Biddulph Old Hall Revisited

A beautiful home, an incredible history  

Biddulph Old Hall

Last year I visited Biddulph Old Hall for the first time and was captivated by the history of this wonderful home.  This is a private home and is not usually open to the public, the owners work full time and the logistics of catering for hundreds of visitors in a day is too much for this to be a regular event.  However on the odd day (or two) each year the hall has been opened and locals flock to see this wonderful building, to marvel at the restoration being done by the owners, to soak up the history of the 15th century hunting lodge and its links with the English Civil War, to walk in the delightful gardens or simply to sit in the white garden with a cup of tea and a delicious cake!

Ruins and the tower of Biddulph Old Hall

I discovered that the hall would be open again in September and made sure I was able to make my return visit.  The weather forecast was for rain but, arriving in the early afternoon I was really pleased to find the sun shining and the rain clouds only threatening to cause a problem (at least for most of the afternoon).

If you want to read more about the history of the hall you can see last year's blog post here.

It is interesting to see the renovation that is in progress.  Last year the chapel and gallery was in a state of renewal, now it is looking splendid.

Inside the main hall

The next area to be renovated is the impressive looking tower, which is out of bounds at present.  I can imagine that there will be a fabulous view over the Cheshire plain from up there, you can get quite an extensive view from the grounds too.

I spent more time inside the hall on this visit, admiring the furnishings, great log fires and a gorgeous rustic kitchen.

Copper pans in the kitchen

Fruit bowl in the hall

Walking around the grounds you can see up close the damage done to the hall in the Civil War by a cannon known as Roaring Meg.  The cannon holes are still visible in the outer walls of the ruined hall.

Inner wall of the ruined hall

Another fascinating thing to see is the priest hole and escape tunnel, lights and mirrors assist in showing the length of the tunnel as it stretches from one side of a fireplace (now on an outer wall) to the far side of the tower.

If you visit here and want to see more delights in the area, just down the road is the National Trust's Biddulph Grange garden, once owned by James Bateman who also owned Biddulph Old Hall in the 1800s.

Having had afternoon tea, a tour of the hall, and wandered through the grounds it was time to leave - just as the sky darkened and the rain decided to fall.