Clegg Hall

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Clegg Hall is a 17th century hall in Greater Manchester, England. It is situated between Rochdale and Littleborough.

The 'Clegg' in the name of the current hall refers to the location (Little Clegg or Great Clegg) rather than the family - the house was built by a Theophilus Ashton in the early 17th century, it has never been suggested that the house has been lived in by Cleggs. It appears to be on the site of an earlier Clegg Hall(s) whose occupants were Cleggs.

It has been said somewhere that the first know Cleggs, Bernulf (and his wife Quernilda) de Clegg were in the Domesday book, though they are more commonly said to date to King Stephen’s reign (1135-1154). That would seem sensible dating from the names, as they are all Anglo Saxon apart from the 'de' which is a Norman bolt-on, typical of the period before Norman Christian names became common.

[edit] The Boggart

Clegg Hall is said to be haunted. The Clegg Hall boggart (as the ghost is better known) is usually placed in the 13th century. The longest version I've seen was a very romanticised version in a book called In Olden Days written by a local vicar (Revd. Oakley) in the early years of this century. It reckoned that the master of the house went off to France to fight with Henry. While the father was away the wicked uncle killed both his nephews, throwing them over the battlements into the moat of what was presumably a fortified house. Eventually the father returned. His brother crept through a secret passage from a nearby hall, ready to do away with the distraught father, when one of the children's voices was heard calling out "Father beware!" (or words to that effect) and the father awoke, sending his evil brother running terrified to plunge to his death. Ever since, allegedly, the phantom boy has been heard issuing warnings.

The current building was described in a 1626 survey of Rochdale as "a faire capital messuage built with free stone with all new fair houses of office there-unto belonging with gardens, fishponds and divers closes of land." It also refers to "barns, stables, courts, orchards, gardens, folds and pigeon houses."

I have two books which refer to the ghost and later uses of the current building. One is Harland & Wilkinson's Lancashire Legends, published in 1873. This says 'After many changes of occupants it is now in part used as a country alehouse; other portions of it are inhabited by the labouring classes, who find employment in that populous manufacturing district. It is the property of the Fentons, by purchase from the late John Entwisle Esq of Foxholes.' The other, Lancashire Legends by Katherine Eyre (1972), says that from 1818 to 1869 it was a public house called the Horse and Hounds, but generally known as the Black Sloven, the name of a favourite hunting mare of legendary speed which belonged to the former owner, Mr Charles Turner. He died in 1733. It says that 'The Boggart Chamber' became a place to be avoided (though it's not clear if this was in the pre-1620s house or not). It also says that 'during the Commonwealth era, there were hints of counterfeiting activities in the vaults and cellars of Clegg Hall.' That's quite interesting, as it was common for smugglers and counterfeiters to use tales of ghosts to scare off locals from seeing what was going on...

[edit] Clegg Hall now

Sometime in the early 1900s there was a fire at Clegg Hall and it has never been whole since. We know it was in one piece in 1910, as the picture from Oakley's In Olden Days above dated 1910 shows it as a complete building. However the text (of a 1920s edition) describes it as "a ruined hall", so we can reasonably assume that the damage was done sometime in that period. It has been a ruin ever since. A local resident remembers playing there in the 1950s, when the upper floors were still there, but a farmer used to house his cows on the ground floor.

Since then its condition has deteriorated more and more, now it is left as a shell. Some time between the 1970s and 1999, the most impressive external feature - the portico from the front door - was removed.

In the late 1980s, following the building's purchase by the environmental organization Pennine Heritage rumors of a large-scale theme park centered on the hall led to the formation of a vociferous local residents' group to harangue local councillors for assurances that their properties would not be compulsorily purchased. At one point there was a suggestion that Clegg Hall, which is very near the Rochdale Canal, could be turned into a national canal museum, but this proved too expensive.

N.B Clegg Hall has recently finished a major regeneration and is back to its original state pre-1900; however it is now a private house, though they do schedule tours from time to time.

[edit] Visiting Clegg Hall

The rear of the building, which featured the fascinating and obviously significantly older carving shown on the left, is fenced off, but the front of the hall faces straight onto a narrow lane leading past the associated factory and row of Victorian weavers' cottages which are built in startling proximity to the hall building.

Here's one route to get to the hall. From the Halifax Road (A58) between Rochdale and Littleborough (heading towards Littleborough) take the right turn at the traffic lights into Smithy Bridge Road (first right after the left turn to Birch Hill Hospital - Birch Road) and the BP garage. Follow Smithy Bridge Road down the hill and up the other side, crossing the railway line. Shortly after, turn right into the small Little Clegg Road (opposite the Methodist church charity shop and car park). Park in the road.

Continue on foot down Little Clegg Road. At the end it appears to enter a farmyard. Continue, and the road (still tarmac, but potholed) bends left then right and heads off over the hill. Follow it through fields and then through a cobbled section with a disused factory on either side. Immediately after, Clegg Hall is on the left. The walk takes 10 minutes.