Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
Smithills Hall owned by Bolton Council is just 3 miles from the town centre. Yet set in its thousands of acres it is another world, and remarkably little known. For such an important building it is very poorly promoted. More than almost any house I can remember you get the feeling of a house built up and added to over the ages. it is fascinating and we had a lovely tour with guide Pat. A visit starts in the old hall the oldest part of the buildings dating from the Fourteenth Century, and very fine it is. and this window is the very oldest part of the hall.... There are clear information boards everywhere, and you soon come to appreciate the history of the house with its descent through several families. The mass trespass interested me in view of the articles I have been reading which re-iterate that an amazing 92% of the country is still out of bounds to the public. Everywhere there are beautiful carved pieces.........and atmospheric rooms. Probably one of the finest displays of combined medallion and linen panelling in the country is here at at Smithills Hall, in the Withdrawing Room which has deep moulded sixteenth-century timber ceiling beams with infill panels, and walls lined with carved oak linenfold panelling from the same period, which reputedly took a Flemish craftsman seven years to complete. It is considered almost certain that a good portion of this internal decoration was added by Sir Andrew Barton during the reign of Henry VII. The panelling portrays many carved portraits of the Barton family. Most notable is a rebus in three panels: the top and bottom panels respectively depict Andrew Barton’s initials ‘A’ and ‘B’, and the middle panel has a carved image of a bar crossing a tun (a barrel) representing a pun on his surname – Barton. The top tier of panelling, next to the cornice, is enriched with pilasters of Gothic design, beneath which appears a tier of panels with carved medallion portraits of the family. I did rather like the carved deer's head which reminded me almost inevitably of Gromit. The chapel was rebuilt about 1520 by Andrew Barton and maintained by the families who lived there. It has subsequently been added to, refurbished, suffered a major fire, and restored. It still has some of the original stained glass. The Victorian wing has been 'recreated' but with some interesting pieces including this rare square piano. We didn't really explore the grounds, but near the house was well-maintained For some exercise we drove the short distance to Lever Park.........Gifted to the people of Bolton by Lord Leverhulme, Lever Park has been a country park since 1904. The park, which covers about 160 hectares, includes terraced gardens with walks, water features, a Japanese garden with pool, a scale model of Liverpool Castle, and an ornate pigeon tower with a sewing room on the top floor. Much of this is in the process of restoration. After a gradual stroll uphill we started at the first man-made feature, this bridge...... ......which then led to all kinds of terraces and follies of the grandest kind. The lake was unfortunately dry because of the recent drought, but when full and with the picaresque waterfall tumbling down to it, it must be quite a sight. Despite the haze, the views were amazing.......... especially at the top where is Rivington Pike itself, built as a hunting lodge in the Eighteenth Century. We didn't have time or stamina to divert to the Japanese gardens on the way down. But we will be returning on some crisp and clear Autumn day, so look forward to seeing them then.
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Keith & Frances SmithArchives
August 2023
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