Brereton Hall
Encyclopedia
Brereton Hall is a country house to the north of the village of Brereton Green, adjacent to St Oswald's Church
, in the civil parish of Brereton
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building.
. The house dates from 1586, the date inscribed over the entrance. It was built for Sir William Brereton
(1550–1631), created Baron Brereton of Leighlin, Co. Carlow in 1624. A portrait of Sir William, dated 1579, with a cameo of Queen Elizabeth
in his cap, is at the Detroit Institute of Arts
. William, 3rd Lord Brereton (1631–1679) was a distinguished man of letters and a founder of the Royal Society
. His younger son, Francis, 5th Lord Brereton, died a bachelor in 1722, ending the Brereton family male line.
The house passed to the Bracebridge family, and as Bracebridge Hall resited in Yorkshire, it featured in a historical fiction of Washington Irving
. In 1817 it was purchased by a Manchester industrialist, John Howard. He made alterations in 1829 to the exterior and interior in Regency
style. Further alterations were made in the late 19th century. In the 20th century it was a girls' boarding school. After this closed in July 1992, it was the retreat of a pop star who built a recording studio at the back. Since 2005 it has been a private family home and is not open to the public.
The house is one of a genre of splendid Elizabethan and Jacobean
houses built for dynastic display called "prodigy houses". It is built in brick with stone dressings, formerly in a E-plan, of which the central wing has been demolished and replaced with a 19th-century conservatory
. The front range has a lead roof; the cross-wings are roofed in slate. The front range has a basement and two storeys with a turret
ed central gateway. The octagonal turrets are linked by a bridge and are embattled
(before 1829 they were surmounted by cupola
s).
Over the entrance are the royal arms
of Elizabeth I
in a panel, which are flanked by the Tudor rose
and the Beaufort portcullis
. Beyond the entrance is a lower hall and a grand staircase leading to a long gallery
which runs along the front of the house. This leads to the drawing room
which contains a frieze
with nearly 50 coats of arms
and a chimney piece carved with the Brereton emblem, a muzzled
bear. Two fireplaces elsewhere are carved in a Serlian manner
. The former study of the 2nd Lord Brereton contains a richly carved alabaster
fireplace.
St Oswald's Church, Brereton
St Oswald's Church, Brereton is situated to the north of the village of Brereton Green, adjacent to Brereton Hall, in the civil parish of Brereton, Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Croco. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building and is described as...
, in the civil parish of Brereton
Brereton, Cheshire
Brereton is a civil parish, containing the hamlet of Brereton Green in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It also contains the hamlets of Brereton Heath and Smethwick Green. According to the 2001 census, the population of the entire civil parish...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building.
History
The manor of Bretune is listed in Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. The house dates from 1586, the date inscribed over the entrance. It was built for Sir William Brereton
William Brereton, 1st Baron Brereton
William Brereton, 1st Baron Brereton was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1622. He was created a peer in the Peerage of Ireland in 1624 as Baron Brereton....
(1550–1631), created Baron Brereton of Leighlin, Co. Carlow in 1624. A portrait of Sir William, dated 1579, with a cameo of Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
in his cap, is at the Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...
. William, 3rd Lord Brereton (1631–1679) was a distinguished man of letters and a founder of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
. His younger son, Francis, 5th Lord Brereton, died a bachelor in 1722, ending the Brereton family male line.
The house passed to the Bracebridge family, and as Bracebridge Hall resited in Yorkshire, it featured in a historical fiction of Washington Irving
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
. In 1817 it was purchased by a Manchester industrialist, John Howard. He made alterations in 1829 to the exterior and interior in Regency
Regency architecture
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
style. Further alterations were made in the late 19th century. In the 20th century it was a girls' boarding school. After this closed in July 1992, it was the retreat of a pop star who built a recording studio at the back. Since 2005 it has been a private family home and is not open to the public.
Architecture
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
houses built for dynastic display called "prodigy houses". It is built in brick with stone dressings, formerly in a E-plan, of which the central wing has been demolished and replaced with a 19th-century conservatory
Conservatory (greenhouse)
A conservatory is a room having glass roof and walls, typically attached to a house on only one side, used as a greenhouse or a sunroom...
. The front range has a lead roof; the cross-wings are roofed in slate. The front range has a basement and two storeys with a turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
ed central gateway. The octagonal turrets are linked by a bridge and are embattled
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
(before 1829 they were surmounted by cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
s).
Over the entrance are the royal arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
in a panel, which are flanked by the Tudor rose
Tudor rose
The Tudor Rose is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the Tudor dynasty.-Origins:...
and the Beaufort portcullis
Portcullis
A portcullis is a latticed grille made of wood, metal, fibreglass or a combination of the three. Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, acting as a last line of defence during time of attack or siege...
. Beyond the entrance is a lower hall and a grand staircase leading to a long gallery
Long gallery
Long gallery is an architectural term given to a long, narrow room, often with a high ceiling. In British architecture, long galleries were popular in Elizabethan and Jacobean houses. They were often located on the upper floor of the great houses of the time, and stretched across the entire...
which runs along the front of the house. This leads to the drawing room
Drawing room
A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from the sixteenth-century terms "withdrawing room" and "withdrawing chamber", which remained in use through the seventeenth century, and made its first written appearance in 1642...
which contains a frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
with nearly 50 coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
and a chimney piece carved with the Brereton emblem, a muzzled
Muzzle (device)
A muzzle is a device that is placed over the snout of an animal to keep it from biting or otherwise opening its mouth.An Elizabethan collar is a cone-shaped device placed around an animal's neck to prevent biting and sometimes referred to as a muzzle, though its function is more usually to prevent...
bear. Two fireplaces elsewhere are carved in a Serlian manner
Sebastiano Serlio
Sebastiano Serlio was an Italian Mannerist architect, who was part of the Italian team building the Palace of Fontainebleau...
. The former study of the 2nd Lord Brereton contains a richly carved alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
fireplace.