Speke Hall
Speke Hall is a stately, courtyard-enclosing building complex in the Tudor style of the 16th century in Speke , Liverpool / England . The house is considered to be one of the outstanding and well-preserved examples of the striking half-timbered architecture in the time of the Tudor dynasty. Today's owner is the National Trust .
history
Speke Hall was built for the Norris family, and the construction of the buildings ranged from about 1490 to 1613; nevertheless, all four wings show the same architectural style. The Norris family lived in the house for several generations until the female heiress married into the Beauclerk family. In 1795 the Watt family finally bought the house from the Beauclerks.
interior
The oldest part is the great drawing room with a huge fireplace at one end of the room. The spectacular ceiling from the early 17th century is decorated with motifs of fruits and flowers.
In the courtyard, two yew trees known as “Adam and Eve” contribute to the subdued atmosphere of the interior, which is characterized by wall panels and heavy oak furniture. They were first mentioned in the 18th century, but may be much older than Speke Hall.
Exterior
The current design of the garden goes back to the time after 1855, when the twenty-year-old Richard Watt inherited the property and began to restore and beautify the planting. After Watt's sudden death, the then tenant, Frederick Leyland, and from 1878 Watt's daughter continued the work. Another phase of fundamental improvements began in 1986 with the final takeover by the National Trust. In the fenced-in area outside the large salon, for example, a pretty arrangement of bed and shrub roses amidst low-growing flowers was created.
The sandy soil of the property lends itself well to rhododendrons , which were planted on a large scale in the second half of the 19th century and are still prominent in many places today.
literature
- Peter Furtado, Nathaniel Harris, Hazel Harrison, Paul Pettit: The Country Life Book of Castle and Houses in Britain . Newnes Books, 1986, ISBN 0-600-56400-2 , p. 219.
- Bamber Gascoigne: Encyclopedia of Britain . BCA, London / New York / Sydney / Toronto 1993, ISBN 0-333-54764-0 , p. 602.
- Stephen Lacey: Gardens of the National Trust . National Trust Enterprises, 1996, ISBN 1-905400-00-4 , p. 308.
Web links
Coordinates: 53 ° 20 ′ 13 " N , 2 ° 52 ′ 27" W.