Rufford New Hall
The Rufford New Hall is a former country house , which the Hesketh family belonged. The Heskeths were Lords of the Manor of Rufford in Lancashire . The Rufford New Hall replaced the Rufford Old Hall as the Hesketh family residence and was classified as a Grade 2 building by English Heritage in 1986 .
history
Sir Robert Hesketh had the country house built in 1760. His grandson had it expanded in 1798–1799 when the family gave up the Rufford Old Hall as a family seat. The Heskeths lived in Rufford New Hall until 1919.
hospital
Rufford New Hall was acquired by the Lancashire County Council in 1920 and converted into a hospital. On August 6, 1926, the Rufford Pulmonary Disease Hospital opened. It had 50 beds for tuberculosis patients . It was later used as a sanatorium by the NHS until it closed in 1987. The sanatorium was under the Ormskirk District General Hospital .
architecture
Rufford New Hall is a brick construction. Originally it was decorated with stucco . The country house has a very flat slate roof, which is covered by a low parapet . The symmetrical, two-storey front has a five-part facade with an Ionic portico with smooth columns, a wide entrance and a skylight. The house has four 15-pane windows on the ground floor and five windows on the first floor. Some gargoyles bear the initials of Sir Thomas Dalrymple Hesketh and the year 1811, and one is dated 1822. The entrance hall has a staircase suspended from cantilever girders with walkways on three sides and wrought iron balusters . It is illuminated by an oval glass dome. The main hall has columns and pilasters made of stucco marble .
Rufford Park
The Heskeths had Rufford Park with deer park, Ha-Ha and walled garden surrounded by a stone wall laid out around Rufford New Hall . The park stretches from the Holmeswood parish line to those of Croston and Mawdesley . The area is cut through by the Liverpool to Preston dual carriageway (A59). For the creation of the park, farms had to be demolished and their residents relocated to the village. The park is bordered by trees and has an ice house, a rose garden, a restored ornamental garden, a lake and plantings. The southern part of the park is a designated biotope, home to bats , squirrels and other animal, plant and rare mushroom species.
Ice house
The ice house is a Grade 2 listed building and one of three ice houses that have been preserved in the district to this day. The ice house was restored along with the main house. It is round and made of sandstone, bricks and earth and has a domed roof over an underground chamber, which can be reached through a brick-built corridor. There is a ha-ha around the ice house, which forms a complete circle about 35 meters in diameter. In winter, ice was brought from the frozen lake to the ice house, where it was stored for the rest of the year.
Huts
Rufford New Hall has three cabins that can be seen on the Ordnance Survey Map from 1847. The Holmeswood Lodge was built on Holmeswood Road in the early 19th century. The Hesketh Lodge was built around the same time at the main entrance. It was named after the original owners. The one-story building is decorated with stucco and stone ornaments. The Croston Lodge is located at the north entrance to the A59 and was built in 1798. It is a one-story brick building with a slate roof. The Springwood Lodge was formerly the cottage for gamekeepers and gardeners.
restoration
The country house and the north wing have been restored and converted into apartments and small houses. The corbelled staircase with the Hesketh family coat of arms, the Georgian turret and the oval glass dome on the roof were preserved, as were the Ionic colonnades and the portico. The stables were converted into small country houses. The English gardens, the ornamental ponds, the lawns and the tennis courts were restored. Most of the trees on the property are protected by the Tree Protection Ordinance. These include many rare species, such as B. the handkerchief tree .
Ghosts
Four different ghosts are said to be haunted in the country house and on the estate.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Rufford New Hall, Rufford . Listed Buildings Online . Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Extract Treatment of Tuberculosis in Lancashire . BMJ. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ↑ Fred Lee: A History of Rufford . Rufford Village May 2003 . Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ↑ a b c Rufford Park Conservation Area (pdf) Lancashire County Council. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ Rufford in William Farrer, J. Brownbill (editor): A History of The County of Lancaster . Volume 6. British History Online 1911. pp. 119-128 . Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Rufford (pdf) Lancashire County Council. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ↑ Ice House in Rufford Park . Listed Buildings Online. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Lancashire . Paranormal Database . Retrieved December 23, 2014.
Web links
Coordinates: 53 ° 38 ′ 27.2 " N , 2 ° 49 ′ 27.1" W.