Crewe Hall

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Crewe Hall: south facade and entrance gates

Crewe Hall is a manor house in the Jacobean style near the village of Crewe Green east of Crewe in England Cheshire . Nikolaus Pevsner describes it as one of the two finest examples of this architectural style in Cheshire. English Heritage listed it as a Grade I Historic Building. It was built for Sir Randolph Crewe in 1615-1636 and was one of the largest houses in the county during the 17th century. It was said to "bring London to Cheshire".

The country house was expanded and modified in the early Victorian style by Edward Blore at the end of the 18th century . After a fire in 1866, it was extensively restored by Edward Middelton Barry , which is considered to be one of his best works. Other artists and craftsmen involved in this restoration included John Birnie Philip , John Gregory Crace , Henry Weekes, and the Clayton and Bell company . The interiors are carefully decorated and contain plenty of wood carvings, mantels, and stucco work, some of which date from the Jacobean era.

The park was created in the 18th century by Lancelot Brown , William Emes , John Webb, and Humphry Repton . The formal English gardens are from the 19th century by WA Nesfield . The estate is also home to farms laid out by Nesfield's son, William Eden Nesfield , who Pevsner believes introduced techniques such as tiling and pargeting (a special type of rough plaster) to Cheshire. The stable area dates from the same time as the country house and is listed as a historical building of the 2nd degree.

Crewe Hall remained the seat of various family lines of the Crewes until 1936. Then the land was sold to the Duchy of Lancaster . The house served as an office during World War II and then as the headquarters of the Wellcome Foundation for almost 30 years . Since 2013 it houses a hotel, a restaurant and a gym.

history

Sir Randolph Crewe, Civil War and Restoration

Sir Randolph Crewe

Crewe Green was the seat of the Crewe (or de Criwa ) family in the 12th and 13th centuries . They built a wood-framed mansion there in 1170. In 1319 the mansion passed to the de Praers family from Barthomley through the marriage of Johanna de Crewe to Richard de Praers . Later in the 14th century the property passed to the Fouleshurst (or Foulehurst ) family , who held the mansion together with Barthomley until the property was split up around 1575. The acquisition of the land by Sir Christopher Hatton created legal problems. Sir Randolph Crewe (1559–1646) bought a substantial part of the land from his heirs in 1608 for over £ 6,000. a. Crewe, Barthomley and Haslington .

Randolph Crewe was born the son of a tanner in nearby Nantwich , became a judge, member of parliament and finally speaker (chairman) of the House of Commons . He made his fortune from successful work at the Court of Chancery and other London courts. He also served briefly as Lord Chief Justice from 1625 to 1626 , but was then dismissed by King Charles I for refusing to approve a forced loan without the approval of Parliament. He spent part of his forced retirement in his London home and part of his Crewe estate. In 1615 he began building a permanent country house in Crewe, either after the old house, which was then in poor condition, or after it was demolished. He later wrote that “it hath pleased God of his abundant goodness to reduce the house and Mannor of the name to the name againe” (Eng: “God in his excessive goodness pleased God to reduce the house from name to name . ")

Frances Crewe, painting by Thomas Gainsborough

A few years after the mansion was completed in 1636, the English Civil War broke out. Like most Cheshire legal families, the Crewes were roundheads and the mansion served as a garrison. In December 1643 royalist troops under the orders of Lord Byron occupied the area when they surrounded Nantwich, a roundhead stronghold in the First English Civil War about 8 km to the southwest. A contemporary diary writer , Edward Burghall , Vicar in nearby Acton , describes the following events: “The royalists occupied Crewe Hall, where they killed 60 people and wounded many in the house on Midsummer Day , but wanted food and ammunition they were forced to to give up the following day, and they themselves - 136 men - became prisoners, upright and brave soldiers who took their quarters where their lives were spared. ” On February 4, 1644, shortly after the decisive victory of the Roundheads in the battle from Nantwich the manor was again taken by the troops of Sir Thomas Fairfax .

Sir Randolph Crewe died a few years later, before the end of the First English Civil War. The male line of the family died out in 1684 and the mansion passed into the hands of the Offley family after Anne Crewe , great-granddaughter of Sir Randolph Crewe, married John Offley of Madeley Old Manor , their eldest son, also called John, from 1681 to 1749 lived, took the name Crewe in 1708 . The Offley-Crewe family was very wealthy at the time: John Offley-Crewe's income is reported to be £ 15,000 a year in the year of his death. Both John Offley Crewe and his son John Crewe (1709–1752) were members of the House of Commons for Cheshire.

Barons Crewe and Marquess of Crewe

John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe as a child, painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds (about 1775)

Anne Crewe's great grandson, John Crewe (1742–1829), was made Crewe's first Baron in 1806 . He was a prominent Whig politician and lifelong friend and supporter of Charles James Fox ; his wife, Frances Crewe , née Greville , (1748-1818) was a famous beauty and political hostess who gave lavish parties in the manor. The Crewes' social circle comprised many of the big names at the time, and visitors to the mansion included B. The politicians Fox and George Canning , the philosopher Edmund Burke , the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan , the poet William Spencer , the music historian Charles Burney and the painters Sir Joshua Reynolds and Sir Thomas Lawrence . John Crewe had the park redesigned and the mansion expanded. The interiors were also redecorated, in the then modern, classical style . About 40 years later, his grandson Hungerford Crewe spent a lot of money to redecorate the rooms in the more sympathetic, Jacobean style .

In 1857 the house was insured for £ 10,000; household items at the time included books and wines (insured for £ 2,250), mathematical and musical instruments (insured for £ 250) and paintings (insured for £ 1,000). The art collection included various family portraits and other works by Sir Joshua Reynolds that were saved from the fire in early January 1866. Major renovations for Hungerford Crewe were completed in 1870.

Robert Crewe-Milnes , painting by Walter Osborne

Hungerford Crewe never married and on his death in 1894 the barony was extinguished. The manor was inherited by his nephew, Robert Milnes, Baron Houghton (1858–1945), the son of Annabella Hungerford Crewe ; he took the name Crewe and became Crewe-Milnes . The title of Crewe revived for him in 1895 as earlship, later he was Marquess of Crewe . Crewe-Milnes was a member of the Liberal Party and a poet; he held a number of important cabinet positions from 1905 to 1916 and was a reliable assistant to Asquith . He was also a friend of King George V, and the King and Queen Mary spent three days in the manor house in 1913 while visiting the Staffordshire Potteries .

The Crewe-Milnes family left Crewe Hall in 1922 and the mansion stood empty until World War II . Crewe-Milnes offered the country house to Cheshire County Council as a gift in 1931, allegedly because his heirs did not want to live there. After the council refused, most of the property was sold to the Duchy of Lancaster in 1936 . His grandson, the writer Quentin Crewe , describes Crewe-Milnes as "both extravagant and ill-advised".

Calmic, Wellcome and Hotel

At the beginning of the Second World War , Crewe Hall served as a military training camp, barracks for the troops returning from Dunkirk and a warehouse for the US Army . In 1942 it became the headquarters for artillery operations in the northwest region. From 1943 it served as a prisoner of war camp for German officers. In 1946, Crewe Hall was leased as an office building and became the headquarters of Calmic Ltd , which later employed almost 800 people there. Calmic made hygiene articles and medical products such as B. tablets, creams, analgesics and antibiotic aerosols from there; In addition to the manor house, they built industrial buildings for a drying and filter system and a pharmaceutical packaging area. After the Wellcome Trust bought Calmic in 1965, the mansion became the headquarters of the Wellcome Foundation for the United Kingdom and Ireland. It stayed there until the merger with Glaxo in 1995. Wellcome manufactured liquid products, tablets, creams and antibiotic aerosols in Crewe Hall; the mansion itself served as the administrative headquarters, but the stable area was expanded inside as a laboratory and the industrial buildings were expanded.

In 1994, the Duchy of Lancaster sold the Crewe Hall buildings and the adjacent industrial estate, which was then converted into Crewe Hall Enterprise Park . The Crewe Hall buildings remained empty after Wellcome moved out and were sold to a hotel builder in 1998. The mansion was converted into a 26-room hotel the following year. In the 21st century, several additional modern buildings were built to expand the hotel.

Architectural history

Crewe Hall on a painting, around 1710

The Jacobean mansion was built for Sir Randolph Crewe from 1615 to 1936. The architect of the original building is unknown, although some historians believe that its construction was based on plans by Inigo Jones . Although the country house was relatively conventionally built, like Longleat House some 50 years earlier, it appears to have been considered progressive in provincial Cheshire. The historian Thomas Fuller wrote in 1662: “Sir Randal first brought the model of excellent building into these remote parts; yea, brought London into Cheshire, in the loftiness, sightliness, and pleasantness of their structures. " (Eng .: "Sir Randal was the first to bring this example of an excellent building to this more remote area; yes, brought London to Cheshire, in all its grandeur, grandeur and friendliness of its structures.")

Crewe Hall on an old engraving

Hearth tax records from 1674 indicate that the original mansion was one of the largest houses in Cheshire. Its 42 hearths were surpassed only by Cholmondy Castle and Rocksavage , none of which exist today. As can be seen from a painting from around 1710, the original building was square with a side length of about 30 meters and had yokes with gables and groups of octagonal chimney heads. The house was built around a central, open courtyard and inside there was a knight's hall and a long gallery. The main entrance led to an umbrella passage and the main staircase was in the small east hall. Outside there was a fenced-in forecourt and fenced, formal gardens. A number of separate outbuildings lay to the west of the mansion.

Georgian and Jacobean tags

Garden facade and lake, from an engraving, around 1818

The house remained unchanged for most of the 18th century, unlike most other country estates. In 1769 it was described as a "square building from a very old time (...) which is more admired for its age than for its elegance and cosiness". In the 1780s and 1790s work was carried out for John Crewe (later: 1st Baron Crewe). A Jacobin style wing for servants was added to the west of the manor house in 1780. The main interiors were then redecorated in a classical style , but the original structure with the knight's hall, the long gallery and the salon was retained. In 1783, details of the wine cellars and bedrooms were improved, and J. Cheney was commissioned in 1796 to build a new staircase to the top floor and seven bedrooms. Edmund Burke wrote in 1788: “I am vastly pleased with this place. We build no such houses in our time. " (Eng: "I am extremely satisfied with this house. We do not build houses like this in our time.") Henry Temple, the 2nd Viscount Palmerston , wrote when he visited Crewe Hall that same year: "But now by taste." and judgment plann'd / Throughout these scenes we find / The work of Art's improving hand, / With ancient splendor join'd ”(German:“ But now planned with taste and judgment / we find everywhere / the artist's improving hand / with old glory " ).

Between 1837 and 1842 the house was remodeled again, by Edward Blore for Hungerford Crewe . Blore replaced local architect George Latham , who had been hired in 1836. Many of Blore's execution drawings have survived to this day and can be found in the archives of the Royal Institute of British Architects . He redesigned the interior in the Jacobean style and also changed the floor plan of the ground floor. B. the replacement of the umbrella passage by an entrance hall and the roofing of the central courtyard in order to obtain a single-storey central hall. He also built flat glass windows everywhere and installed warm air heating. The total cost, including his work on the outbuildings, was £ 30,000.

Restoration under Edward Middleton Barry

Most of Blore's work on the manor was destroyed in the fire of 1866. Hungerford Crewe is said to have asked Blore, who was already retired at the time, to restore the building again, but he refused. Instead, the restoration of were E. M_ Barry , son of Sir Charles Barry , architect of Westminster Palace and the construction company Cubitt & Co. performed. They were completed in 1870 and cost £ 150,000. In a lecture at the Royal Academy of Arts , Barry later explained his restoration strategy: “The greatest care has been taken to recover the design of Sir Randolph for such of the work as it has been possible to restore… although with less roughness of execution and uncouthness of detail, particularly in respect of the human figure. Such peculiarities cannot, I think, be properly repeated in a modern reconstruction ... it is not the part of the nineteenth century restorer to reproduce matters which at best were the weaknesses of his predecessors. He ... should not seek, by a clever imitation of bygone tricks of construction or design, to deceive the spectator as to the age of his own work, and so pass off the latter as something which it is not. " (Eng .: "We paid the greatest attention to the restoration of Sir Randolph's style, as far as this was possible (...) but in finer execution and finer details, especially with the human figures. I think such peculiarities can be in one modern reconstruction (...) it is not the task of a restorer in the 19th century to restore things that, at best, can be regarded as weaknesses of his predecessors. He (...) should not try to by cleverly imitating past construction and design tricks to deceive the viewer about the age of his work and to fool him into something that it is not. ")

West facade with Barry's Tower and Bowers Extension

Nikolaus Pevsner describes Barry's restoration as an "extremely splendid job". Peter de Figueiredo and Julian Treuherz consider it to be his best work, attributing his success to the “management through the strong character of the existing structure”. Barry's work is generally considered better elaborated and more regular than the original. He hired some of the leading artists and craftsmen who had previously worked on the Palace of Westminster to restore the interior. Barry's most important innovation was the construction of a tower on the west wing, which was needed as a water reservoir. The effect of connecting the east and west wings of the mansion is diminished by the tower's Victorian architecture. Barry also changed the layout of the building by opening Blore's central hall into a two-story atrium , adding more ancillary rooms on the first floor, and making changes to the roof to create about 20 bedrooms for servants on the top floor.

The local architect Thomas Bower made some changes to the manor house for Robert Crewe-Milnes in 1896 , e.g. B. the extension of the wing for the servants. At the time it was occupied by Calmic , there were only a few changes to the manor house. Around 1948 the company had central heating installed and later an office extension on the north side of the house, which was demolished a few years after the house was converted into a hotel. Calmic only had cosmetic maintenance work done , and by the 1970s the building structure was in poor condition. The fall of a large stone cladding during a storm in 1974 prompted Wellcome to undertake extensive restorations both inside and out. They were completed in 1979 and cost £ 500,000.

Mansion

South facade: The Jacobean east wing can be seen on the right, the west wing for the servants in the middle and left.

Crewe Hall is a Grade I Historic Building and is located in Crewe Green parish , approximately 800 m from Crewe city ​​limits . Architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner viewed the manor house as one of the finest Jacobean style buildings in Cheshire, with the other being Dorfold Hall in Acton . The mansion is built of red brick with stone cladding and a roof covered with lead and bricks. The two-story building has a basement and an attic. The east wing of the current building shows the original Jacobean style. The exterior of the house survived the fire of 1866, so most of the damascus brickwork is still original, even though part of the stone cladding of the gate and the gable was replaced by EM Barry.

The south facade of the east wing has seven bays with a balustraded parapet at the height of the roof overhang . The central yoke protrudes and forms a stone central section around the arched main entrance, which is flanked by fluted Ionic columns. Immediately above the entrance are double-pointed pilasters that flank a three-part window. A large cartridge , which is decorated with fittings , towers above everything . On the first floor of the central yoke there is a window with a triple ajimez and above the parapet is a coat of arms . The middle yoke is flanked by two yokes with damascus brickwork and windows with simple ajimez. The two ends of the south facade also protrude; they have receding oriels with triple ajimez above the parapet through shaped gables with dormer windows. All windows on this facade have double skylights.

East wing: south facade with central wing

The east facade of the east wing has four bays with receding bay windows, gables with shaped ends and cartouches in the middle. In the middle of the northern (garden) facade there is a large opening - originally Jacobean - that brings light into the chapel; It has stone cladding, with cartridges over arched colorful decorated glass windows. Incidentally, this facade is a mirror image of the main facade with additional mezzanine windows .

The western half of the building jumps forward two yokes compared to the original building (i.e. to the south). This was originally the wing for the servants and is therefore more simply designed than the eastern part. It is from the Georgian era . Although it has Georgian proportions, it is built in the early Jacobean style and was later raised, particularly with a central gable. The main part of the south facade has seven bays and a balustraded parapet that runs along the entire facade at the height of the eaves. In the middle of the five eastern bays there is a receding bay window below a molded pediment; the flanking yokes have single ajimez windows and double skylights. The two western bays are set back and have a bay window on the first floor with two windows with simple ajimez and double skylights on the ground floor.

The west wing is surmounted by a square tower, which is also made of brickwork with stone cladding, extends two stories above the roof and is crowned by a keel-arched spire, which is surrounded by four corner chimneys. Barry put the tower, designed in typical Victorian style, on after the fire. A slender bell tower also rises above the west wing. At the back there is a loggia with a vaulted ceiling supported by Tuscan columns. The western end of this wing is a single-storey extension by Thomas Bower from 1896.

inside rooms

Heraldic animals in the stairwell

The interior of Crewe Hall is home to a mix of original Jacobean work, detailed reproductions of original Jacobean designs (which in some cases have been recorded), and quintessentially Victorian-style work designed by Barry. The entrance hall in the east wing has been redesigned by both Blore and Barry. The walls are clad with oak panels and one of the hall is an open marble fireplace with Tuscan columns showing the coat of arms of the Crewe family. Blore had roofed the hall on the first floor, but Barry turned the room into an atrium with cloisters along the walls and a wooden gallery above it at the mezzanine level and a barrel-vaulted gallery on the first floor. The floor is tiled in a pattern of colored marble and the corridors of the gallery on the first floor have colored glass windows. The atrium has a hammer-beam vaulted roof supported by columns on the level of the gallery. To the east of the central hall is Barry's meticulous reconstruction of the original staircase, which Nikolaus Pevsner describes as "one of the most ingeniously planned and gracefully executed in all of Jacobean England". The central supporting columns show heraldic animals, which were originally gilded and painted.

Staircase 1877
Sir Randolph Crewe on the characters of time, activity and laziness

To the east of the entrance is the dining room, which used to be the Jacobean knight's hall. This room was the least damaged in the fire and Barry restored it to its old 17th century look with copies of the original ceiling and carved wooden screen. It contains a mantelpiece with what is believed to be an original relief of abundance and a large stone mantelpiece that is believed to be the only surviving work by Blore inside the house. In the oak living room in the southwest you will find a large wooden, Jacobean mantelpiece with carved Green Men . The Jacobean carvings here and in the dining room are visibly coarser than the work from the Victorian era. The carved living room is another reproduction of Barry. The walls are clad in oak and the ceiling has a stucco frieze of the four elements , the Charites and the seven virtues. The alabaster mantelpiece depicts the winged figure of time, which rewards activity and punishes laziness, symbolized by two boys surmounted by a cut portrait of Randolph Crewe .

A small chapel is north of the central hall. Originally it was rather austere, but Barry lavishly decorated it in a typical Victorian style. One finds very fine carvings; the communion pews show angels and the pews show carved side panels ("Poppyheads"). The marble apse shows the heads of the prophets and evangelists carved out of alabaster by John Birnie Philip and the wall covering bronze medallions with biblical characters by the same artist. The graceful choir gallery, which can be reached from the mazzaning gallery in the central hall, contains the pews for the family. The stained glass windows and murals are by Clayton and Bell, and the paintings and stenciling were done by John Gregpory Crace .

Living room 1877

The parade room suite on the first floor of the east wing includes a long gallery, the library, the parlor, the parade bedroom, the small parlor and two bedrooms. All of these rooms date from the Jacobean era, but were presumably significantly redesigned by John Crewe and then extensively reworked by Blore in the New Jacobean style. They were restored according to Barry's plans, usually with little intention of copying their Jacobean appearance, presumably due to the lack of records of most of the original designs. Crace did most of the decorating work in these rooms. All of the parade rooms contain fine stucco work and stone mantels, often flanked by Corinthian columns or pilasters.

Busts of Sir Randolph Crewe and Nathaniel Crewe

The long gallery on the north side has a mantelpiece in colored marble with busts of Henry Weekes depicting Sir Randolph Crewe and Nathaniel Crewe, Bishop of Durham . The library above the carved living room contains statuettes of book lovers created by Philip and a frieze of literary scenes by J. Mabey . In the salon there is a facsimile of the Jacobean ceiling, of which there are written records by the architect William Burn . In its nature it resembles one at the Reindeer Inn in Banbury , of which the Victoria and Albert Museum has a stucco form; this was probably the original work by the same craftsman. One of the parade rooms houses another detail that survived the fire: an open fireplace from the Jacobean period with a cornice relief showing Cain and Abel.

Stables, outbuildings and gatehouses

East facade of the stable block with Blores center piece

The earlier stables, made of red bricks and with a tiled roof, were completed around 1636, around the same time as the Jacobean manor house. They are considered historical buildings of the second degree and were built in the shape of a rectangle immediately to the west of the manor house, where they enclose a rectangular courtyard. The east facade is at right angles to the house front. The stables have nine bays and two floors as well as an attic. Its central section, which was added by Blore around 1837, consists of an arched entrance flanked by two pilasters and a bell tower rising above it from the first floor. The tower has double loopholes and a stone-edged dial. At the top of the bell chamber and are ogee dome with finials . In addition to the center piece, the has four yokes that protrude and have shaped gables that are also crowned by finials. The north and south ends of the east building also have sculpted gables.

Doorway for the wagons

The north and south sides of the square have large gateways for the wagons below the molded gables; the keystones show horse heads. The walls in the gateway are decorated with ribbons of blue bricks. The east, north and south facades have an openwork brick parapet with a stone wall crown . The west building has twelve arched openings that are accessible from the courtyard. The main floors of the square have mostly stone-clad, three-part Ajimez windows. The windows in the attic are in two parts. All roofs have octagonal chimney heads and decorative ridge tiles. The interior of the stable block was expanded with laboratories and offices during the last conversion of the property.

The Apple House , a small red-brick building west of the stables, also dates from around 1636. You can see it from around 1710 in a Crewe Hall painting. Originally it served as a dovecote , today it is used as a storage room. It has an octagonal floor plan, two floors and two oval windows with stone borders. The lower entrance has a semicircular stone arch, a second entrance is on the first floor. The pyramid-shaped tile roof is surmounted by a glazed lantern with a lead roof. The Apple House is a historical building of the 2nd degree.

Weston Lodge

The park has two gatehouses, both of which are listed as historical buildings II. The northern gatehouse at Slaughter Hill was created by Blore and dates from 1847. It is made of red bricks with darker bricks damascene , stone siding and a slate roof. It has a T-shaped floor plan, only one floor and is designed in a Jacobean style. It has two shaped gables with shields carved with the Crewe Estate emblem, a central hexagonal yoke with a pyramidal roof that forms the gateway. The Weston or Golden Gates Lodge in Elizabethan style south of the mansion was created before 1865 and William Eden Nesfield attributed, although it is not typical of his style. It is made of red bricks with zigzag damascene from blue bricks, has stone cladding and a slate roof as well as two floors with a receding bay window facing the street. The side facing the driveway is clad in ashlar with a plaque bearing the Crewe family coat of arms.

Gardens and park

Part of the park in 1840 with Repton's ornamental lake

In the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens , 201 acres of the gardens and surrounding parkland are classified as Grade II historic parks. An old engraving shows a fenced-in forecourt on the south side of the original mansion with a large stone entrance gate with Sir Randolph Crewe's coat of arms and motto. The forecourt had terraces, balustrades and a diamond-decorated path. As shown in a painting from around 1710, extensive enclosed, formal pleasure gardens with partitions were laid out on the property .

In the 18th century, the park was laid out in a more naturalistic style by Lancelot Brown (until 1768), William Emes (1768–1771), Humphry Repton and John Webb (1791) for John Crewe. Repton's design also included an ornamental lake with an area of ​​23 hectares immediately north of the mansion. It was created by damming the Engelsea Brook , which still runs through the park today. He also designed new access routes. The lake ran out in 1941 because a dam broke, and the area is now freshly planted with poplars. A stone statue of Neptune with a leaning female figure, which was originally set up on the lake shore, now stands in the open forest; it is from the beginning of the 19th century. A boathouse that originally stood at the end of the lake needed renovation in 2007. A peace temple originally stood on the north shore of the lake, but was destroyed sometime after 1892. A large part of the park is now covered with light mixed forest, e.g. B. the Rockery Wood or the Temple of Peace Wood .

WA Nesfield's plan of the northern parterre

Around 1840–1850, William Andrews Nesfield laid out formal gardens for Hungerford Crewe around the manor house. Nesfield's arrangement included statues, pebbled paths, and nifty parterren with low box hedges and colored minerals. Balustraded terraces were also laid out on the north and south sides of the mansion, presumably by EM Barry . They contained statues of lions, griffins, and other heraldic animals, just like in the stairwell inside the mansion. Due to the military use of the manor house in World War II, however, parts of the gardens were destroyed; near the mansion additional buildings were built for the army and the area of ​​the mansion served as a parade ground. It was later plowed over to plant potatoes. The site was then further neglected while the mansion served as an office building. Little survived to this day, mostly the terraces, gates and statues. In 2009, English Heritage added Crewe Hall to the Heritage at Risk Register as Highly Vulnerable. It was taken into account that the historical character of the gardens and the park was endangered by the recent conversion into a hotel complex, in particular by the conference center, the thermal baths and the associated parking spaces.

Entry gate from Cubitt & Co.

The entrance gate and the garden wall, which separate the gardens from the park and the farmland, date from 1878 and are considered to be historical buildings of the second degree. The wrought-iron gates Cubitt & Co. and were exhibited at the World Exhibition in Paris that same year . Two single gates and a double-winged inner gate hang on four sandstone pillars . The two outer pillars are crowned by bud-shaped structures that rest on rollers ; the two inner ones have a lion and a griffin, just like the statues on the terraces. The lower peat fields show lyra-like patterns with motifs of leaves and spear syringes, the upper Jacobean arches. The splendid gateways show signs and emblems with crowns, discs and sickles. The inner gates bear the inscription Quid retribuam domino ( Eng . What can I give God? ), The outer ones bear the date. The brick garden wall with stone cladding shows arcades and attached columns with keel-arched roofs , which are cut so that they fit together with the tiles of the tower on the manor house. Another detail of the gardens that has survived to this day is a sundial from the 19th century, which is listed as a historical building of the 2nd degree and stands behind the manor house.

Crewe Manor

history

The original manor Randolph Crewe bought in 1608 included the stately homes of Crewe Green , Barthomley and Haslington and cost over £ 6,000 . Land from the manors Offley in Staffordshire and Done in Cheshire came by marriage and inheritance in the late 17th and early 18th centuries And, like the other great estates in Cheshire, Crewe Hall prospered in the 18th century. In 1804 the estate comprised land and property in Barthomley, Burgwardsley, Crewe, Crowton, Elton, Hale, Northroad, Rushton, Sandbach, Spurstow, Tattenhall, Warmingha and Weston in Cheshire, and Madley in Staffordshire and Muxton in Shropshire . Most of the land was used for dairy farming, but there was also agriculture. The leasehold farms ranged from small houses with less than 1 hectare to large farms with over 120 hectares. The landlord's gardens, park and farm covered 236 hectares. Hungerford Crewe was the county's fifth largest landowner in 1871. He owned 4107 hectares. Most of the Crewe Manor was sold to the Duchy of Lancaster by Robert Crewe-Milnes in 1936 .

Buildings on the estate

Stowford and Magnolia Farms

The Crewe Hall farmhouse, the landlord's farm, stands on the edge of the property, 400 meters southeast of the manor. It dates from 1702 and is listed by English Heritage as a Grade II Historic Building. The two-story building with five bays was built with brown tiles and has a slate roof. Two of the neighboring farmhouses from 1883 and 1884 are also listed. Since 2009, the Duchy of Lancaster has been converting buildings on the site into rental offices. This also includes two listed historical buildings. A total of 2590 m² of office space will be created.

Several of the farms near Weston Lodge were designed by WE Nesfield between 1860 and 1866; they are among his earliest works. These include the Farm Stowford and Magnolia from 1864, or 1865, which Pevsner as "cheerful and just a little Kate Greenaway" (dt .: "cheerful and a bit of Kate Greenaway describes"), Smithy (1865) and Fir Tree (1865), all listed as Grade II Historic Buildings, as well as the semi-wooden farmhouse on Weston Road. Unlike the Jacobean style mansion and its furnishings in typical Victorian style, the style of the farmhouses is derived from that which is common in the “Home Countries” (area around London). Details such as tiles, rough plaster, hip roof and high chimneys are typical. Pevsner credits Nesfield with introducing these details in Cheshire.

Today's hotel and manor

Crewe Hall Brasserie

Crewe Hall has been a Hotel QHotel group since 2013 . It is surrounded by 3.2 hectares of parkland and offers a restaurant, a brasserie , a conference center, tennis courts and a fitness club with a gym, spa and swimming pool. The hotel has 117 rooms, 25 of which are in the old manor house. The hotel has been rated four stars by the AA (British Automobile Club), the restaurant and the brasserie each have two AA rosettes. The ballroom has a license for civil weddings. The manor house and the park are only accessible to hotel guests today. The estate belongs to the Duchy of Lancaster and is mainly used for dairy farming and forest. There are other economic uses near the town of Crewe as well as at Crewe Hall Farm .

Gallery images

  • Crewe Hall

  • Open fireplace in the lobby with the Crewe coat of arms

  • Wedgwood ceiling in the library with the goddess Aurora next to the intertwined "C" s of the Crewe coat of arms

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Nikolaus Pevsner, Edward Hubbard: The Buildings of England: Cheshire . Penguin Books, Harmondsworth 1971. ISBN 0-14-071042-6 . P. 22
  2. ^ A b Thomas Fuller: The history of the Worthies of England . Volume 1. Thomas Tegg, London 1840. p. 273. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar Peter de Figueiredo, Julian Treuherz (1988). Cheshire Country Houses Phillimore, Chichester 1988. ISBN 0-85033-655-4 . P. 66.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Nikolaus Pevsner, Edward Hubbard: The Buildings of England: Cheshire . Penguin Books, Harmondsworth 1971. ISBN 0-14-071042-6 . P. 40
  5. ↑ Michael Allen: An English Lady in Paris: The Diary of Frances Anne Crewe 1786 . Oxford-Stockley, St Leonards 2006/2011. ISBN 0-9552490-0-7 and ISBN 978-0-9552490-2-0 . P. 5.
  6. ↑ a b Howard Curran, Michael Gilsenan, Bernard Owen, Joy Owen: Change at Crewe . Cheshire Libraries, Chester 1984. ISBN 0-904532-08-9 . P. 2 + 5.
  7. ↑ a b c d R. Speake, J. Speake: A comparison of Audley, Barthomley and Betley: their differences and similarities as revealed in three local studies . Audley and District Family History Society. 1996. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 22, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.acumenbooks.co.uk
  8. ↑ Edward Hinchliffe: Barthomley: In Letters from a Former Rector to his Eldest Son . Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, London 1856. p. 219. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  9. ^ Revealing Cheshire's Past: Crewe Hall . Cheshire County Council. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  10. ↑ a b c d e f Wilfrid Perst: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press. September 2004 - January 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  11. ^ RN Dore: The Civil Wars in Cheshire in: JJ Bagley (editor): A History of Cheshire . Volume 8. Cheshire Community Council, Chester 1966. p. 4.
  12. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Crewe Hall . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 22, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Nikolaus Pevsner, Edward Hubbard: The Buildings of England: Cheshire . Penguin Books, Harmondsworth 1971. ISBN 0-14-071042-6 . Pp. 191-194
  14. ↑ Michael Allen: An English Lady in Paris: The Diary of Frances Anne Crewe 1786 . Oxford-Stockley, St Leonards 2006/2011. ISBN 0-9552490-0-7 and ISBN 978-0-9552490-2-0 . P. 6.
  15. ↑ Susan Chambers: Crewe - A History . Phillimore, Chichester 2007. ISBN 978-1-86077-472-0 . Pp. 14-15.
  16. ^ RN Dore: The Civil Wars in Cheshire in: JJ Bagley (editor): A History of Cheshire . Volume 8. Cheshire Community Council, Chester 1966. p. 20.
  17. ↑ a b E. Castle Hall: Providence Improved in G. Ormerod: History of the County Palatine and City of Chester . 2nd Edition. Routledge 1882. pp. 433-435
  18. ^ RN Dore: The Civil Wars in Cheshire in: JJ Bagley (editor): A History of Cheshire . Volume 8. Cheshire Community Council, Chester 1966. pp. 23-39.
  19. ^ A b J. Burke: A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire . Volume 1. 1832, p. 310
  20. ^ A b c Samuel Carter Hall: The Baronial Halls, Picturesque Edifices, and Ancient Churches of England . Volume 3. Chapman & Hall 1845
  21. ^ A b c Eveline Cruickshanks, Stuart Handley, DW Hayton: The House of Commons, 1690-1715 . Volume V. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2002. ISBN 0-521-77221-4
  22. ↑ a b c R.W. Davis: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press. 2004. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  23. ^ E. Salmon: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press. 2004. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  24. ↑ Edward Hinchliffe: Barthomley: In Letters from a Former Rector to his Eldest Son . Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, London 1856. p. 307. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  25. ↑ a b c d e f g h i John Martin Robinson: A Guide to the Country Houses of the North-West . Constable, London 1991. ISBN 0-09-469920-8
  26. ^ The Old Masters at the British Institution . The Times, June 11, 1866. p. 5.
  27. ↑ Destruction of Crewe Hall by Fire . The Times, Jan. 4, 1866. p. 6.
  28. ↑ Hungerford Crewe, 3rd Baron Crewe on thepeerage.com , accessed September 13, 2016.
  29. ^ A b c d John Davis: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press. September 2004 - January 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  30. ↑ a b Lord Crewe: A trusted Liberal statesman . The Times, June 21, 1945. p. 6.
  31. ↑ James Pope-Hennessy: Lord Crewe, 1858-1945: The Likeness of a Liberal . Constable, 1955. pp. 141-143.
  32. ↑ Royal visit to the Potteries. The Lancashire tour. Detailed programs . The Times, April 18, 1913. p. 10.}
  33. ^ A b Ray Gladden: Calmic at Crewe Hall . Medica Packaging, Crewe 2005. pp. 30-31
  34. ^ A b c The Crewe and South Survey . The Duchy of Lancaster. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  35. ↑ a b c Peter Ollerhead: Crewe: History and Guide . The History Press, Stroud 2008. ISBN 978-0-7524-4654-7 . P. 60
  36. ↑ Roger JC Thomas: Prisoner of war camps (1939-1948) (PDF) English Heritage. 2003. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  37. ^ A b c d Rosalind E. Tigwell: Cheshire in the Twentieth Century in JJ Bagley (editor): A History of Cheshire . Volume 12. Cheshire Community Council, Chester 1985. ISBN 0-903119-15-3 . P. 55
  38. ↑ Ray Gladden: Calmic at Crewe Hall . Medica Packaging, Crewe 2005. p. 5
  39. ↑ Ray Gladden: Calmic at Crewe Hall . Medica Packaging, Crewe 2005. pp. 12, 15, 25
  40. ↑ Ray Gladden: Calmic at Crewe Hall . Medica Packaging, Crewe 2005. p. 21
  41. ^ A b Ray Gladden: Calmic at Crewe Hall . Medica Packaging, Crewe 2005. pp. 24-25
  42. ↑ Ray Gladden: Calmic at Crewe Hall . Medica Packaging, Crewe 2005. p. 25
  43. ↑ Ray Gladden: Calmic at Crewe Hall . Medica Packaging, Crewe 2005. p. 26
  44. ^ John Britton, Edward Wedlake Brayley: The Beauties of England and Wales (1801-1818). Discussed in: Edward Hinchliffe: Barthomley: In Letters from a Former Rector to his Eldest Son . Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, London 1856. p. 324. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  45. ^ Sylvanus Urban: Crewe Hall, with an illustration in The Gentleman's Magazine . 1866. NS I: p. 313. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  46. ^ A b Howard J. Hodson: Cheshire, 1660-1780: Restoration to Industrial Revolution in JJ Bagley (editor): A History of Cheshire . Volume 9. Cheshire Community Council, Chester 1978. ISBN 0-903119-10-2 . P. 77
  47. ↑ a b c Fletcher Moss: The Fifth Book of Pilgrimages to Old Homes . F. Moss, Didsbury 1910. pp. 346-348
  48. ^ A b c Howard J. Hodson: Cheshire, 1660-1780: Restoration to Industrial Revolution in JJ Bagley (editor): A History of Cheshire . Volume 9. Cheshire Community Council, Chester 1978. ISBN 0-903119-10-2 . Pp. 80-81
  49. ↑ a b c d e Ray Gladden: Calmic at Crewe Hall . Medica Packaging, Crewe 2005. p. 28
  50. ↑ Edward Hinchliffe: Barthomley: In Letters from a Former Rector to his Eldest Son . Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, London 1856. p. 314. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  51. ↑ a b c Peter de Figueiredo, Julian Treuherz (1988). Cheshire Country Houses Phillimore, Chichester 1988. ISBN 0-85033-655-4 . P. 67.
  52. ↑ Geoffrey Scard: Squire and Tenant: Life in Rural Cheshire, 1760-1900 in JJ Bagley: A History of Cheshire . Volume 10. Cheshire Community Council, Chester 1981. ISBN 0-903119-12-9 . P. 23
  53. ^ A b Ray Gladden: Calmic at Crewe Hall . Medica Packaging, Crewe 2005. p. 29
  54. ↑ Michael Allen: An English Lady in Paris: The Diary of Frances Anne Crewe 1786 . Oxford-Stockley, St Leonards 2006/2011. ISBN 0-9552490-0-7 and ISBN 978-0-9552490-2-0 . P. 36.
  55. ^ John Martin Robinson: A Guide to the Country Houses of the North-West . Constable, London 1991. ISBN 0-09-469920-8 . P. 25
  56. ^ Nikolaus Pevsner, Edward Hubbard: The Buildings of England: Cheshire . Penguin Books, Harmondsworth 1971. ISBN 0-14-071042-6 . P. 193
  57. ↑ Ray Gladden: Calmic at Crewe Hall . Medica Packaging, Crewe 2005. pp. 5 + 26
  58. ^ John Martin Robinson: A Guide to the Country Houses of the North-West . Constable, London 1991. ISBN 0-09-469920-8 . P. 25 + 26
  59. ^ Nikolaus Pevsner, Edward Hubbard: The Buildings of England: Cheshire . Penguin Books, Harmondsworth 1971. ISBN 0-14-071042-6 . P. 23
  60. ^ Ann Elizabeth Health Foods The Reindeer Inn . English Heritage.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 23, 2014.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / list.english-heritage.org.uk  
  61. ↑ a b c d e Former Stables at Crewe Hall . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 23, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  62. ↑ a b c d e f g h Nikolaus Pevsner, Edward Hubbard: The Buildings of England: Cheshire . Penguin Books, Harmondsworth 1971. ISBN 0-14-071042-6 . Pp. 194-195
  63. ↑ a b The Apple House . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 23, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  64. ^ Revealing Cheshire's Past: The Applehouse, Crewe Park Hall . Cheshire County Council. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  65. ↑ a b North Lodge to Crewe Hall Park . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 23, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  66. ↑ a b Golden Gates Lodge and Entrance Screen . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from July 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 23, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  67. ↑ a b c d Crewe Hall, Crewe. Parks & Gardens UK, July 27, 2007, accessed July 19, 2017 .
  68. ↑ a b Interactive Mapping: Crewe Hall . Cheshire County Council. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  69. ^ Revealing Cheshire's Past: Crewe Hall Lake . Cheshire County Council. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  70. ^ Statue of Neptune . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 26, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  71. ↑ Edward Hinchliffe: Barthomley: In Letters from a Former Rector to his Eldest Son . Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, London 1856. p. 308. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  72. ^ Revealing Cheshire's Past: Temple of Peace, Crewe Hall Park . Cheshire County Council. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  73. ↑ Richard Bisgrove: William Robinson: The Wild Gardener . Frances Lincoln, London 2008. ISBN 0-7112-2542-7 . P. 21
  74. ↑ Ray Gladden: Calmic at Crewe Hall . Medica Packaging, Crewe 2005. pp. 6 + 26
  75. ↑ Heritage at Risk Register 2009 . English Heritage. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  76. ↑ a b c d Gates, Piers and Wall at North End of Crewe Hall Drive . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 26, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  77. ^ Sundial at Rear of Crewe Hall . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 26, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  78. ↑ Peter de Figueiredo, Julian Treuherz (1988). Cheshire Country Houses Phillimore, Chichester 1988. ISBN 0-85033-655-4 . P. 278.
  79. ^ Howard J. Hodson: Cheshire, 1660–1780: Restoration to Industrial Revolution in JJ Bagley (editor): A History of Cheshire . Volume 9. Cheshire Community Council, Chester 1978. ISBN 0-903119-10-2 . P. 72
  80. ↑ a b Geoffrey Scard: Squire and Tenant: Life in Rural Cheshire, 1760-1900 in JJ Bagley (Editor): A History of Cheshire . Volume 10. Cheshire Community Council, Chester 1981. ISBN 0-903119-12-9 . P. 19.
  81. ↑ Geoffrey Scard: Squire and Tenant: Life in Rural Cheshire, 1760-1900 in JJ Bagley (editor): A History of Cheshire . Volume 10. Cheshire Community Council, Chester 1981. ISBN 0-903119-12-9 . P. 72.
  82. ↑ Geoffrey Scard: Squire and Tenant: Life in Rural Cheshire, 1760-1900 in JJ Bagley (editor): A History of Cheshire . Volume 10. Cheshire Community Council, Chester 1981. ISBN 0-903119-12-9 . Pp. 19, 60, 79.
  83. ^ Alan Crosby: A History of Cheshire . Phillimore, Chichester 1996. ISBN 0-85033-932-4 . P. 87.
  84. ^ Crewe Hall Farm House . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 26, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  85. ^ Farm Buildings 10 Meters East of Crewe Hall Farm House . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 26, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  86. ↑ Farm Buildings 40 Meters North of Crewe Hall Farm House . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 26, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  87. ^ A b Crewe Hall Farm: The Development . Maple Grove Developments. Archived from the original on June 14, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  88. ^ Report and accounts of the Duchy of Lancaster for the year ended March 31, 2007 (PDF) Duchy of Lancaster. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  89. ↑ Magnolia Cottage, Stawford Cottage . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from July 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 26, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  90. ↑ Smithy Cottage . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from July 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 26, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  91. ↑ Fir Tree Cottage . English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from July 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 26, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / list.english-heritage.org.uk
  92. ↑ Crewe Hall . QHotels Group. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  93. ↑ Crewe Hall . AA. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  94. ^ The Brasserie, Crewe Hall . AA. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  95. ↑ Getting Married .... places . Borough of Crewe and Nantwich. Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2015.

Web links

Commons : Crewe Hall  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 53 ° 4 '58.8 "  N , 2 ° 23' 56.4"  W.