Thursday 1 June 2023 - A Visit to Wythenshawe Hall

This was a visit by Stockport Walking and Outdoors Group.

The hall was partially destroyed by fire in 2016. Repairs funded by the insurers have been completed, but grants are sought for the renovations needed but not covered by insurance.

There's a fairly new website - here.

Visitors are welcomed (£2 entry fee) on one Sunday - usually the last - each month. The current dates  of these themed visits are here.

Our visit was recorded on the 'Blog' section of the website as follows:

On Thursday June 1st our Chairman Richard gave Stockport Walking & Outdoor Group a guided tour of the Hall. They raised more than £200  for Friends of Wythenshawe Hall and all said they really enjoyed the day. Thanks also to William (Wythenshawe Park Manager), and Pamela, Irene & Deborah from FoWH for making the visit possible.

Here are my pictures of the visit.

Outside, by the side entrance

Richard took us all outside to the fenced in front of the hall 

on the gloriously sunny day for his 'overview' speech

The main room was once the only room, where the entire family lived and 

the smoke from the fire simply left via a hole in the roof

Later, a proper fireplace and much panelling, as the wealth of the family grew

The neatly lined up books in the library aren't real, they are just wooden spines

The tenant's hall / site of chapel has been succesfully renovated

Once upon a time this was a battle zone

The main first floor room is festooned with coats of arms from different eras

The stained glass has been cleaned, and the fire damaged section below has been replaced by an expert

The bed above has been renovated; that shown below is a reconstruction made in the USA

The second floor may once have housed servants' quarters - now it could be a small classroom

At some point, perhaps to save on fuel, the large upstairs fireplace has been 

superseded by a more modest brick effort

The loft space was used as servants' sleeping quarters - very cramped

Here's the (low res) group photo taken for the hall's blog

The visit lasted three hours and was most informative. The Hall is well worth looking around and certainly has a long history.

Later, on the Bridgewater Canal, a coot and its chick; we don't often see coots on the canal