Wollaton Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wollaton Hall is a country house in Wollaton, Nottingham, England started in 1580 and completed in 1588 for Sir Francis Willoughby (1557-1596) by the Elizabethan architect, Robert Smythson (also the architect of Hardwick Hall). The building consists of a high central hall, surrounded by four towers. Unfortunately, Smythson's interior was destroyed by fire and remodelling was carried out by Sir Jeffry Wyattville in 1801.
The gallery of the main hall contains Nottinghamshire's oldest pipe organ, thought to date from the end of the seventeenth century, possibly by the builder Gerard Smith. It is still blown by hand.
Now owned by the Nottingham City Council, it currently houses Francis Willughby and John Ray's natural history collection of stuffed animals and birds.
In 1855 Joseph Paxton designed a near replica of Wollaton Hall in Buckinghamshire, now known as Mentmore Towers.
The grounds, Wollaton Park, are the home to the Intercounties Cross Country trials in March of each year, as well as many other events. In this park, during World War II members of the U.S. 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment were billeted waiting to be parachuted into Europe. A small plaque commemorates this event.
The hall reopened on friday 7th April after being closed for refurbishment.
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[edit] Owners of Wollaton Hall
- 1580 - 1596 Sir Francis Willoughby
- 1596 - 1643 Sir Percival Willoughby
- 1643 - 1672 Francis Willughby FRS
- 1672 - 1729 Thomas Willoughby, 1st Baron Middleton
- 1729 - 1758 Francis Willoughby, 2nd Baron Middleton
- 1758 - 1774 Francis Willoughby, 3rd Baron Middleton
- 1774 - 1781 Thomas Willoughby, 4th Baron Middleton
- 1781 - 1800 Henry Willoughby, 5th Baron Middleton
- 1800 - 1835 Henry Willoughby, 6th Baron Middleton
- 1835 - 1856 Digby Willoughby, 7th Baron Middleton
- 1856 - 1877 Henry Willoughby, 8th Baron Middleton
- 1877 - 1922 Digby Wentworth Bayard Willoughby, 9th Baron Middleton
- 1922 - 1924 Godfrey Ernest Percival Willoughby, 10th Baron Middleton
- 1924 - 1925 Michael Guy Percival Willoughby, 11th Baron Middleton
- 1925 - present day - Nottingham Corporation
[edit] Industrial Museum
Wollaton Hall contains an Industrial Museum, with a display of Textile, Transport and Technology from Nottingham's past, including the Basford Beam Engine, a fully operational analogue telephone network, a display of cycles, motor cycles and motor cars linked to the city and some of the most important lace making machinery that put Nottingham on the textile map.
The Steam Engine House has a fully operational Steaming Day run by the Nottingham Arkwright Society [1] on the last Sunday of every month.
The Industrial Museum is accessed through the Courtyard Stables shop and via the Wollaton Visitor Centre.
[edit] External links
- Nottingham City Council Site
- Official Site.
- Aerial photo of Wollaton Hall. Other map and aerial photo sources.
[edit] References
- Marshall, P (1999), Wollaton Hall and the Willoughby Family, Nottingham Civic Society.
