Keele Hall
Encyclopedia
Keele Hall is a 19th century mansion house at Keele
, Staffordshire
, England, now standing on the campus of Keele University
and serving as the university conference centre. It is a Grade II* listed building.
built a large gabled Tudor style
house there. The family prospered as coal and iron owners and also brick and tile manufacturers. In about 1851 the old house was replaced with the current imposing mock Jacobean
design by architect Anthony Salvin
. The three storeyed castellated entrance front has four octagonal turrets and other fronts have curved gables.
The 19th century stable block known as the 'Clock House' also has Grade II listed building status.
In 1900 Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia began renting Keele Hall. He had undertaken a morganatic marriage
that meant he would spend the rest of his life living in exile in England, France and Germany. During the ten years the Grand Duke lived at Keele Hall, he took up the life of an English country gentleman. The town council of Newcastle-under-Lyme even conferred him the distinction of Lord High Steward of the borough.
The Hall was requisitioned by the army during World War II
and in 1948 with the aid of grant funding the Keele estate was purchased from another Ralph Sneyd for the establishment of the University College of North Staffordshire, which in 1962 became Keele University.
Keele
Keele is a village and civil parish in northern Staffordshire, England. It is approximately three miles west of Newcastle-under-Lyme, and is close to the village of Silverdale...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England, now standing on the campus of Keele University
Keele University
Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...
and serving as the university conference centre. It is a Grade II* listed building.
History
The manor of Keele was held by the Sneyd family and in about 1580 Ralph SneydRalph Sneyd
Ralph Sneyd was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1642. He was a colonel in the Royalist army in the English Civil War and was killed in action on the Isle of Man....
built a large gabled Tudor style
Tudor architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
house there. The family prospered as coal and iron owners and also brick and tile manufacturers. In about 1851 the old house was replaced with the current imposing mock Jacobean
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:...
design by architect Anthony Salvin
Anthony Salvin
Anthony Salvin was an English architect. He gained a reputation as an expert on medieval buildings and applied this expertise to his new buildings and his restorations...
. The three storeyed castellated entrance front has four octagonal turrets and other fronts have curved gables.
The 19th century stable block known as the 'Clock House' also has Grade II listed building status.
In 1900 Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia began renting Keele Hall. He had undertaken a morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
that meant he would spend the rest of his life living in exile in England, France and Germany. During the ten years the Grand Duke lived at Keele Hall, he took up the life of an English country gentleman. The town council of Newcastle-under-Lyme even conferred him the distinction of Lord High Steward of the borough.
The Hall was requisitioned by the army during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and in 1948 with the aid of grant funding the Keele estate was purchased from another Ralph Sneyd for the establishment of the University College of North Staffordshire, which in 1962 became Keele University.