History
Trentham hall which sits in the Trentham estate was first recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086. At the time it was a royal manor, with a value of 115 shillings. An Augustinian priory originally occupied the site, followed by a convent.
Trentham Priory occupied land on the Trentham estate from the 11th century until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
The property was sold in 1540 to James Leveson, a Wolverhampton wool merchant. The Leveson family occupied the property and Sir Richard Leveson built a new house in 1634. It was a large Elizabethan house, which was probably demolished to make way for a later Georgian house. Sir William Leveson-Gower, 4th Baronet, built a new house on the site in 1690.
Around 1730, John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower, erected a hall based on Buckingham House. It was substantially altered by his son from designs by Henry Holland, in 1775–78.
The country house, of which parts remain dating from 1833 to 1842, was designed by Charles Barry, while he was working on the rebuild of the Palace of Westminster. The focal point of the building was a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) campanile clock tower.
Barry spent over ten years improving the house and added a new block including state bedrooms and dressing rooms, as well as servant's quarters, a sculpture gallery, and a clock tower. This interesting complex, with its clock tower, is generally known as the Riding School, designed in 1840 and built between 1841 and 1850. It stands on the perimeter of a large cobbled stableyard and represents the last major addition to, and almost sole survivor of, the once-exciting and impressive Trentham Hall.
In 1851, it was described as being an "elegant mansion". It had been completely rebuilt in the previous 14 years, and had a stone front. It housed an extensive collection of paintings.
It is surrounded by an 18th- and 19th-century park designed by Lancelot Brown.
The hall was one of many to be demolished in the 20th century, and was one of the greatest losses of the era. The River Trent no longer fed the lake in front of the hall, but it still passed the edge of the estate. Sewage and effluent from nearby potteries polluted it in the early 20th century, making life at the hall unpleasant
The hall was demolished in 1912-13 by its owner, the 4th Duke of Sutherland.
During the 20th century, the estate was used for an amusement park and even for hosting the Lombard RAC Rally, which cut through the Italianate gardens.
The sculpture gallery, clock tower, and parish church, as well as other buildings, were not demolished.
The remains of Trentham Hall, namely the Grand Entrance and Orangery, were listed on 24 January 1967.
The property was purchased by St. Modwen Properties in 1996, at which point the buildings and gardens were derelict and vandalised, and contracted the Land Use Consultants company to restore the historic landscape. The surrounding Trentham Gardens were restored in 2003-04, and in 2013 they were visited by over 3 million people.
St. Modwen set out a plan to recreate the house according to the original designs at the cost of £35 million as a five-star hotel with 150 rooms, a luxury spa, and a conference centre. Planning permission was granted, and initial plans aimed for a 2008 completion date, which was later revised to 2011. However, in 2013 they stated that despite having planning permission to restore the hall, it was not economically viable to do so, given that the £30-35 million cost of restoring and rebuilding the hall would be greater than the hall's value as a hotel due to the then-recent economic recession, although they stated that they were committed to restoring the hall when they could "make the numbers work".
As of May 2015, the buildings stand derelict
Explore
Having a free day I decided to take a trip to Stoke to try and tick off a few pins on my map, arriving here I found it boarded off with a few cameras around but with a helpful footpath going straight through the middle of the grounds, access was easy enough after i waited for a few people to walk out of sight and i was in, its quite a mix of different stuff inside with some rooms full of stuff and quite tidy to others with floors missing and roofs having fallen in, theres also an old recording studio added in for good measure.
Trentham hall which sits in the Trentham estate was first recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086. At the time it was a royal manor, with a value of 115 shillings. An Augustinian priory originally occupied the site, followed by a convent.
Trentham Priory occupied land on the Trentham estate from the 11th century until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
The property was sold in 1540 to James Leveson, a Wolverhampton wool merchant. The Leveson family occupied the property and Sir Richard Leveson built a new house in 1634. It was a large Elizabethan house, which was probably demolished to make way for a later Georgian house. Sir William Leveson-Gower, 4th Baronet, built a new house on the site in 1690.
Around 1730, John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower, erected a hall based on Buckingham House. It was substantially altered by his son from designs by Henry Holland, in 1775–78.
The country house, of which parts remain dating from 1833 to 1842, was designed by Charles Barry, while he was working on the rebuild of the Palace of Westminster. The focal point of the building was a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) campanile clock tower.
Barry spent over ten years improving the house and added a new block including state bedrooms and dressing rooms, as well as servant's quarters, a sculpture gallery, and a clock tower. This interesting complex, with its clock tower, is generally known as the Riding School, designed in 1840 and built between 1841 and 1850. It stands on the perimeter of a large cobbled stableyard and represents the last major addition to, and almost sole survivor of, the once-exciting and impressive Trentham Hall.
In 1851, it was described as being an "elegant mansion". It had been completely rebuilt in the previous 14 years, and had a stone front. It housed an extensive collection of paintings.
It is surrounded by an 18th- and 19th-century park designed by Lancelot Brown.
The hall was one of many to be demolished in the 20th century, and was one of the greatest losses of the era. The River Trent no longer fed the lake in front of the hall, but it still passed the edge of the estate. Sewage and effluent from nearby potteries polluted it in the early 20th century, making life at the hall unpleasant
The hall was demolished in 1912-13 by its owner, the 4th Duke of Sutherland.
During the 20th century, the estate was used for an amusement park and even for hosting the Lombard RAC Rally, which cut through the Italianate gardens.
The sculpture gallery, clock tower, and parish church, as well as other buildings, were not demolished.
The remains of Trentham Hall, namely the Grand Entrance and Orangery, were listed on 24 January 1967.
The property was purchased by St. Modwen Properties in 1996, at which point the buildings and gardens were derelict and vandalised, and contracted the Land Use Consultants company to restore the historic landscape. The surrounding Trentham Gardens were restored in 2003-04, and in 2013 they were visited by over 3 million people.
St. Modwen set out a plan to recreate the house according to the original designs at the cost of £35 million as a five-star hotel with 150 rooms, a luxury spa, and a conference centre. Planning permission was granted, and initial plans aimed for a 2008 completion date, which was later revised to 2011. However, in 2013 they stated that despite having planning permission to restore the hall, it was not economically viable to do so, given that the £30-35 million cost of restoring and rebuilding the hall would be greater than the hall's value as a hotel due to the then-recent economic recession, although they stated that they were committed to restoring the hall when they could "make the numbers work".
As of May 2015, the buildings stand derelict
Explore
Having a free day I decided to take a trip to Stoke to try and tick off a few pins on my map, arriving here I found it boarded off with a few cameras around but with a helpful footpath going straight through the middle of the grounds, access was easy enough after i waited for a few people to walk out of sight and i was in, its quite a mix of different stuff inside with some rooms full of stuff and quite tidy to others with floors missing and roofs having fallen in, theres also an old recording studio added in for good measure.
