Eaton Hall (Cheshire)

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Eaton Hall in 1708.

Eaton Hall is a country house set within a large park in the village of Eccleston near Chester in England. It is the country house of the Duke of Westminster. The estate covers 11,000 acres (45 km²).

The estate has belonged to the Grosvenor family since the reign of Henry VI in the 15th century, when Ralph Grosvenor, married Joan, daughter of John Eaton and heiress to the estate. The house has been rebuilt several times. Sir John Vanbrugh built a brick house on the site at the end of the 17th century. Between 1804 and 1812 William Porden reconstructed the house in a gothic style. He doubled the size of the house, but retained the basement of the old house and some of the walls.

This 1826 print shows the entrance front of William Porden's Eaton Hall.

In the 1870s Eaton Hall was massively expanded in a heavier version of gothic by Alfred Waterhouse. This was probably the most expensive building project ever on an English country house, costing six hundred thousand pounds: a reflection of the Marquess of Westminster's status as the richest man in the United Kingdom. (He became the 1st Duke of Westminster in 1874 while work was in progress, officially for his philanthropic work). The reconstructed house was extremely irregular and asymmetrical, but again some of the old structure was retained, and the nine bay, three storey form of the Vanbrugh house was still apparent in the centre of the facade of the main block. This version of Eaton Hall featured a large chapel with a bell tower, which was connected to the other wings of the house, but stood apart from the them. The tower bore a strong resemblance to the clock tower, Big Ben of the Palace of Westminster in London. At one time, "There is no place like home" was played on the bells each time the Duke approached the house

This 1826 print shows the garden front of William Porden's Eaton Hall.

From 1896 to 1947 the estate was seved by the 15 inch gauge Eaton Hall Railway. Part of the old railway route was re-opened in 1994.

Eaton Hall served as a hospital in both World Wars and as an officer cadet training school from 1946 to 1960. Although Waterhouse's design is now considered to have been a masterpiece of Victorian gothic, the main part of the house was demolished by the estate trustees in 1963. However, the chapel, bell tower and stable block were retained. A new house in the modern international style was built; the architect was John Dennys, the 5th Duke’s brother-in-law. Although ducal in size, its stark frontage found little favour with either architectural critics or visitors: one commented that it resembled the largest petrol station in Cheshire. In the 1990s, the house was built up and refaced in a pared-down version of French Classicism.

This photo of c.1880 shows the garden front of Waterhouse's Eaton Hall. The main block is on the left and the family wing is at the far right. There is also a linking wing which contained further guest accommodation. The clock tower can be seen in the background. The service wing and stables are behind and to the right of the family wing and the clock tower.

The house contains a fine collection of furniture and paintings assembled by the Grosvenor family. The family made its fortune by developing most of Belgravia and Pimlico and a large slice of Mayfair, all of which are in London. Pimlico has been sold, but the family still owns many properties in Mayfair and Belgravia.

Eaton Hall is a private residence and not open to the public, but the garden is open to the public for a few days each year. There is a function room which may be hired by charities.