Old Hall

This elegant old building is Rufford Old Hall which i visited last week.It's not too far from where I grew up as a child but strangely, I've never been here before. The building above, the Great Hall,  dates from the 16th century and is the oldest part of the hall; bits have been added on over the centuries,17th and 19th to be precise, so it is a hybrid building, but full of character and history because of that.

Here is the 17th century facade





The gardens were full of interesting features; a pair of swans and a squirrel topiary.


as well as plenty of flowers. You can see the 19th century part of the Hall on the left of the photo.


This leaded window is in the Great Hall


as is this wood carving on the wall


and also this strage window in the roof of the Hall. It was added in the 19th century to give more light over the snooker table!!



Photography was allowed only in the Great Hall, so I can't show you any of the beautiful rooms in the main part of the house, full of huge fireplaces, paintings, china, original furniture and squeaky floorboards.The cafe is very good too, I had a delicious ploughman's lunch with Lancashire cheese and my dad had hotpot which disappeared rather fast :-) All in all, a good day out!

Comments

[Jennyff]

Very interesting and inspiring visit, though you probably wouldn't go as far as to create your own squirrel topiary. The property looks really well kept and cared for, we are very fortunate to have these places preserved and available, including the tea rooms of course.

[Diane]

That looks lovely, and for one moment I got very excited thinking it was in Rufford Nottinghamshire which is not too far away from me!! I guess I'll have to travel a bit further!!! xxxx