Arley Hall

Arley Hall, a impressive red-brick neo-Jacobean house, is the home of Viscount and Viscountess Ashbrook.

The house was built by the owner's great-great-grandfather, Rowland Egerton-Warburton in 1832 - 45 to the designs of the architect George Latham of Nantwich. Egerton-Warburton was a representative of a family who had lived in Cheshire since the Norman Conquest and had held the estate since the 15th century.

The Victorian house replaced an 18th century building, which itself encased an earlier timber-framed structure. Arley Hall has remained in the hands of the Warburton family and, even though the service wing was demolished in 1968, the house remains an important example of an early-Victorian squire's residence.

The house is approached through a gatehouse set in a row of outbuildings which includes a 15th century cruck-framed barn. Jacobean detailing adorns the symmetrical main facade but the octagonal tower that once stood over the porch was removed in 1968. The layout and proportions of the building reflects the 18th century house it replaced.

The entrance is through the West Hall which contains the Victorian Library. Throughout the house there are examples of superb Victorian craftsmanship in wood and plaster. The Hall now serves as the main dining room as the original room was demolished in 1968. The Drawing Room has a splendid barrel-vaulted ceiling. Upstairs there are a series of comfortable bedrooms.

Although Arley Hall is not particularly old, it contains some important works of art. The walls are hung with portraits of the Warburton family which date back as far as the 16th century. Later portraits include works by Romney, Beechey and Hoppner.