Exploring England #23
Imagine you are newly wed and your parents’ wedding gift is a home. It’s not just any home but a magnificent timber framed building with its origins in the 14th century and 15th and 16th century additions. It’s a little worse for wear due to the excesses of previous owners, who’ve spent the family fortune on themselves with little regard for the house’s upkeep. What would you do – remove, renovate or restore?
Luckily for us, when Charles and Mary Nevill found themselves in this situation in 1883, they chose to restore their new home, Bramall Hall, to its former glory.
Bramall Hall is a Tudor manor house set in 60 acres of parkland in the Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester. It had been the home of the Davenports for 500 years, but with family fortunes dwindling and costs increasing, the house was not well maintained. When the Nevills moved in, they began a program of restoration which continues to this day. Some rooms retain their medieval or Tudor character while others are decorated as they were in Victorian times when Charles and Mary lived there.
Bramall Hall is now owned by the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, who recently completed a £1.6 million maintenance and restoration program. With continued care, future generations will be able to appreciate the beauty of this historic home as much as Charles and Mary did.
The Eternal Traveller 
love the history!
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It’s fascinating to see how people lived in the past.
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I’ve always loved the exterior appearance of Tudor houses, but find the insides dark and dreary and imagine they must have been cold and draughty places to live in – I’m more a cottage person myself 🙂 Although I see the historical importance of it, I can imagine such a place chews up money at an alarming rate!!
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The latest restoration work was paid for with a grant. I reckon it would be decidedly chilly in mid-winter.
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I love it when they have those estates that they preserve in a particular time so you see what life would have been like then. The kitchens are always so interesting!
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This was a Victorian kitchen. I loved the copper bowls.
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Thank goodness for the Nevills or this beautiful building might have been lost forever. The kitchens of old houses are often my favourite parts to visit, but they don’t always have them available to view.
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I agree, Elaine. I suspect the house may have become derelict otherwise. There was some beautiful china on display in the kitchen.
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What a beautiful house. Who would even dare to tear it down? Thanks for sharing.
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I’m glad Charles and Mary felt the way we do, Monique. It is a special house.
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Wow how magnificent!! I love love the outside. It is truly gorgeous.
Peta
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Isn’t it special! The building was so big it was hard to do it justice in a photo. Mr ET did his best.
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A gem. I did not know this existed in Stockport.
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Yes, we spent a lovely afternoon at Bramall Hall. Anabel, you might be surprised at how much there is to see around Stockport. Our daughter lived there for the two years of her UK work visa and loved it.
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Good heavens! There can’t be many of these about, Carol. What a stunning place! 🙂 🙂
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The house is huge and every room is in such wonderful condition, Jo. We spent all afternoon wandering and exploring.
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It’s good to see these places renovated and maintained, isn’t it.
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The thought that it will probably stand for another 500 years is really nice. I love living history.
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That is some kind of home to receive as a gift. 🙂 It is truly wonderful that it has been maintained and is open for the masses to enjoy.
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And the best thing is it costs very little to go in and you can take as long as you like.
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My husband and his family are from Manchester and I’m always asking for suggestions of places to visit when we go up! Now I have the perfect place. I do love Tudor buildings and those beams… just gorgeous.
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We really enjoyed our week there. We also visited the Hat Museum in Stockport. It was very interesting.
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What an incredible house. And so much history, just amazing. Thanks for sharing Carol.
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It always amazes me that there are so many ancient places still standing in England. I love seeing historic homes like this. Glad you enjoyed it too, Miriam.
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Great post. Love the history, the photos, and your writing. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you.
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What an amazing place! Yes – I would have restored 🙂 Just looking at these pictures makes me want to go there and explore. I’m sure there would be hidden rooms and tunnels somewhere! 🙂
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I’m sure there would be hidey holes everywhere, although I didn’t think to look for any.
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What a beautiful building Bramall Hall is. I’m glad they decided to restore it after years of neglect. I love the colorful Oriental rug in that one room that looks like a study. And all those explosed beams are marvelous. 🙂
How do you add the map to your posts? I’d love to do that for my travels. 🙂
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You can add the map in Google maps. Click on the menu on the left, then share or embed map. Then click embed map and copy the link to paste in your post. It’s that easy.
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Thanks for letting me know. I’ll have to try it out! 🙂
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