Speke Hall

In Brief.

Speke Hall is a grand Tudor house managed by the National Trust, surrounded by lawns, low-key formal gardens and woodland. The interior of the hall lacks the scale of some country houses, such as Lyme, but includes ornate wooden panelling and furniture, and light partly comes from a striking interior courtyard.  The gardens provide varied views of the hall, and woodland walks help to justify a visit to the restaurant for a scone.

Speke Hall from the South Lawn

What's Here?

Speke is a substantial Tudor country house, which was developed under two families from the 16th to the 19th Century.  The hall has lawns on three sides, providing diverse views of the striking exterior. The interior features a substantial collection of ornate 19th century oak furniture that may seem rather ornate and gloomy to modern eyes, but certainly is not typical of country house furniture. There are also exhibitions on the persecution facing Catholic families, such as the owners of Speke, in Elizabethan times.  The entrance, by way of a bridge over a moat, and the central courtyard are among the most striking features of the hall.

The central courtyard, complete with yew tree.

The grounds include formal gardens adjacent to the house, which largely consist of lawns; these open spaces provide a variety of complementary views of the house.  Beyond the lawns, there is a wooded area, with several walks, and beyond the woods there is a costal walk by the Mersey estuary.  The woodland walks include a route to the play area, which starts from the substantial maze near to the farm buildings that now host the restaurant. A wander around the woods to the (reasonably signposted) secret garden gives access to a variety of atmospheric settings.

Practicalities.

Distance from Manchester Town Hall: 33 miles

Drive Time: 50 minutes.

Price: $$

Parking: Included.

Food and Drink: There is a substantial cafe, with a perhaps slightly gloomy indoor space, adjacent to an pleasant outdoor area in the farm / stable yard. In line with National Trust practice, excellent scones were available, along with above average coffee. 

Retail therapy: There is a second hand bookshop near to the restaurant, but uncharacteristically for a busy National Trust property, there is not a gift shop.

Child Friendly: There is a play area in the woods and a maze.

Toilets: Yes.

Do it justice in: 2 to 3 hours.

Inside-Outside: 40:60

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chester Zoo

Image
In Brief. Chester Zoo is a substantial modern zoo, with a remarkable collection of animals of all sizes, from land, sea and air. The Zoo is divided into several zones, for example there is an islands zone and a Madagascar zone, though it's hard to sense that you are really focusing on anything in particular with such diversity on hand.  The zoo itself is a pleasant environment, with lots of greenery, there are eateries spread across the site, and the enclosures seem in good condition and not too cramped. The flamingos What's Here? This is rather a formidable zoo, with everything from an aquarium and a butterfly house to large mammals (elephants and rhinos) and predators (jaguars and lions). There is so much to see that any day trip is unlikely to do it justice, and you can't help but find yourself wandering past potentially interesting things on the way to something you spotted on a sign or in the app.  For a typical animal, there will be some signs highlighting area of or
Read more

Hardwick Hall

Image
In Brief. Hardwick Hall is a grand, well preserved Elizabethan country house, run by the National Trust, with a walled garden and extensive grounds. The adjacent garden includes an orchard and some fine views over the fields, but the highlight is the house. Built for a grand dame of the Elizabethan period, the hall retains many of its original features, being largely spared from generations of home improvements. The site also includes the adjacent  Hardwick Old Hall , which is run by English Heritage, but they certainly drew the short straw as only the shell of the Old Hall survives. What's Here. Hardwick Hall was built to suit the needs and reflect the status of Bess of Hardwick (1521-1608), who was born on the site, outlived a succession of husbands, and accumulated significant wealth in the process.  Her initials (ES - Elizabeth Shrewsbury) adorn the towers. The house spent a considerable time in the possession of descendants who also owned the even more imposing Chatsworth ,
Read more

Liverpool Waterfront

Image
In Brief. The Liverpool Waterfront, on the tidal River Mersey, is one of the most recognisable urban spaces in the UK. Though stripped of its World Heritage status because of unsympathetic modern developments, the core of the current waterfront area around the Albert Dock both preserves and repurposes historical landmarks and hosts a variety of cultural venues that enable a rich and varied visit. The Three Graces beyond the Museum of Liverpool What's Here? This is a destination that combines a collection of things to look at (notably the Three Graces from the early 20th Century and the surviving Victorian Docks), and things to go inside (such as Tate Liverpool, The Museum of Liverpool, The Maritime Museum, The International Slavery Museum and The Beatles Story). A colourful ferry heads across the Mersey. One way of combining looking at with going inside is on The Mersey Ferries,  which offer a 50 minute cruise with a single stop in Birkenhead on the south bank of the Mersey. This c
Read more