Rufford Old Hall

Rufford Old Hall, nestled in the Lancashire landscape, is a manor house steeped in rich history. Originally home to the Hesketh family of Martholme and Rufford, it now operates under the guardianship of the National Trust. The house’s architectural history dates back to the late 15th century, with significant restorations and additions taking place in 1662 and 1821.

The property’s most captivating feature is perhaps the seven-bay, timber-framed hall with its impressive open-plan layout. As one walks through the east-end screens passage, one cannot miss the semi-octagonal oriel positioned on the northern side’s west end. The exterior is meticulously detailed with closely-set studs beneath the rail, accentuated with quatrefoil panels and windows above. The hall’s eaves are coved, leading the eye to a restored lantern on the roof, likely replacing a former smoke louvre. The two doorways at the western end, which originally led to the now-removed west wing, remind visitors of the hall’s evolution over time.

On the hall’s southern side, a large stone chimney stack stands beside three extensive eight-light wooden mullion and transom windows. The hall’s eastern end features 19th-century gabled bays that aesthetically align with the original structure.

The 1662 east wing, single-depth with five bays, extends northwards for two-and-a-half storeys. This section is decorated with a Hesketh family emblem, a double-headed eagle, and the date ‘1662’ carved into a plaque. The windows, with their diamond lattice glazing and cross-window design, are lit up by the sun, while the rear houses an impressive four-stage embattled stair tower paired with an embattled chimney stack.

The 1821 additions south of this wing are made in a matching style and materials, along with an added service wing at the north end. The interior of the hall, with its five hammerbeam roof trusses, spere truss, five service doorways, and a free-standing carved oak screen, is said to possess “an exuberance of decoration matched nowhere else in England” as per architectural historian, Nikolaus Pevsner.

The wing’s interior hosts a large, segmental-arched stone fireplace and beams, adding to its charm and historical value. With a wealth of stories and memories encased within its walls, Rufford Old Hall remains an enduring symbol of Lancashire’s architectural and familial heritage.

For further reading on Rufford Old Hall, refer to “Victoria County History: Lancashire Volume VI,” Pevsner’s architectural guides, “Rufford Old Hall” by P. Fleetwood-Hesketh (reprinted by the National Trust in 1985), and Reverend W.G. Procter’s “The Manor of Rufford and the Ancient Family of the Heskeths,” published by the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire in 1907.

Created: 10  June  2023  Edited: 29  November  2023