Dating back to Anglo-Saxon England, the Bramall Hall is an amazing example of Tudor black-and-white manor house, and it is located in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
The oldest parts of this building date from the 14th century and between the 16th and 19th century, more additions were made. Today, this magnificent manor house functions as a museum, and it’s set in approximately 60 acres of parkland rich in lakes, gardens, and woodland.
The manor of Bramall was described for the first time in the Domesday Book when it was held by the Masseys in 1086. The present house was built by the Davenport family who owned it from the 14th century. After their lordship for more than 500 years, they sold the estate to the Manchester Freeholders’ Company in 1877.
In 1925, the manor was purchased by John Henry Davies, and ten years later it was acquired by the authorities of the local government, Hazel Grove, and Bramhall Urban District Council. Today, the house and its surroundings are owned by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council which consider the manor as the most historically significant and prestigious building in the Conservation Area.
The main structure of the house is made of oak timbers, and the foundation is made of stone. The black and white design on its facade dates from the Tudor Period and only a few small parts have been repaired through the centuries. The central part of the Bramall Hall is the Great Hall, and it was probably first built in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the Hall was rebuilt, and a new room was added above it, called the Withdrawing Room. At the southern end of the Great Hall is The Lesser Hall with oak-paneled walls and decoration items from the Victorian era. To the west of this hall is the Banqueting Hall which is considered to be the oldest part of this manor.
One of the most beautiful rooms is the Ballroom on the second floor which is also known as the Upper Banqueting Hall, and it dates from the 16th century. The Queen Anne Room, the Nevill’s Room, and the Priest’s Room, firstly known as the Chapel Room, is above the Chapel of the manor. North of this room is the Paradise Room with images of Adam and Eve on its wall.
There are many suggestions about the room’s purpose, and many historians think that it served as a priest’s secret room or it was a garderobe or privy. There are many legends and stories about ghosts connected to this room, and it is one of the most visited parts of the house. The Bramall Hall has undergone restoration and reopened in 2016.