Orford Hall, now demolished, was a 17th-century country house built in an estate which is now a public park (

Orford Park Orford Park is a municipal park in the town of Warrington, Cheshire, England. Orford Hall and surrounding lands were donated to Warrington Council in December 1916. The hall was demolished in 1935 but its grounds remain as Orford Park, a gree ...

) in Orford,

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

History

The original hall at Orford was a timber and plaster building, with ornate chimneys and a thatched roof, which was built for the Le Norris family in 1232. The Norris family occupied the hall until 1595 after which it was acquired by Thomas Tildesley, who rebuilt it in the Jacobean style. At that time the building was known as Norris House. In 1638 the property was purchased by Thomas Blackburne, a wealthy Cheshire salt merchant, and afterwards inherited by his son Jonathan (1646–1724),

High Sheriff of Lancashire The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales. The High Sheriff of Lanca ...

for 1715, who made extensive improvements to the house. It was afterwards occupied by Jonathan's son John Blackburne (1694–1786), a well-known naturalist and horticulturalist, whose daughter was

Anna Blackburne Anna Blackburne (1726 – 30 December 1793) was an English people, English naturalist. Life Anna Blackburne was born at Orford Hall, Orford, Warrington, Lancashire, the daughter of John Blackburne (botanist), John Blackburne and Jane (born Ashto ...

, the noted botanist. At that time the hall was well known for its outstanding collection of rare plants, trees and unusual animals and the hothouse in the grounds was the first in the country to grow pineapples, coffee, tea and sugarcane. There was also an Orangery where citrus fruits were cultivated. In 1799 a catalogue of all the plant species growing at Orford was published by the estate's head gardener. John was

in 1743. John's son was another Thomas and Thomas' son another

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

(1754–1833), who was High Sheriff for 1781 and MP for

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

from 1784 to 1830. The hall was then leased to Lucy Hornby (whose grandson Edmund Hornby was elected the first MP for

in 1832). When she died her two daughters let the hall for use as a young ladies school, after which it became the home of the Litton family until 1866. The next occupant was

William Beamont William Beamont (1797–1889) was an English solicitor and local philanthropist. He lived in the town of Warrington, in the north-west of England. Life Beamont was the first mayor of Warrington after its incorporation as a municipal borou ...

, the first mayor of Warrington, whose widow, Letitia, stayed on at the hall after his death. When she left the property deteriorated until taken over by Warrington Training College. Ultimately the property descended to Colonel Robert Ireland Blackburne, who in 1916 allowed the hall and 18 acres of surrounding parkland to be gifted to Warrington Council as a War Memorial. The park opened to the public the following year and a bowling green was added in 1924. The house itself, however, was allowed to deteriorate to the point where it was not financially viable to be restored and it was therefore demolished in 1935.

References

* * {{coord, 53.4072, -2.5825, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1232 Houses completed in the 13th century Houses completed in the 17th century Country houses in Cheshire British country houses destroyed in the 20th century Buildings and structures demolished in 1935