Capesthorne Hall is the home of the Bromley-Davenport family who can trace their ancestry back to the Norman Conquest.
The family's ownership of the land was recorded in the Domesday Book when the appointment of Chief Forester, responsible for law and order in the Forests of Macclesfield and Leek was granted to them. Many generations of the family have served in Parliament including a Speaker and Chancellor.
The current owner is HM Lord Lieutenant for Cheshire.
The existing Hall, which replaced a timber-framed building, dates from 1719 and was designed by the Smiths of Warwick.Alterations were made by Blore in 1837 and in 1861 Anthony Salvin rebuilt the centre section which had been destroyed in a diastrous fire.
The red-brick facades with towers and pinnacles have great character and the house is full of treasures. There are magnificent state rooms. The State Bedroom contains the chairs used by the family at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The bedhead has the same material as used at Westminster Abbey.
The Dorothy Davenport Room has a splendid Jacobean four-poster bed. Dame Dorothy (1562 - 1639) spent 26 years completing the needlework for the bed. The American Room has colonial furnishings brought over by the late Lady Bromley-Davenport from her former home in Philadelphia.
The Sculpture Gallery has fine classical marbles and busts. The Hall also has a great variety of paintings and furniture. The cellars have many displays including an exhibition of Civil War armour.
Capesthorne Hall is surrounded by over 100 acres of gardens and parkland.
The grounds have series of man-made lakes and the central one is crossed by a multi-arch brick bridge.
The beautiful Georgian Chapel dates from 1720 and services are still held there. The woodland walk passes an old Ice House and the Water Cascade and there is also a nature trail.
