History
Cliffe Park Hall, at the north end of the lake, was built by John Haworth and his cousin, the Reverend James Bostock, in 1811 at a cost said to be £25,000. On the death of John Haworth in 1831, it passed to his cousin Fanny Bostock. During her ownership of the hall, she brought legal actions and obtained injunctions against the North Staffordshire Railway (brought to Rudyard in 1850) to try to prevent their popularisation of the lake and reduce the influx of visitors by rail that they encouraged. Fanny Bostock died in 1875 whereupon the Cliffe Park estate was split up. The Reverend Edward Boothman, the husband of Fanny Bostock’s niece, bought the hall and some of its land and buildings for £14,250 with the remaining land being sold off in smaller plots. These sales were largely responsible for the development of land around the lake as it is today.
In 1904, the NSR purchased Cliffe Park Hall with the intent of constructing a golf course on the land between the hall and the lake. Whilst it was intended to demolish the hall and build a new club house, the money for this was not forthcoming with only changing rooms and locker rooms being added to the existing building. A new railway station to serve the course was built at the north end of the lake. The golf course, enlarged from nine holes to eighteen in 1908, closed in 1926 probably due to the general post-war conditions and reduced train services together with the availability of newer golf courses more easily accessed from the local towns.
Cliffe Park Hall was then let privately until 1933 when its then current owners, London Midland and Scottish Railway (NSR’s successors), leased it to the Youth Hostels Association and was known as Rudyard Lake Hostel. The hall was sold to private buyers in 1969, the last owner was a victim of aggravated burglary at the Hall in 2015.
The Explore
Explored with the gorgeous @Balannah as always. Had to park about a mile and a half away due to a private road and walk the rest of the way. The walk was worth it though. Found access pretty easily and made our way inside and started shooting. On with the photos.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/LkcCJG]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28oGz7b]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/LkdbsS]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28oGprj]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28oGi4u]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/276p2tD]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/276puzn]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/LkcST3]
More on my Flickr here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuarthomas/sets/72157670428889118[/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url]
Cliffe Park Hall, at the north end of the lake, was built by John Haworth and his cousin, the Reverend James Bostock, in 1811 at a cost said to be £25,000. On the death of John Haworth in 1831, it passed to his cousin Fanny Bostock. During her ownership of the hall, she brought legal actions and obtained injunctions against the North Staffordshire Railway (brought to Rudyard in 1850) to try to prevent their popularisation of the lake and reduce the influx of visitors by rail that they encouraged. Fanny Bostock died in 1875 whereupon the Cliffe Park estate was split up. The Reverend Edward Boothman, the husband of Fanny Bostock’s niece, bought the hall and some of its land and buildings for £14,250 with the remaining land being sold off in smaller plots. These sales were largely responsible for the development of land around the lake as it is today.
In 1904, the NSR purchased Cliffe Park Hall with the intent of constructing a golf course on the land between the hall and the lake. Whilst it was intended to demolish the hall and build a new club house, the money for this was not forthcoming with only changing rooms and locker rooms being added to the existing building. A new railway station to serve the course was built at the north end of the lake. The golf course, enlarged from nine holes to eighteen in 1908, closed in 1926 probably due to the general post-war conditions and reduced train services together with the availability of newer golf courses more easily accessed from the local towns.
Cliffe Park Hall was then let privately until 1933 when its then current owners, London Midland and Scottish Railway (NSR’s successors), leased it to the Youth Hostels Association and was known as Rudyard Lake Hostel. The hall was sold to private buyers in 1969, the last owner was a victim of aggravated burglary at the Hall in 2015.
The Explore
Explored with the gorgeous @Balannah as always. Had to park about a mile and a half away due to a private road and walk the rest of the way. The walk was worth it though. Found access pretty easily and made our way inside and started shooting. On with the photos.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/LkcCJG]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28oGz7b]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/LkdbsS]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28oGprj]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28oGi4u]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/276p2tD]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/276puzn]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/LkcST3]
More on my Flickr here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuarthomas/sets/72157670428889118[/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url]
