Hawkstone Hall
Hawkstone Hall is a 43,400 square feet (4,030 m2)[1] early 18th-century country mansion near Hodnet, Shropshire, England which was more recently occupied as the pastoral centre of a religious organisation for many years. It is a Grade I listed building.[2] It is currently being converted by new owners into a luxury wedding and events venue with hotel bedrooms.
History
The manor was purchased, together with Soulton, by Sir Rowland Hill and Thomas Leigh from Thomas Lodge in 1556, under long leases (until 1610) for quiet enjoyment by his brother Edward Lodge.[3] It became the seat of the Hill family for more than 300 years. The house was built between 1701 and 1725 by Richard Hill of Hawkstone (1655–1727), second of the Hill baronets, of Hawkstone. Brothers Rowland (1st Viscount Hill) and Robert Hill, who fought at the 1815 Battle of Waterloo were both born at the Hall.
The financial difficulties of Rowland Clegg-Hill, the 3rd Viscount Hill who was bankrupt at the time of his death in 1895, forced the sale of the hall's contents and the split up of the estate by 1906.
It was sold to the Liberal politician George Whitely, who had previously represented Stockport and Pudsey in the House of Commons, where he was a Liberal whip in Parliament – later to become Baron Marchamley in 1908. George Whiteley had the hall renovated and the wings reduced in length by William Tomkinsons of Liverpool, supervised by H.P. Dallow, brother in law of Henry Price.[4] The chapel wing was reconstructed as a games room with dance floor and the other wing as servants’ quarters.
The hall was acquired after Lord Marchamley's death by the Roman Catholic Redemptorist Order in 1926 and, until 1973, was a seminary. The Order added a chapel in 1932 and further extended the Hall in 1962, converting the north-east service wing into a residential wing.[5] The seminary relocated in 1973, and since 1975 the Hall was a Pastoral and Renewal Centre. [6]
The property was put up for sale in 2014. [7] In June 2017, the hall was purchased by The Distinctly Hospitable Group LTD, who also own a wedding & events venue, "Weston Hall" and gastro-pub, "The Saracens Head", both located in Weston, Staffordshire. In August 2017, the new owners received change of use planning permission, for a luxury Wedding & events venue with hotel bedrooms. A refurbishment is set to take place in late 2017 until mid-2018, when the venue will open for business.
References
- "Hawkstone Hall".
- Heritage Gateway; architectural description of Hawkstone Hall
- The National Archives, Discovery Catalogue piece description 'Bargain and sale (1556)', 215/31 (Shropshire Archives).
- Henry Price (architect)
- "Hawkstone Hall sold for about £4m. Mystery surrounds identity of owner". Shropshire Star. 29 May 2015. p. 17.Report by James Pugh.
- "Hawkstone Hall". Archived from the original on 2008-12-30.
- "Georgian mansion Hawkstone Hall for sale - yours for the price of a two-bed flat in London". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 October 2017.