Little Moreton Hall is regarded as one of the best preserved timbered houses in the country.
The Hall was the property of the Moreton family, powerful local landowners and tax collectors for the King.
The house was built within a moat and around a cobbled courtyard. The presence of a moat indicates that the family were building where their ancestors had established a secure stronghold.
The building was not planned as a whole but grew at intervals during the 16th century as successive members of the family made additions.
The Hall and lower parts of the gatehouse were built in around 1520. In 1560 a porch and parlour were added. Twenty years later the family decided to add a long gallery. The only place available for this was above the gatehouse range.
Although the whole structure looks top heavy, the brick buttresses ensure it is still secure. Since that date hardly any additions or changes has been made. The exterior of the Hall has an aray of black and white patterns. Each square panel has a variety of designs.
The windows are intricately glazed.
The east wing and the Great Hall contain three items of furniture original to the house - the long refectory table, the 'great round table' and a 'cubborde of boxes'. Apart from these pieces of furniture the Hall is mostly empty.
The lack of furnishings, however, allows the architecture and proportions of the rooms to be seen clearly. The withdrawing room has moulded roof timbers and a splendid overmantel carved with Elizabeth I's royal arms.
The Long Gallery stretches for 68 feet beneath vast arch-braced roof trusses. The original garderobes are preserved intact. The Moreton family continued to live at the Hall except for a period of during the 19th century when it was let as a farmhouse.
The last two Moreton owners, Miss Elizabeth Moreton who died in 1912 and her cousin Bishop Abraham ensured the Hall's preservation by giving the property to the National Trust in 1938.
Little Moreton Hall is set in beautiful gardens containing plants known to have existed in medieval times. Around the house are herbaceous beds with cranesbill, catmint, astrantias, irises and hostas in subtle colours.
To the north a formal Knot Garden has been created by Graham Stuart Thomas in 17th century style. This has box hedges infilled with gravel and is surrounded by little beds containing herbs, germander and woodruff, with standard gooseberries above them.
Other features include a yew tunnel, a trellised walk and a delightful orchard with quince, medlar and pear trees. Yew hedges shelter a small vegetable garden planted with the earliest known varieties of peas, beans, radishes, beets and salsify.
2008 1 Mar–16 Mar & 8 Nov–21 Dec: 11:30–16:00 Sat-Sun; 19 Mar–2 Nov 11:30–17:00 Wed-Sun. Open Bank Holiday Mon. Closes dusk if earlier.Last entry 30mins before close.
Tel: 01260 272018 Little Moreton Hall Website
