about 1335, but it was not until 1354 that Sir John Radclyffe established his right of inheritance. The manor was described in 1351 as a messuage, 120 acres (48.6 ha) of land, 12 acres (4.9 ha) of meadow and 12 acres (4.9 ha) of wood.

Radclyffe family home

During the 1340s, Sir John Radclyffe campaigned with Edward III in France, distinguishing himself at the battles of Caen, Crécy and Calais. As a reward for his service, the King allowed Sir John to take some Flemish weavers back to his Ordsall estate, where he built cottages for them to live in. English weaving skills at that time were poor, and textiles from Manchester were considered to be of particularly poor quality, so the Flemish weavers were employed in instructing the local weavers. They also started up a silk weaving industry, the foundation for Manchester's later cotton industry.

The Dutch humanist and theologian Erasmus stayed at Ordsall Hall in 1499, and described it thus:

... the floors are made of clay and are covered with layers of rushes, constantly replenished, so that the bottom layer remains for 20 years harbouring spittle, vomit, the urine of dogs and men, the dregs of beer, the remains of fish and other nameless filth ...

The original cruck hall was replaced by the present Great Hall in 1512, after Sir Alexander Radclyffe was appointed High Sheriff of Lancashire. The hall is typical of others built at that time in the northwest of England, although it is one of the largest, and is unusual for the period in having no wall fireplace. The hall has an elaborate roof structure, as in the similar Rufford Old Hall. There is a slightly later small room above the large oriel bay, which may be an early addition as at Samlesbury Hall.

Other alterations and additions were made during the 17th century, including a modest brick house added onto the west end in 1639, perhaps intended as a home for Sir Alexander's bailiff, as he himself no longer used the hall as his main residence by that time. The house was built at 90° to the timber-framed building, to which it was later joined. During the Civil War Sir Alexander, as a Royalist, was imprisoned and suffered financial hardship. Reduced means eventually forced his heir, John Radclyffe, into selling the hall to Colonel Samuel Birch in 1662, thus ending more than 300 years of his family's occupation.

Later use

At the time of the 1666 hearth tax survey, Ordsall Hall was the largest house in Salford, with 19 hearths. The Oldfield family of Leftwich, near Northwich, bought the estate at the end of the 17th century, and in 1704 it was sold again, to John Stock, a trustee of Cross Street Chapel. His family were probably the last owners to reside at the hall. The Stocks lived in the hall's central section, comprising "a large hall, lounge dining room, a chapel, six rooms on a floor, with brewhouse, large courts, stable, etc", while the two wings were leased to tenants from about 1700. In 1756, the hall was sold to Samuel Hill of Shenstone, Staffordshire. Two years later, on Hill's death, the house passed to his nephew, Samuel Egerton of Tatton.

The hall remained in occupation until 1871, the last residents being the descendants of John Markendale, who had taken over the lease of the building in 1814. The land surrounding the hall was used by the Mather family of cowkeepers and butchers for many years. During the last quarter of the 19th century, Ordsall Hall became engulfed "in mean streets and industry". From 1875, Haworth's Mill rented the hall and used it as a working men's club. The Great Hall was converted into a gymnasium after being cleared of the inserted floor and later partitions, and provision was made elsewhere for billiards, a skittle alley, and a bowling green. In 1883, the hall was bought by Wilbraham Egerton, 2nd Baron Egerton, and restored during 1896–98 by the Manchester architect Alfred Darbyshire at a cost of £6,000 (equivalent to £815,300 in 2023). The restoration allowed Lord Egerton to found a clergy training school at the hall. Provisions for the school included the construction of a church dedicated to St Cyprian in the north forecourt, and a new servants' wing on the south side. In 1908, the school was moved to Egerton Hall, changing its name to the Manchester Theological College. The men's social club at Ordsall Hall survived until 1940. During the Second World War, the hall was used as a radio station. In the 1960s, the church and servants' wing built for the clergy school were demolished.

Salford Corporation purchased Ordsall Hall from the executors of Maurice Egerton, 4th Baron Egerton in 1959. After major restoration work, it was opened to the public in April 1972, as a period house and local history museum. Like many old buildings, Ordsall Hall has stories of hauntings. A White Lady who is said to appear in the Great Hall or Star Chamber is popularly believed to be Margaret Radclyffe, who died of a broken heart in 1599 following the death in Ireland of her brother, Alexander.

In March 2007, the Extraordinary Ordsall Campaign applied for a grant of £5.1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, to regenerate Ordsall Hall and secure its future. After supporters had raised £1 million by September 2008, the Heritage Lottery Fund provided the remaining £4.1 million. Only 40 per cent of the building was then open to the public, but following restoration work further rooms were expected to be opened. The building closed for refurbishment in early 2009, and re-opened to the public on 15 May 2011. In 2013, the newly restored building received a Bronze Award in the Small Visitor Attraction category organised by tourist body VisitEngland, one of 320 nominations from across the country.