Wythenshawe Hall
|
|
Wythenshawe Hall is a historic house and a former stately home in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, England, east of Altrincham and south of Stretford, and five miles south of Manchester city centre.
This half-timbered Tudor house was the home of the Tatton family for over 400 years. It was built around 1540 by Robert Tatton of Chester. During the English Civil War, the Hall was unsuccessfully defended by Robert Tatton against Cromwell's forces. After the War, the Tatton estate expanded to about 2,500 acres (10 km²).
In 1924, Robert Henry Greville Tatton inherited Wythenshawe and yielded to pressure from the then Manchester Corporation, who were in need of land for housing. What used to be farmland, grew into one of the largest housing estates in Europe.
However, The Hall and 250 acres (1 km²) of land were bought by a benefactor and given to the City of Manchester "to be kept for ever as an open space for the people of Manchester." The Park now houses, amongst others, a Community Farm and a Horticulture Centre. Every June, there is a re-enactment of the Siege of Wythenshawe Hall by Cromwell's troops during the winter of 1643.