Hough End Hall

Hough End Hall is an historic house in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, North West England. It was built in 1596 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I by Sir Nicholas Mosley, when he became Lord of the Manor of Withington (Chorlton-cum-Hardy was at the time a township within the Manor of Withington). The Mosleys were an influential Mancunian family, who dominated much of north-west English history for several centuries. Mosley Street in Manchester is named after them.

Description

The house stands on Nell Lane, just north-east of Barlow Moor Road. Behind it runs the route of the disused Midland Railway, and Chorlton Brook runs past it on the north side.

It is a brick, three-storey brick building with gabled wings which are ornamented with balls. The central portion of the house is surmounted with a parapet in the form of three smaller gables with similar finials. The chimneys are square shafts set diagonally on square bases.

History and restoration

Over the years the house has been considerably altered, with new windows and structural alterations. The original oak nail-studded back door is now inside the house, and a five-light window on the return of the staircase bay is built up and can only be seen from inside. The house has previously been used as a toolhouse, a blacksmith's shop and a farmhouse, and interior had been stripped of its original oak fittings by the 20th century. A handsome staircase at the east end of the house was removed by Lord Egerton to Tatton Hall. Restoration in the later 20th century proved controversial.cite news
title = 'Townships: Withington', A History of the County of Lancashire: Volume 4 (1911)
publisher = http://www.british-history.ac.uk
url = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=41425
accessdate = 2006-12-30 ]

In 1917 some of the lands of the Hough End estate lying to the NE of the Hall, and north of the Midland Railway line, were taken over by the War Department for use as Alexandra Park Aerodrome until closure in 1924, and is now used as public recreational space. cite news
title = Districts & Suburbs of Manchester: Chorlton-cum-Hardy
publisher = www.manchester2002-uk.com/
url = http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/districts/chorlton-cum-hardy.html
accessdate = 2006-12-30 ]

Present day

Today, Hough End Hall is surrounded by large concrete office blocks, hiding it from public view. It has Grade II* [cite web |title=Hough End Hall, Manchester |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=388344 |publisher=Images of England |accessdate=2008-05-28] listed building status, The former grounds are used for the Greater Manchester Police police horse and dog training centre, the Hough End Centre, and Hough End Playing Fields.

Hough End Hall is not open to the public, but may be hired for private functions.

ee also

*Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
*Withington
*Chorlton-cum-Hardy
*Manchester

References

* Manchester's Early Airfields, R.A.Scholefield, a chapter in "Moving Manchester", Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, Manchester, 2004, ISSN 0950-4699