Great Moreton Hall from the southwest
Wikimedia Commons
Great Moreton Hall is a former country house in Moreton cum Alcumlow near Congleton, in Cheshire, England, less than a mile (1.6 km) from its better-known near namesake Little Moreton HallMoated half-timbered manor house 4.5 miles (7.2 km) southwest of Congleton in Cheshire, England, the earliest parts of which date from about 1504–1508.. Designed by Edward Blore,[1] it was built in 1841 by Manchester businessman George Holland Ackers, to replace a large timber-framed building that had been the home of the Bellot family since 1602.[2] The house is designed in the style of a Palladian villa, except that the Great Hall is one of a number of rooms off a large central space, rather than being at the centre of the building.[3] Great Moreton Hall is built in two storeys, interspersed with three and four-storey towers. The service wing to the left of and adjoining the main part of the building is slightly lower than the rest of the structure.[4]
The main entrance is via a broad flight of steps from a porte-cochèreFrom the French meaning "coach door", also known as a coach gate or carriage porch, a covered porch-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building that gives access to a vehicle while providing arriving and departing occupants with protection from the elements. , leading to the entrance lobby and a large central hall. A triple arcade at one end of the hall leads to the main staircase, opposite a hooded fireplace decorated with the arms of the Ackers family. The Library, Drawing Room, Billiard Room, Saloon, and the Great Hall are arranged symmetrically around the central hall.[5] “Dark narrow internal corridors” allowed the servants, whose quarters were in the cellars, to reach all the rooms without having to pass through the central hall.[6]
Great Moreton Hall was designated a Grade II* listed building on 14 February 1967.[4] Since 1931 the house has served first as a school and then as a hotel and conference centre.[6]