Smithills Hall

In the 14th century, the Radcliffe family owned the vast estate at Smithills and they built the Great Hall to create domestic accommodation, as well as an 'office' from which to conduct the day-to-day business of the manor. The hall was gradually extended to provide smaller, private rooms during the 15th century, and by the end of the 16th century a major programme of expansion had been completed. Smithills Hall had now become a substantial country house for the wealthy Barton family.

Towards the end of the 17th century, the house was not occupied fully as the owners had more comfortable property elsewhere, and it was inevitably neglected. For a brief period the Great Hall was converted to accommodate a brewery, but the house gradually fell into decline and was sold on. For most of the 18th century it was let to tenants, but in 1801 it received a new lease of life when Richard Ainsworth bought the property to use, once again, as a home. Smithills Hall was completely re-modelled by two generations of the Ainsworth family, and by the late 19th century it represented a typical country residence of businessmen who had made their fortune with the Industrial Revolution. After the successes of the Victorian era, the social climate changed dramatically and, together with the rising costs of maintaining an old property, this forced the sale of the Hall in 1938.

The borough council began restoring the building in the 1950s, and work has been on-going since that time. Smithills Hall is now a remarkable setting for completing a journey through the various stages of history, with distinctive architecture spanning several hundred years, and furnishings for each period bringing to life its past inhabitants. Standing in the spaciousness of the Great Hall with its impressive oak timbers reaching to the roof, it is easy to imagine Lord Radcliffe presiding over a rowdy, medieval banquet. By contrast, the refined lines of the oak-panelled withdrawing room was a common sight in Tudor society, a place where gentlemen gathered after dinner to discuss the politics of the day, and enjoy a quiet smoke away from their womenfolk. And finally, along the west wing, step into the 'upstairs downstairs' lifestyle of the Victorians, with beautifully decorated family rooms, large kitchens to cope with the entertaining, and a range of bedrooms for servants and house-guests. A chapel and recreated gardens complete the Victorian idyll.

Despite the many alterations, extensions and refurbishments during the last seven centuries, Smithills Hall exists today as a fine example of an evolving medieval manor house. Although much preservation work has already been undertaken, Smithills Hall and Park Trust are continuing to restore more rooms in the house that will eventually be open to the public. The old family estate, now designated a country park and owned by Bolton council, still comprises some 2000 acres of woodland, grassland and moorland. It is almost inconceivable to imagine that such a peaceful and picturesque spot could be found just a couple of miles from the bustling metropolis, but it does and it is well worth seeking out this fascinating property so far untouched by the 21st century.