Walton Hall, Cheshire
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Walton Hall is a country house in
Walton Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada * Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingd ...
,
Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...
,
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, England. It is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...
as a designated Grade II
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
. The hall and its surrounding garden and grounds are owned and administered by Warrington Borough Council.


History

The house was built in 1836–38 for
Sir Gilbert Greenall, 1st Baronet Sir Gilbert Greenall, 1st Baronet, DL, JP (11 May 1806 – 10 July 1894) was a British businessman and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1847 and 1892. Life Greenall was the sixth and youngest son of Edward Greena ...
,
brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer, ...
and Member of Parliament. The local authority website states it was designed by the
Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...
architect
Edmund Sharpe Edmund Sharpe (31 October 1809 – 8 May 1877) was an English architect, architectural historian, railway engineer and sanitary reformer. Born in Knutsford, Cheshire, he was educated first by his parents and then at schools locally and in ...
. However this is not confirmed by any authoritative source. When Sir Gilbert died in 1894, the house was inherited by his son,
Gilbert Greenall, 1st Baron Daresbury Gilbert Greenall, 1st Baron Daresbury, (30 March 1867 – 24 October 1938), known as Sir Gilbert Greenall, 2nd Baronet, from 1894 to 1927, was a British brewer, business man, landowner, peer, and master of foxhounds. Greenall was the son of Si ...
, who lived there until his death in 1938. In 1869–70 the house was extended and offices were added by the Lancaster architects
Paley and Austin Sharpe, Paley and Austin are the surnames of architects who practised in Lancaster, England, Lancaster, Lancashire, England, between 1835 and 1946, working either alone or in partnership. The full names of the principals in their practice, whi ...
. The extension included a new wing with a tower, containing a billiards room and rooms for guests, and a new entrance on the east front. The house and grounds were purchased by Warrington Corporation in 1941. The gardens were opened to the public in 1945. Most of Paley and Austin's extension was demolished in about 1990, but the tower was retained.


The Greenall family

Sir Gilbert Greenall (1806–1894) built Walton Hall in 1836. He was the son of Edward Greenall (1758–1835) who had purchased the Walton Estate in 1812. At this time there was an old hall on the property north east of the present building (shown on the 1882 map) which has since been demolished. When his father died in 1835 Gilbert inherited the Walton Estate. In the following year he married Mary Claughton. In this year also he commenced building Walton Hall, a project which took two years. He was a partner in his long established family brewing firm of Greenall Whitley & Company with his brothers and made a large fortune. He invested his money in property and became part of the landed gentry. He became a Member of Parliament from 1847 until 1892 representing
Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...
. He was also High Sheriff of
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
in 1873 and was a Justice of the Peace. He was an art connoisseur and collected many beautiful paintings. He commissioned the famous artist Wood Warrington to create the sculpture “Rachel” in 1868. He also paid him to sculpt a marble overmantel in Walton Hall of Diana hunting. This sculpture remains today. He was a personal friend of
Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...
whose father was the vicar in the nearby Church at
Daresbury Daresbury is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 246. History The name means "Deor's fortification", derived from an Old English personal name and the word ''burh' ...
. He visited Carroll when he was at
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
and Carroll visited him at Walton Hall. A photo was taken by Carroll of the Hall in 1859 when he was there. His wife Mary died in 1861 and until this time they had no children. In 1864 at the age of 58 he married Susannah Rapp who was the daughter of John Louis Rapp. The couple had three children. Two daughters Susannah and Bertha and a son. In 1876 he was created a Baronet on the recommendation of
Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...
. In 1885 he built St John the Evangelist Church which is located near Walton Hall. He commissioned the architects Paley and Austin to undertake this work for an enormous sum. He died in 1894 and his only son Gilbert inherited Walton Hall. In 1898 his daughter Bertha was married at St John the Evangelist Church to Edward Waldegrave Griffith. The reception was held at Walton Hall. The wedding was widely reported in the newspapers and some of the description is as follows. :"At a quarter past two the bridal carriage drove up to the entrance of the church and the bride was escorted into the church by her brother Sir Gilbert Greenall. She was attired in a handsome white satin dress embroidered with silver and trimmed with Brussells lace. She wore a wreath of orange blossom and tulle veil and carried a shower bouquet of white exotics, the gift of the bridegroom. Her ornament was a diamond crescent also the gift of the bridegroom. :"She was attended by two bridesmaids Miss Frances Griffith (the sister of the Bridegroom) and Miss Amy Whitley (cousin of the bride). They were dressed in pink and white striped silk skirts with chiffon bodices trimmed with bebe ribbon and cream coloured lace. Their hats were of cream coloured Tuscan straw trimmed with wreaths of forget-me-nots and pink roses. They carried shower bouquets of roses and wore gold banquets with diamond and sapphire hearts, gifts of the bridegrooms." Sir Gilbert Greenall (1867–1938) who inherited Walton Hall in 1894 upon the death of his father was born in 1867. He was educated at
Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
and for some time joined the
Cheshire Yeomanry The Cheshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment that can trace its history back to 1797 when Sir John Leicester of Tabley raised a county regiment of light cavalry in response to the growing fears of invasion from Napoleonic France. Its lineage i ...
Cavalry. After he inherited his father's estates he became interested in the breeding of livestock and developed one of the most famous horse studs in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. His horses were mentioned in numerous newspaper articles and even in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
his stud was described in detail. In 1900 he married Frances Eliza Griffith who was his brother in law's sister and is shown as one of the bridesmaids in the picture above. The couple had two sons. Both Gilbert and Frances were very good horsemen and from 1896 until 1912 Gilbert was Master of the Belvoir Hunt. A photo of them during this time is shown. He was also President of the Royal Agricultural Society. He died in 1938 and his son Edward inherited Walton Hall. Edward sold the Hall in 1941 to Warrington Corporation (now
Warrington Borough Council Warrington Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Warrington, a local government district in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Warrington has had a borough council since 1847, which has been reformed on several occasio ...
).


Architecture

The house is built in brown brick with stone dressings and
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
roofs. The east front has 2½ storeys and two wide
bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...
with
bay window A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room. A bow window is a form of bay with a curve rather than angular facets; an oriel window is a bay window that does not touch the g ...
s, two
crow-stepped gable A stepped gable, crow-stepped gable, or corbie step is a stairstep type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building. The top of the parapet wall projects above the roofline and the top of the brick or stone wall is stacked in ...
s and three
pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was main ...
d octagonal
buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...
es. The entrance (north) front has a projecting porch. The clock tower to the west has four stages, the top stage containing the clock, and surmounted by a lead-roofed
cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...
and large
weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...
. The south face has a
mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...
ed and transomed window and three crow-stepped gables.


External features

The retaining wall,
balustrades A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its c ...
and steps between the lawns east of the hall are listed at Grade II. Also listed at Grade II are the former lodge to the hall, and its associated gates, gatepiers and screens.


Present day

The gardens and grounds are open to the public. Close to the hall are formal gardens, and in the grounds are facilities for
pitch and putt Pitch and putt is an amateur sport very similar to, and derived from, golf, where the hole length is typically up to and just 2–3 clubs are normally used. The game was organised and developed in Ireland during the early 20th century, before ...
,
crazy golf Miniature golf (also known as minigolf, putt-putt, crazy golf, and by several other names) is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of poi ...
, and
bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...
, and a children's zoo. A group known as the Friends of Walton Estate assist in the care and management of the estate. Each year the Warrington Disability Partnership organise a Disability Awareness Day in the grounds. Inside the hall, function rooms are available for hire, and there is a concert room. The Friends of Walton Hall Music Society organises a series of chamber music concerts in the concert room. The hall is also available for weddings. The property was used for the exterior shots in the filming of the BBC drama series ''
Our Zoo ''Our Zoo'' is a British drama television series from BBC One, first broadcast on 3 September 2014. The six-part series, written by Matt Charman and directed by Andy De Emmony, is about George Mottershead, his dreams of creating a cage-free zo ...
''. Located in the Old Laundry Rooms, close to the Main Hall, is a Cycle Museum, owned and run by cycling enthusiast Paul Adams.


See also

*
Listed buildings in Walton, Cheshire Walton is a civil parish in the Borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England. It contains 22 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. The parish is centred on Walton Hall, the fo ...
*
List of non-ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin Paley and Austin were the surnames of two architects working from a practice in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster, Lancashire, England, between 1868 and 1886. The practice had been founded in 1836 by Edmund Sharpe. The architects during the peri ...
*
List of parks and open spaces in Cheshire This is a list of parks and open spaces in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It includes urban parks, country parks, islands, woodlands, commons, lakes, walking trails, local nature reserves and other green spaces that are open to the public. Sm ...
* Walton Lea Walled Garden


References

{{Reflist, 30em


External links



Warrington Borough Council Grade II listed buildings in Cheshire Grade II listed houses Country houses in Cheshire Parks and open spaces in Cheshire Music venues in Cheshire Houses completed in 1838 Tourist attractions in Warrington Paley and Austin buildings Greenall family