Tatton Park - Tudor Old Hall

Knutsford, Cheshire

Tudor Old Hall stands within its own grounds in a quiet part of the park and has its own cruck barn. It has it's own car parking area nearby and is a good base for walking and exploring many of the historic areas of the Park as well as for viewing wildlife.

It provides a venue for a number of events such as outdoor theatre and living history and on special open days it has an 'Tour through Time' which recreates life as it would have been in bygone years, when you can then get to see inside and the large area where the people would have lived, cooked and slept. Tours only take place on selected dates.

It was built as a manor house at the turn of the 15th century, there is a single storey great hall dimly lit by tallow candles and a flickering fire.  By 1598 a two storey wing was added. A new hall was built on the site of the current mansion in the early 1700's and it ceased to be a manor house, then becoming a farmhouse for a century before being finally converted into 3 estate cottages.

Cruck Barn

The Cruck Barn at Tatton Old Hall is not an original of the estate it  was bought to Tatton in 1976 but started its life at the beginning of the 17th century at a Cheshire farm near Frodsham. The barn is a fine example of a style once common in the Midlands and North, and is constructed from a series of paired timbers called crucks, each of which forms a shape like the letter A. The roof is thatched with reed whose butt ends jut out and form the eaves drop, which casts rainwater away from the building.

Nearby is the disappeared Tatton village where the tofts and crofts of medieval houses once stood and where ancient roadways were hollowed out by centuries of tramping feet. The village site and surroundings go beyond the medieval, back into Anglo-Saxon and Iron Age times through to the Neolithic and Mesolithic periods of 3,000 and 10,000 years ago. Both the Old Hall and village sites are scheduled ancient monuments.

Historical Re-enactment

The Old Hall and its grounds is used for historical re-enactment and living history events. Its ‘big’ event held each year in June is the Medieval Fayre when it recreates a holiday fair from the past, of travelling traders and victualers. With the fair comes a collection of entertainers, falconers and ne’er-do-wells as well as knights, men-at-arms and their ladies. Visitors can experience living history groups and crafts people showing their particular interests and skills, armed combat and archery tourneys, sometimes loud bangs, sulphurous flame and smoke from musket and cannon and the battle finale.  The Old Hall is open throughout the event.

There are a number of other attractions at Tatton Park including:

• The Deer Park, 1000 acres of parkland and woodland,  and home to herds of red and fallow deer, St Kilda and Soay sheep, but also 2 meres not only providing a wetland habitat but an activity centre for sailing boats and fishermen.

• 50 Acres of Gardens

• The Mansion House

• 1930's Rare Breeds Working Farm

Tatton Park is owned by the National Trust but since 1960 has been leased back to Cheshire Country Council who have since managed and financed the property on their behalf.

Further information Grid   Location: Tatton Park Old Hall, Knutsford, Cheshire Ceremonial County: Cheshire Grid Reference: SJ750817 Map Link: Multimap Aerial photo: Google Aerial Photo  Route(s):   Best Times to Visit:   E-mail: tatton@cheshire.gov.uk Website: Tudor Old Hall www.tattonpark.org.uk National Trust Other useful websites: Wiki Nearby Locations:   Other Relevant pages: Living History Section Classification: Historic Houses Date Updated: 07/2008

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