Rode Hall is a charming mid-18th century red-brick house hidden in wooded grounds.
The house is the seat of the Wilbraham family who have lived in Cheshire date since 1259. Roger Wilbraham purchased the Rode estate in 1669 and in around 1705 his son, Randle, built a new house on the site. This two-storey building survives as the servant's wing of the present Hall.
In 1732 his son, another Randle Wilbraham, inherited the estate. He was a lawyer and MP for Oxford University and in the 1750s he constructed a new three-storey block. The severe, square brick building had bow windows on the east and west fronts and the entrance on the north front.
Randle Wilbraham's son, Richard, married the heiress of Robert Bootle of Lathom Houses in Lancashire and his younger son, Randle Wilbraham, inherited the Rode estate.
Shortly after his marriage in 1798 he engaged John Hope, the architect of the Piece Hall in Halifax, to make improvements to the property. He deepened the bow windows, covered the exterior with stucco and decorated the interiors in fashionable Regency style.
John Hope died in 1808 and in 1812 Lewis Wyatt was commissioined to make further alterations to the building. When Randle Wilbraham's grand-daughter married Sir George Baker Bt he assumed the surname Wilbraham. In 1927 his son, Sir Philip Baker Wilbraham Bt, engaged the architect Darcy Braddell to make further alterations to the house.
Today Rode Hall is still in the hands of the Baker Wilbrahams and the well-maintained house retains the warmth of a family home.A long drive leads to the house which is hidden from view until the last minute.
In the 1920s the entrance was moved to the west front and the porch, supported by Ionic pillars, dates from this period. Braddell also removed the stucco covering and today Rode Hall has its original red-brick appearance. To the right of the main block is the modest two-storey early-18th century house. Beyond this is the attractive stable block.
The Entrance Hall (the former Billiard Room) has Regency furniture and the walls are hung with portraits of the last four generations of the Baker Wilbraham family.
At the centre of the house is the Staircase which is the only major interior to retain its mid-Georgian appearance. The stairs have carved treadends and balusters and the room is decorated with charming Rococo plasterwork.
To the left is the Ante-Room in the centre of the north front. This octagonal room (the original Entrance Hall) is decorated in Regency style and has Gillow & Co. furniture. The Ante-Room is flanked by the Library and Drawing Room which date from the same period.
The Library contains its original fitted bookcases, surmounted by black portrait busts and there is more Gillow & Co. furniture.
The Drawing Room is decorated with a strong red and has Regency furniture. The 18th century portraits are mainly of the Baker family.
The last room is the Dining Room. This was the original Library and was created by Lewis Wyatt with scagliola Ionic colums and a black marble fireplace and a shallow segmental vault. There are portraits of the Bootle Wilbraham family and over the fireplace is a portrait of Randle Wilbraham, the builder of the 1750s house, by Thomas Hudson.
The house is surrounded by an extensive park and gardens. In 1790 Humphrey Repton produced a 'Red Book' for Rode Hall and the landscaping was eventually carried out by John Webb in 1805.
The icehouse is the park has recently been restored. The formal rose garden on the north side of the house was created by W. A. Nesfield in 1860.
Other features of the well-maintained grounds include a woodland garden, a terraced rock garden and a grotto.
In early spring there are beautiful displays of snowdrops and daffodils and these are followed by rhododendrons, azaleas, hellebores and climbing roses. There is also a large walled kitchen garden which is at its best in mid-June.
2008 House: Apr-Sept on Wed and Bank Holidays 14:00-17:00; Gardens Open: Apr-Sept Tue-Thur 14:00-17:00
Tel: 01270 873237 Rode Hall Website
