Discover more at Rufford Old Hall
Find out when Rufford Old Hall is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.
Built for the Hesketh family in the 1530s, and given to the National Trust in 1936, there’s plenty of discoveries to be made in this fine Tudor building. From suits of armour in the Great Hall to the series of botanical colours of Ellen Stevens in the Dressing Room.
In the 17th century, this large stone-flagged room was a kitchen, and the large arched stone fireplace would have been filled with cooking utensils, racks and pans to prepare culinary feasts. By the 1820s, the Hesketh family no longer needed a kitchen of this size, and it was transformed into an impressive Entrance Hall. Look out for the lantern-sided door head, leading to the lower passage, in which candles could be safely placed to give light to the passage steps.
Dinner guests would have waited in this room before going through to the Dining Room, but at times it has been described variously as the Morning Room and the Smoke Room. Look out for the 17th century tapestries that line the walls and the large overmantel portrait of Sir Kenelm Digby (d.1665) after Van Dyke. You’ll also find a pair of portraits of the brothers Thomas and Frederick Fermor-Hesketh on their ponies, painted in 1892.
Dating from the period 1530-50, the fine proportions and decorative richness of the Great Hall make it a rare and important survival among timber-framed buildings. It’s hammerbeam roof timbers, enriched with carved angels and exquisite late Gothic decoration, have no equal in Lancashire and it’s massive ‘movable’ screen is the only surviving example of its type.
For at least a century after it was built, the Great Hall would have been the communal eating place for the Hesketh family and all their retainers and guests. Arms and armour were traditionally kept in the Great Hall of medieval houses, and this tradition was revived in the 19th century by many antiquarian owners such as the Heskeths. Children are welcome to play pretend and try on pieces of armour in the Great Hall.
* Please note that photographs in the house are permitted only in the Great Hall.*
Built as a dining room in the 1720s, this room was given a bay window in about 1820 and then fitted out with arched doorways and a black marble chimneypiece which loosely copies Tudor Gothic patterns from the Great Hall. Look out for the magnificent Flemish landscape painting c.1630, which underwent 12 months remedial conservation in 2023. Read more here – LINK TO PROJECT PAGE
Built in the 1820s with windows overlooking the garden to the south and east, this room was described in 1910 as a ‘Ladies’ Morning Rooms or ‘Boudoir’. The room was made into a study for Thomas Fermor-Hesketh (afterwards 1st Lord Hesketh), when he returned with his family to Rufford in 1920.
Once a bedroom, this was made into a schoolroom in 1920 for the Hesketh’s three sons and two daughters then aged between three and ten. Look out for the early 1920s portraits by Leopold Galeota of the two younger sons, Frederick and John, and the two daughters Louise and Flora, maintaining the presence of these former pupils. Wooden toys, slates and pencils are available for children to play with.
The lofty square tower of the Staircase, with its oak fittings, Gothic archways and ribbed plaster ceiling, dates from c.1820. The large room off the half-landing was a bedroom and dressing room in the 19th century, with a passage alongside it and is currently used as an area for conservation in action, which allows visitors to see the team carrying out conservation work up close.
The most striking features of this room are the 16th century roof timbers and stunning stained-glass windows. By the later 19th century, the room would have been the venue for various purposes, such as hosting visitors throughout the day, afternoon tea, and a place to congregate after dinner for lively conversation, music-making, cards, and parlour games. Look out for The Squint – a spy-hole to the Great Hall.
When this room was created in the 1820s, it would have been used by the occupant of the bedroom, both for dressing and as a private sitting room. Ladies would often have regarded it as a comfortable retreat for most of the morning. Look out for the series of botanical colours of Ellen Stevens, whose uncommonly precise drawings are annotated with the exact date on which she recorded each specimen. All are from the period 1880-1904.
At the end of the first floor of the 1820s wing is the bedroom, which would probably have been reserved for guests. It’s one window overlooking the garden is hung with curtains dating from the 1830s, in fine wool block-printed with sprays of flowers. Early Victorian needlework from Rufford and the surrounding villages brings colour to the room, preceded over by a pastel portrait of Charles I and Henrietta Maria, after Van Dyck.
In 1936, local man Philip Ashcroft had the idea of creating a village museum to preserve some of the fast-disappearing relics of south-west Lancashire folk life. Rufford Old Hall became home to that museum and now contains a great deal of old agricultural equipment displayed in the stable, as well as furniture, ceramics, books, toys and more around the house. Step back in time to a not-too-distant past and discover the story of rural Lancashire's people.
Find out when Rufford Old Hall is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.
There’s so much for families to do – you can borrow a balance bike, explore the surrounding gardens and woodland, discover the dedicated area for nature play and set your imagination free inside the house.
The gardens at Rufford Old Hall have lots of variety, from giant squirrel topiary and beehives, to picnic spots in the orchard and peaceful walks by the canal. The Virginia Creeper transforms the entire central Courtyard in early October with its fiery red and orange colour.
From careful cleaning to large-scale conservation projects, our work at Rufford Old Hall is helping to preserve this unusual Tudor residence for years to come.
Explore the woodland, gardens, Beech Walk Paddock, North Paddock and cobbled courtyard with your dog at Rufford Old Hall at this one pawprint rated place.
Everyone who volunteers to help us care for this special place becomes an integral part of the house’s history – discover how you could play your part.
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