Longford Hall is a large

country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of ...

, a village in

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

, England near the town of Newport.

Building history

Longford Hall was built in 1275 by Adam de Brompton and owned by the

Earl of Shrewsbury Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...

. In April 1644 it was captured by Royalists and subsequently demolished. The present house was built on the site 1794-97 by Colonel Ralph Leeke and designed by Joseph Bonomi. Leeke was a political agent of the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

, the architect had worked with

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

and James Adam. The hall is Grade II* listed with

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

. The hall is placed on top of a low rise and looks over farmland towards the Lilleshall Monument which is surrounded by burials. As with many such buildings, the first 100 feet in front of the hall are manicured grass, bordered by a

ha-ha A ha-ha ( or ), also known as a sunk fence, blind fence, ditch and fence, deer wall, or foss, is a recessed landscape design element that creates a vertical barrier (particularly on one side) while preserving an uninterrupted view of the lan ...

which prevented animals from entering. There is a small series of gardens, including a "quad". Behind the hall are a selection of buildings around a central square containing a

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

which once formed the farm supporting the estate. These buildings were renovated and sensitively converted into housing between 2001 and 2004. The central dovecote is circular and forms an unusual dwelling. The hall and lands are currently owned by Haberdashers’ Adams School and are used by them as the school's junior boarding house and sports fields. Some land was sold off in 2000 for private housing – now the "Longford Park" housing estate. To get between the school and the hall, one travels approximately one mile along Longford Road.

Longford Lake

Across the playing fields, approximately 500 metres, is the Longford Lake. This large artificial pool is used for private fishing by the school and holds a wide variety of fish, including carp.

Notable private residents

The 1st Marquess of Abergavenny (1826-1915), whose mother Caroline was a daughter of Ralph Leeke, was born here. The mansion was rented from 1894 by businessman and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician

Edward Brocklehurst Fielden Edward Brocklehurst Fielden (10 June 1857 – 31 March 1942) was a British businessman and Conservative Party politician. Family background He was second son of Joshua Fielden, brother of Thomas Fielden, and grandson of John Fielden of ...

(1857-1942) before he bought and moved to

Condover Hall Condover Hall is a Grade I listed three-storey Elizabethan sandstone building, described as the grandest manor house in Shropshire, standing in a conservation area on the outskirts of Condover village, Shropshire, England, four miles south of ...

Boarding Masters

Boarding House Masters at Longford Hall have included: * Mr R. H. Anderson (1967–1971) * Mr Oliver G. Atkinson (1971 – died at the Hall 1979 after an illness) * Dr David Westgate (1979–) * Mr Rodney Jones (1970–1988) * Mr Gerald Leach (1988–1991) * Mr George Mayne (1991–1994) * Mr Philip North (1994–2001) * Mr Lee Hadley (2001–2007) * Mr Matthew Skeate (2007–2016) * Mr Samuel Obeng-Asare (2016–2023) * Mr Daniel Murray (2023-)

Matrons

*Mrs Atkinson (? – circa 1982) *Mrs Anderson *Mrs Fowler *Mrs Vernon *Mrs Peters *Miss Davies *Miss Clare Pickering 2000–2014 *Mrs Allday (2014– current)

References