Ordsall Hall is a historic house and a former stately home in Ordsall, an area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It dates back more than 750 years, although the oldest surviving parts of the present hall were built in the 15th century. The most important period of Ordsall Hall's life was as the family seat of the Radclyffe family, who lived in the house for over 300 years. The hall was the setting for William Harrison Ainsworth's 1842 novel Guy Fawkes, written around the plausible although unsubstantiated local story that the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was planned in the house.
Since its sale by the Radclyffes in 1662, the hall has been put to many uses; working men's club, school for clergy, and a radio station amongst them. The house was bought by Salford City Council in 1959, and opened to the public in 1972, as a period house and local history museum. The hall is a Grade I listed building. In 2007 it was named Small Visitor Attraction of the Year by the Northwest Regional Development Agency. The hall was closed to the public between 2009 and 2011 while it was refurbished and reopened in May 2011.
Read more about Ordsall Hall: History, Architecture, Guy Fawkes, Hauntings
Famous quotes containing the word hall:
“For a hundred and fifty years, in the pasture of dead horses,
roots of pine trees pushed through the pale curves of your ribs,
yellow blossoms flourished above you in autumn, and in winter
frost heaved your bones in the ground—old toilers, soil makers:
O Roger, Mackerel, Riley, Ned, Nellie, Chester, Lady Ghost.”
—Donald Hall (b. 1928)