Little Moreton Hall

I've got really behind with posting things, I blame the MOOCs, very time consuming, nothing like the estimated 3 or 4 hours a week, but well worth the time. It's been wet & very windy today so the garden's had  a rest too. No more excuses, for today at least. On the way to Kettlewell a couple of days ago we stopped al Little Moreton Hall near Congleton on Cheshire. Built in 1504 and 1610, it was added to in its early years but the family fell on hard times (on the "wrong" side in the civil war ) around 1660, it was let to tennants after that and so avoided much of the Victorian "improvement" that altered so many other historic buildings.

It's a wonderful timbered building. Originally the oak would have been left untreated, the familiar black is a Victorian attempt to preserve it with tar, sadly this kept the damp in rather than out.

As a very wealthy family they could spend plenty on decorations,

and stained glass. Word-play is nothing new, this one shows the "maw-tun" family name.

Old leaded windows, crinkly handmade glass give a slightly drunk appearance to the courtyard.

The great hall was added , almost os a loft extension, and nearly destroyed the whole building, for a long time visitors were restricted but now it's been made safe.

Finally the huge variety of roof tiles, why don't we have such names now? I'd love to go into B&Q and ask for fifty Rogue-why-winkest-thous.