Ordsall Hall

It has been said that Ordsall Hall is the oldest building in Salford, England, with a reference to its name first being documented during 1177. This location is believed to have underground tunnels that lead into Manchester, plus it's commonly thought to have connections to Guy Fawkes with it being believed by some to be the location where the gunpowder plot was conceived. It seems though that this belief all stems from a book which was published during the 1800s. Ordsall Hall was formerly a moated Tudor Mansion and has gone through a number of renovations and alterations through the many years. It currently has a Grade I listing and is said to be haunted by a few different ghosts; namely the White Lady, Sir John Radclyffe, and a little girl called Cecily.

History

It has been said that Ordsall Hall was first mentioned in records dating back to 1177. It's unclear if this mention is of a place or of a person, but regardless the name is viewed as the potential origin of the word 'Ordsall'. These records were formed when 'Ordeshala' paid two marks towards an aid, a feudal due, or a tax. It's also been said the name 'Ordsall' has old English origins by combining the personal name of 'Ord' and the word 'halh', meaning a corner or nook. 'Halh' has since become the modern dialect word 'haugh'. The location's name is said to describe a portion of the manor due to it's boundary on the south side being a large bend in the River Irwell which later became the site of the docks for the Manchester ship canal. I have also found that an antiquarian and geologist, by the name of Samuel Hibbert, has given a different etymology of the name. His thought is that 'Ord' was an old Saxon word for 'primeval' or 'very old', and that 'hal' means 'den'. By this logic, 'Ordeshal' could have meant 'very old den'.

It's thought there was probably a house at Ordsall by 1251 when William de Ferrers, the Earl of Derby, exchanged the manor for land in Pendleton which had belonged to David de Hulton. There are records from 1251 that state David de Hulton as being the owner of the original manor during this year after previously doing a land exchange with William de Ferrers. As far as I'm aware, there is no confirmation that there was a house here at the time given that the word 'manor' can be used in a similar way to 'estate' where it doesn't strictly mean a property and can just be in reference to land. It was during the year of 1285 that David died and the manor was passed down to his son, Richard. It was then, around the year of 1330, that the manor was passed to the Radclyffes as a reward for service to the king. I have found slightly contradictory information to this saying that the Radclyffe family took possession of the manor around the year of 1335.

I've also found that, around the year of 1335, the manor passed into the hands of the Radclyffe family of Radclyffe Tower, near Bury, due to Richard de Hulton's death. Richard had no children to inherit the manor, and so it's said it passed to the Radclyffes. This is very contradictory to the claims of it being a reward for service to the king, however it's a case where both could have been true at once. This is highly speculatory, but there have been cases where the crown has taken control of an estate when the owner dies childless. This is something that could have happened here, and then the estate could have been passed to the Radclyffes by the crown. It's purely speculatory on my part, but it could explain the seemingly contradictory information. However, I've also found that the Radclyffes were apparently on Richard de Hulton's mum's side of the family, so the contradictions do still stand. As I haven't found much information on the 'service to the King' performed in relation to this property, I'm inclined to believe the Radclyffes inherited the manor through family connections. Regardless, it's been said the Radclyffes owned the manor from 1335 until 1658.

I've found information which says the original Ordsall Hall was built by Sir John Radclyffe during the mid-1300s, and it has been said that parts of the hall do date back to 1351. Sir John Radclyffe was born during 1288, apparently in Ordsall, and died during 1362. He ended up marrying Joan De Holland and they both settled in Ordsall. I have found more seemingly contradictory information here saying that Sir John Radclyffes wife was Lady Anne Ashaw. I have found reference to a 'Dame Anne' who is said to have been Sir William Radclyffe's second wife who was born around the year of 1502 and died during 1568, so it seems this could be a case of mixing up information. Also, this could be a case of no sources specifying which John Radclyffe they are referring to as there are multiple which existed due to fathers naming their sons after themselves.

Many of the Radclyffe family took part in prominent military campaigns such as the Hundred Years War, the War of the Roses, the English Civil War, plus the campaigns in Scotland, Ireland, and abroad. It was during 1337 that John Radclyffe was sent to Flanders to negotiate trade agreements, although during the 1340s Sir John Radclyffe campaigned with Edward III in France, and he distinguished himself in the battles which occured at Caen, Crecy, and Calais. It was during these French wars that John was granted the right to use one of the earliest mottos for service in the battlefield: 'Caen, Crecy, Calais'. As a reward, the king allowed John to take some Flemish weavers back to his Ordsall estate where he built cottages for them to live in. During this time, English weaving skills were poor and the textiles from Manchester were considered to be of a poor quality. Due to this, the Flemish weavers were employed in instructing the local weavers. They also started a silk weaving industry which was the foundation for the later cotton industry in Manchester.

The first 20 years of the Radclyffe ownership were very confused as there were several claimants to the manor; a detail further suggesting the manor was inherited rather than gifted. It was during 1354 that Sir John Radclyffe established his right to inherit the manor upon his return from the French wars. John inherited a manor, described during 1351, as being a messuage, 120 acres of land, 12 acres of meadow, and 12 acres of wood. As you may have noticed, there's a lack of clarity as to who owned what when. This is why the Radclyffe ownership is said to be confused, but from what I can tell it seems the Radclyffe family in general owned the manor from around 1335 and then John established it was rightfully his during 1354. Some seemingly incorrect formation says that it was around 1355 that the manor passed to the Radclyffe family, and it was during the year of 1374 that John Radclyffe secured it. I believe the correct dates here are 1335 and 1354 because not only does this line up with when John returned from France, but according to Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Sir John Radclyffe died during the year of 1362. Plus, I haven't found any Radclyffe family names in connection to the property prior to Sir John Radclyffe so I don't think there would have been an extended time before he claimed ownership.

Over the next ten years, Sir John Radclyffe enlarged the house within the manor and added a new Chapel for which he recieved a licence during the year of 1361, although contradictory information says this license was granted in the year of 1360. This private chapel of the Radclyffes was the first known place of worship in the Salford Hundred; the area that covers most of what is now Greater Manchester. The Star Chamber, also referred to as the Great Chamber, of Ordsall Hall was built by Sir John Radclyffe during the 1360s. This is the oldest wing in the hall, and is presumably the east wing as that is said to date back to the 1360s and 1370s. This wing is one of very few examples of early domestic apartments in the North West and UK and so it is nationally significant. The Radclyffe bed, presumably within this area, is the only original piece of furniture left within the hall. It's said this bed belonged to Sir John Radclyffe and Lady Ann Asshawe, alternative spelling Ashaw, during 1572 at a cost of £20; the equivilant of £4,800 today.

It is important for me to reiterate here that I cannot find clear information about an Ann, or an Anne, with the surname of Ashaw or Asshawe. So, unless Anne has been used as another name for 'Joan', I haven't a clue where this has come from. The closest I can find is that there was a different John who married an Anne, but he was born during 1536 and died during 1590. This could possibly be the John in relation to the bed as the original Sir John Radclyffe died during 1362, and this one was alive. This detail makes me fairly confident that the Anne mentioned is from the 1500s, not the 1300s.

As mentioned earlier, it was during the year of 1362 that Sir John Radclyffe died. This meant the property passed to John's son, Richard Radclyffe, who was born during 1301 and died during the July of 1380 when he drowned in a river at Rossendale while carrying out official duties. Before his death, Richard had married Matilda Booths. The house and estate continued to grow, and by Richard's death in 1380 the house consisted of a main hall, five bed chambers, a kitchen, and a chapel. The larger estate by this time included three farms, a brewhouse, a dovecote, a granary, a windmill, and was also associated with two stables, three granges, two shippons, an orchard, eighty acres of arable land, and six acres of meadow. Richard's son, another John Radclyffe, was born during 1333 and died during 1422. He went on to inherit the estate from Richard and he married Margaret Trafford.

It's been said that the oldest parts of Ordsall Hall were built during the 15th Century, also known as the 1400s. I suspect that this is either wrong, as the Star Chamber is said to have been built during the 1360s, or sources saying this have either rounded up to the next century or chosen the century where most of the earliest parts of the building could be from. John Radclyffe II's son, a third John Radclyffe, was born during 1377 and died during 1442. This third John will have inherited the estate during 1422 before dying during 1442. The third John's son, Alexander, was born during 1416. Alexander will have inherited the estate during 1442 before dying during 1475. It's said that the estate was then inherited by a second Alexander Radclyffe, during the year of 1498, when he was was 22 years old. This second Alexander Radclyffe had been born during 1476.

The Italian Plaster Ceiling Room was built around this time period as a privy chamber for the Radclyffe family. A two storey extention, including this room, was attached to the east side of the hall during the late 1400s and early 1500s. The timbers in this room date to around 1460 and visitors cannot enter the room due to the sensitive nature of the ceiling. The oak panelled walls date from around the 1600s and the Italianate 'lozenge' plaster ceiling dates from the mid to late 1500s. The Frederick Shields Gallery, built during the 1510s, was part of Sir Alexander Radclyffe's major rebuilding of the hall. The Great Hall was built by Sir Alexander Radclyffe during the 1500s, with ring analysis of the timber showing it was under construction during 1512, and the southern end of the West Wing was rebuilt at the same time as the Great Hall. This new Great Hall replaced the manor's original cruck-framed freestanding hall.

The year of 1512 was the same year that Sir Alexander Radclyffe became the High Sheriff of Lancashire for the first time of four seperate occasions. Sir Alexander became a 'Sir' during 1513 after being knighted by King Henry VIII following the Battle of the Spurs at Lille in France. He also went on to marry Alice Booth before dying during the year of 1548. I have found slightly contradictory information about Sir Alexander which says he was the High Sheriff on five occasions and that he died during 1549. I'm unsure on exactly which dates are correct, but a few sources do point to 1549.

This new Great Hall was typical of others built at the time in the North West and is one of the largest. The Great Hall was distinguished by it's elaborate roof structure, and it was considered unusual at the time because there was no wall fireplace. There is instead a hexagon on the floor which marks the central heath used to heat the hall, plus there are two panels without quatrefoils which were meant to be open in order to allow for smoke to exit through the roof. The Coat of Arms Room in the East Wing, the oldest part of the hall, was added to the original East Wing during some point in the late 1500s. It's not sure what this room's original use was, but it's suspected to have probably been one of the private chambers of the Radclyffe family until the 1650s.

During the 1500s, the second Alexander Radclyffe had a son called William who was born during 1502. Sir William was knighted for his service against the Scots after he lay seige to Edinburgh. He died of plague on the 12th of October 1568 at Ordsall. It was Sir William's son, John, who married Anne Asshawe of Elston and it's said it was him who built the current house during 1512. There is a slight confusion here though as apparently Alexander also had a son called John, and he was born during 1536 and died during 1589. It's unclear if this John is a brother of William's, or if this second John is a mix up and is legitimately William's son. To make things a little more confusing, it's been said that Dame Anne was Sir William's second wife and that she was born during 1502 and died during 1568. I'm going to assume that it was not her with these birth and date deaths, but it is correctly Sir William as I've found a specific date of his death with that year.

It was during the late 1500s and into the 1600s that more alterations and additions were made to the manor by the Radclyffe family. It's been said that Sir Alexander's grandson, Sir John, died during 1590. This Sir John had served as an MP for Wigan from 1563 until 1567, and it's seemingly the same John there has been confusion about; meaning there is also conflicting information as to if he died during 1589 or 1590. To further add to the history surrounding a Sir Alexander, apparently the third one, and a Sir John, apparently the sixth one, there is a bit of information surrounding the year of 1596.

Sir Alexander III and Lady Margaret Radclyffe were frequently at the court of Queen Elizabeth I and Margaret became the lady in waiting to the Queen, along with being seen as the queen's favourite. Sir Alexander was knighted after fighting alongside the Earl of Essex to capture Cadiz, during 1596, in the Anglo-Spanish war. It's said he then died three years later, during 1599, while on a campaign with the earl in Ireland. Margaret Radclyffe died during the same year three months later of a broken heart after falling into a deep sorrow. Margaret had been born during the year of 1575 and died in Richmond Palace on the 10th of November 1599. Apparently Sir John Radclyffe VI inherited Ordsall Hall from Alexander, who was his brother, and he then went on to be knighted for his fighting service in Ireland where he had accompanied his brother. Sir John VI later saw action in France and the low countries while serving as captain of the Dutch army. Sir John and his wife, Alice Byron, had four children and this is the same John who is said to have been an MP for Lancashire on three seperate occasions. After his final stint as MP, John returned to military campaigning until he was killed on an expedition to La Rochdale during the Anglo-French wars in the year of 1627.

As you can tell from what I've previously written about the varying Johns, I would take this information very lightly. From what I can tell, it seems there were multiple Sir Johns in the family and that a couple of these Johns were an MP at some point. I'm not a historian, so in this article I've simply written the information I've discovered, tried to write it chronologically, and then also tried my best to point out where contradictions or inconsistencies may lie between sources. So, if anyone reading this has any official information relating to the Radclyffe family tree which will clear up this case of many Johns then please do let me know and I will update the article accordingly.

Moving into the 1600s, further alterations and additions were made to the hall, plus the Radclyffe family wealth increased greatly during both the 1500s and 1600s from their sheep and cattle farming. It was during the mid-1600s that a watermill for grinding corn, a saw mill, and a brick kiln had been added to the estate. It has been said that the 1605 Gunpowder Plot was supposedly planned by Guy Fawkes and Robert Catesby in the Star Chamber of Ordsall Hall. There is no supporting evidence of this, but the Radclyffes were prominent Roman Catholics and they were also acquainted with the Catesby family. It's said that Fawkes supposedly escaped capture from the King's soldiers through an underground tunnel which led from the hall to an inn at the cathedral end of Hanging Bridge. This location is at the northern end of present day Deansgate. It seems that the story around Guy Fawkes and Ordsall Hall has no historical basis, and was propelled by William Harrison Ainsworth's 1842 novel 'Guy Fawkes', within which Ordsall Hall is the setting.

The present day brick-built kitchen in Ordsall Hall dates back to the 1630s and probably replaced the one from the 1500s which would have been located in roughly the same area. It also included a brewhouse and a pantry. It's been said that it was during 1632 that the rest of the West Wing, presumably excluding the southern end which had already been rebuilt at the same time as the Great Hall, was rebuilt in brick as one of the earliest brick structures in the region. I have found information which may contradict this as it's said during 1639 a brick house was built by the sixth Sir Alexander Radclyffe who died during 1654. This house was at the west end and at right angles to the timber framed building which may have been home to the bailiff since, by then, Ordsall was no longer Alexander's main residence. So, it's unclear if the 1632 are 1639 events are both the same or different but multiple sources claim 1639 as the year the west wing was built. It has been said that the brick house was later joined to the main building, so it's possible that this joining is what could have occured during the later 1639 date; but this is purely speculatory.

The Egerton Gallery was part of the 1639 renovations of the hall. Apparently, Sir Alexander was already in financial difficulties by the time of 1639 due to the expenditure of building the new brick wing followed immediately by the English Civil War, which begun during 1642 and ended during 1649. This left Alexander's son and heir John in such straightened circumstances that he had to sell the hall to Colonel John Birch during 1662. During the English Civil War, Alexander suffered imprisonment and financial hardship due to being a Royalist. The Radclyffes, like many local Catholic families, sided with King Charles I and, during 1642, James Stanley, a prominent Royalist commander of the leading Lancashire landowning family, stayed at Ordsall Hall as a guest of Sir Alexander Radclyffe IV.

I've also found that it was during 1642 that a Royalist leader, Lord Strange, stayed in the hall as a guest and that the hall was attacked by a group of local people who supported Oliver Cromwell. Two months later, during the September of 1642, Lord Strange and Sir Alexander Radclyffe took part in an unsuccessful seige of Manchester. During this event, there was fighting in the streets against the parliamentary forces which held the town, and it was here that it's said the first blood of the civil war is said to have been spilt. James abandoned the siege after hearing about his dad's death and left to secure his title of Earl of Derby. It was later, during the 1642 Battle of Edgehill, that Sir Alexander was wounded and then taken prisoner. During the November of 1642, Alexander was sent to the tower of London and was heavily fined for being a Royalist. Once he was released from prison, it was by 1653 that Sir Alexander went to live at Foxdenton Hall in Chadderton, Manchester, which had been bequeathed to him by two cousins. He died the following year, during the April of 1654, and was then buried at the Radclyffe Choir at Manchester Collegiate Church; the location which is now Manchester Cathedral.

It was during the year of 1658 that the heir of Sir Alexander, Sir John Radclyffe VII, mortgaged the hall, the surrounding estate, the water, and the corn mills to Edward Chetham for £3,600. As mentioned earlier, this was a time of financial difficulty for the Radclyffe family due to Sir Alexander's fine combined with the costs of having built the brick wing of the hall. It was four years after, during 1662, that Sir John Radclyffe VII sold the hall to Colonel John Birch. This sale ended the Radclyffe association with Ordsall Hall for good. Sir John Radclyffe died a few years later during the year of 1669. John Birch cleared all of the outstanding debts and left the estate to his daughter following his death. During the year of 1666, a hearth tax survey showed that Ordsall Hall was the largest house in Salford with nineteen hearths.

At the end of the 1600s, the estate was sold to the Oldfield family of Leftwich, near Northwich in Cheshire. It was from roughly the year 1700 that the two wings of Ordsall Hall were leased to tenants. A boy's red moroccan leather shoe, dating from around the time of the 1700s, has been found in a chimney and it's thought this was deliberately placed as protection against evil from outside. In the roof space, where the servants lived, there are a number of 'witches' marks by the entrance which were made by holding a candle flame against the wood. These marks are believed to also have been used to ward off evil and they're often put on doorways or window frames.

It was during the year of 1704 that Ordsall Hall was sold again, but this time to John Stock; a trustee of Cross Street Chapel in Manchester. The Stock family would go on to own the hall for the next fifty years and were probably the final owners to reside in the hall. The Stock family lived in the central section, which included a large hall, a lounge, a dining room, a chapel, along with six other rooms; and the two wings of the hall were let out to tenants. One of the Stock's tenants was a Mr Frith. He was described as a man of 'remarkable genius' who discovered Nankeen Buff; a type of dye only known hitherto by the Chinese. Mr Frith then constructed a dye-house to further his research on how to produce this pale yellow colour.

During 1756, John Stock's son's executors sold Ordsall Hall to Samuel Hill of Shenstone, Staffordshire. Samuel Hill died two years later, during 1758, and the manor passed to his nephew, Samuel Egerton of Tatton. The Egerton family would keep Ordsall Hall for the next two hundred years, but none of them ever lived there. Instead, the building was divided into seperate residences and rented out to tenants. It is likely that alterations took place in the late 1700s during the early years of the Egerton ownership. The canopy at the dais end of the Great Hall was destroyed when a floor was inserted and rooms were formed with lath and plaster partitions on both floors. One rib of this canopy can be seen in the north Wall of the dais. It was probably at the same time, before the earliest estate map of 1812, that the east wing of the hall which dated back to the 1300s was demolished.

Some tenants under the Egerton's ownership included a coffee merchant and an innkeeper. Another tenant, who was born during 1747 and died during 1779, was Joseph Ryder. He was a tenant during the year of 1770, plus he was a cotton merchant and partner in Thackery Stockdale and Company. He shared the building with Richard Alsop, who was the landlord of the Bull's Head in Manchester, and his son, Richard. Richard Alsop was the landlord of the Bull's Head for roughly twelve years from 1770 and later became a cotton manufacturer. During 1814, Richard Alsop died and the lease was taken over by John Markendale whose descendants continued to live in the hall until 1871. It was these descendants who were the final residents of the hall. They were known locally as butchers and Richard Markendale's skin and hide business still survives today. I have found information saying that Joseph Ryder stayed in the hall during 1870, not 1770, but this can't be correct if he shared the hall with Richard Alsop who died during 1814. It's said various families occupied Ordsall Hall until 1871, and that the land was occupied for many years by the Mather family who were cowkeepers and butchers. I haven't found any specific details on the Mather family, so it's possible that due to the similarities between the Mather and Markendale family, that 'Markendale' had possibly autocorrected to 'Mather' in the typing of some sources. I could be wrong though, it's just odd for these similarities to occur and the names to start the same.

During 1815, Ellis and Mary Markendale moved to Ordsall Hall. Ellis Markendale was born during 1790 and Mary Shiers, later Markendale, was born during 1790. They both married in Skipton during 1813 and they went on to have six daughters and three sons while living at Ordsall Hall. At first, they lived in the middle part of the building but by 1850 they were renting all of it. As mentioned earlier, the Markendales owned butcher shops, skin brokers, and slaughter houses in Manchester and they used the land around the hall for cattle grazing. This all meant that Ellis Markendale eventually died during 1853 as a multi-millionare. The wealth was divided between his wife and children before Mary Markendale's death during 1864. Mary had continued owning the hall but had also spent time living with her son, John, at Dunham Massey. John, along with his brothers Richard and Ellis Jr, continued to run the family business and prospered. However, John was prosecuted for using faulty scales to weigh the meat that one of the shops was selling. The Markendale's company on Salford's Regent Road continued trading until the early 1980s, and it was during the Markendale tenancy of Ordsall Hall that the hall's moat was filled in.

As mentioned earlier, it was during the Markendale residency of 1841 that the novelist William Ainsworth wrote a book titled 'Guy Fawkes'. Also mentioned earlier, there is no evidence suggesting that Ainsworth's telling of Fawkes having visited the hall to try and enlist support for the gunpower plot was true. Lauren Gradwell, the educational facilitator at Ordsall Hall, told the Manchester Evening News that "Guy Fawkes never came to Ordsall Hall. It's a famous legend, made up by William Harrison Ainsworth in 1841... His books were popular and people buy popular books, read them, myths become legend, and legends become fact. We even have Guy Fawkes Street (in Ordsall)." I have found information saying the Guy Fawkes book was published during 1842, but this is false as it was published during the July of 1841.

During the mid to late 1800s, the landscape around Ordsall Hall begun to change radically. A dye works and a papermill were both built nearby, and the rural surroundings became an industrial landscape. It was during the 1860s that two wall ovens with cast iron doors were inserted to feed the Haworth Mill workers. The final person to occupy Ordsall Hall is said to have been Frederick Shields. Frederick was born during 1833 and eventually died during 1911. He stayed in Ordsall Hall during the 1870s, more specifically from 1872 until 1875, and the Frederick Shields Gallery is named after him. Frederick was a friend of the pre-Raphaelite painters Gabriel Rossetti and Ford Maddox Brown, and Frederick himself painted in this style. He was also friends with John Ruskin, and in a letter to Ruskin he described the hall as 'the happiest refuge I have ever lived in'. There is an alternative phrasing of this quote which says 'the happiest refuge I have ever rested in' instead. The gallery was originally the private chambers of the Radclyffes during the 1500s and 1600s, then was used as Frederick's art studio during the 1870s. The room would later become a billiard room for workers of nearby Mills during the Victorian period, and then it was a place of study and socialising for trainee priests during the early 1900s.

It was during 1874 that Frederick Shields married Matilda Booth. This was not a happy marriage and so they lived apart for most of their time together and they had no children. Once Frederick Shields left Ordsall Hall during 1875, the future of the hall was uncertain; however, it was saved when the nearby Haworth's cotton spinning mill, located on Ordsall Lane, rented it for use as a working men's club for the next twenty one years. During this time, the Great Hall became a gymnasium after the upper floor and it's partitions were removed. The other rooms of Ordsall Hall housed billiard tables and a skittle alley, plus a bowling green was created in the grounds. For a small fee, members had unlimited access to the manor's facilities and were entitled to meals. A seperate part of the building was managed by the Wesleyan Home Mission who ran an infant school on weekdays and a Sunday school at weekends. By the last quarter of the 19th century, also known as the 1800s, the hall's surrounding fields and woods had been replaced by industrial housing and factories.

It was around the year of 1883 that Ordsall Hall was bought by the Earl Egerton of Tatton. It was then during 1896 that Haworth Mill's lease ran out and so Earl Wilbraham Egerton of Tatton decided to convert the building into a clergy school affiliated with the Church of England. He employed the architect Alfred Derbyshire, born during 1839 and died during 1908, to carry out this major restoration at a cost of £6000. As part of this restoration, St Cyprian's Church, which was later consecrated during the October of 1899 by the Bishop of Manchester, was built in the North forecourt and a rectory was formed out of the east end of the hall where a new servant's wing was added on the south side. This whole restoration process by Alfred Derbyshire is said to have taken place during both 1896 and 1897.

It's been said that a £6000 restoration occured at Ordsall Hall during 1883, however this information has seemingly been muddled up a little. It was during 1883 that the Earl bought the hall and it was later, during 1896 and 1897, that the Earl hired Alfred Derbyshire to carry out the £6000 restoration. The Great Hall's south wall dates back to the year 1897, with construction beginning during 1896, and was part of the renovations involved in converting the hall into a clergy training school. These renovations involved replacing the originally timber framed south wall with one built in brick and terracotta.

During the year of 1908, the clergy transferred to Egerton Hall under the changed name of 'Manchester Theological College'; however, the rectors continued to be tenants of St Cyprian's Church. During the 1930s, more specifically during the year of 1933, Ordsall Hall was used as a community house and job centre for the younger unemployed men of Salford. It even had it's own football team under the name of the 'Ordsall Out of Work Team'. During World War Two, which started during 1939 and ended during 1945, the hall was commandeered for a number of different wartime purposes. The associated men's social club had survived at this location until the 1940s when the building was commandeered for the war effort. A detection centre was set up to look out for bomber planes heading towards the docks, and another section of the building became a wireless radio station with two large huts being used by Air Training Cadets. Parts of the hall were badly shaken by nearby bombing and the wireless station was damaged by a fire.

It was on the 31st of January 1952 that Ordsall Hall gained it's Grade I listing, and it was during the year of 1953 that an attempt was made by the Salford Education Committee to buy the hall for use as an adult education centre; however, this attempt of purchase was blocked by the Minister of Education. During 1955, the historic buildings council offered a large grant for the hall to be put to commercial use and not end up as a museum. Lord Egerton was keen during this time to sell Ordsall Hall at a reasonable price, and during during 1956 the council were considering using the hall as a museum and public library. Then, during the year of 1957, the council voted 33 to 15 to negotiate for the purchase of Ordsall Hall. These negotiations lasted until 1959 when the council, also known as the Salford Corporation, decided by 30 votes to 18 to buy Ordsall Hall from the executors of Baron Egerton of Tatton. The cost is estimated to have been £2,500 to buy it and £15,680 to restore the location with £3,613 annual running costs. These three prices would have been £63,000, £400,000, and £91,000 in 2022.

The sale of the hall to the local council created an uncertain future as some people wanted to demolish the location and others wanted to save it. One councillor described Ordsall Hall as 'a heap of rubbish', but the vote was split with 30 wanting to save the hall and 18 wanting to destroy it. It was also during the year of 1959 that the rectors left St Cyprian's Church, and this location was demolished due to subsidence during the 1960s, more specifically during 1967. The servant's wing on the south side of Ordsall Hall was demolished during 1962. It was decided, during the year of 1962, that Ordsall Hall would become a museum. Between 1961 and 1966, parts of the moat were excavated for the first time, and these excavations revealed lots of late medieval and post-medieval pottery.

By 1963, £30,000 had been spent on the restoration but deterioration of the building was much worse that what was first thought. As a result, a further £10,000 was requested from the Historic Buildings Council to try and aid in the restoration effort. However, after £42,000 had been spent, the work was abandoned during the year of 1966. Vandals smashed the windows, stole the lead, and ripped down gutters. Work was eventually restarted, and the restoration was completed with Ordsall Hall opening during the April of 1972 as a period house and local history museum; however, only 40% of the building was accessible to the public. During the years of 1990, 1991, and 1994, the demolished east wing was dug out and this revealed stone and brick foundations from the late medieval and post-medieval period beneath the late Victorian foundations of St Cyprian's Church.

By the mid-2000s, the building was falling into disrepair again with the roof being in a bad state and historically significant rooms being completely inaccessible; but, a campaign managed to raise £1 million by the September of 2008. This money, combined with a £4.1 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, made a complete restoration and development effort possible to be undertaken by Salford Community Leisure between the years of 2009 and 2011. More specifically, Ordsall Hall closed during the February of 2009 and reopened on the 15th of May 2011. This restoration cost a total of £6.5 million and saved the hall for future generations to enjoy. It was part of this restoration that the walls of the Egerton Gallery were stripped of white paint to reveal the brickwork. During 2013, Ordsall Hall recieved a Bronze Award in the Small Visitor Attraction category organised by 'Visit England'. The industrial housing and factories which had once surrounded Ordsall Hall have since disappeared. Instead, the hall is surrounded on three sides by a modern housing estate with a multi-storey office, apartment blocks in the background, and a long row of modern business units across the road.

Hauntings

There is said to be a White Lady who haunts Ordsall Hall, and she is one of the three spirits listed by the official Ordsall Hall website. Despite the official website only listing three ghosts, 'Fright Nights' claims there are 'over 15 hauntings'. The official website also lists the spirits of Cecily and Sir John Radclyffe, plus it speculates that the White Lady is the spirit of Lady Margaret Radclyffe. It's been said by sources that the spirit of Lady Margaret is heartbroken, likely relating to her death of 1599 which occured a few days after her brother's death. It's also been said that the White Lady walks through halls and star chamber holding a candle, and that she has been sighted on the staircase of the Great Hall. Other speculation on the White Lady's identity includes Queen Elizabeth I's maid of honour and a bride who was left waiting at the alter for her groom. In this latter story, it's said she was so grief stricken that she jumped from the Great Hall to her death. It has also been said the White Lady appears when school children are in the area and that she shows up with the smell of roses.

A slight variation of this which I've found by 'Manchester's Finest' is that she apparently died by jumping off a balcony from the Star Chamber during 1599. The story says she is looking for her twin brother to return from battle, and it's because he never did that she committed suicide. The story also says she appears as a woman in white or as a candle floating on it's own. Some seemingly historically incorrect information for another possible identity is that of Viviana Radclyffe. It's believed that Guy Fawkes fell in love with her while plotting the Gunpowder Plot in Ordsall Hall, and so I highly doubt Viviana to be the identity of the White Lady given that the Gunpowder Plot was never conceived in Ordsall Hall.

I have found that museum staff have apparently smelt lavender and roses in the Star Chamber, plus some have heard heavy footsteps and loud bangs. They have also felt as though in the presence of others when alone. The spirit of Sir John Radclyffe is known to be fond of the ladies and has made bold advances. In the Star Chamber, women have reported feeling unseen hands touching them, and pushing them, along with gentle caressing of their face. It's also been said that John doesn't like visitors in his old bedroom and so often grabs visitors or pushes them. A medium on a ghost walk has told a group that a man was standing near one of the doors and was purposely upsetting the women in that room as they weren't permitted entry. The man the medium encountered is said to have been John Radclyffe. It's also said that there have been the voices of small children heard in the Star Chamber. There have been photos of a 'ghostly whisp' in the Star Chamber, but science has ruled this as being light refraction and nothing ghostly.

It's been said that investigators often report the feeling of a negative entity in the attic with people being pushed, unexplained temperature drops, and feelings of being watched. The attic is said to be where the spirits of two male servants reside. In Ordsall Hall, people have reported shivers and cold drafts plus the feelings of hands on their shoulders. Apparently, the atmosphere changes to feeling violently oppressive and that there is a sudden and intimidating presence. The final spirit discussed by the official Ordsall Hall website is that of Cecily. She is also referred to as Cecilia Radclyffe and apparently lived at Ordsall Hall until her death at the age of five. Cecily is the ghost of a little girl, and appears when children are present or during school parties. It's said a sweet smell of roses often accompanies her presence. A very different account of who Cecily is says she was a young woman living at the hall who was jilted on the morning of her wedding and so threw herself to her death from the top of the main staircase. This story also says the smell of roses accompanies her.

It's said doors open and close on their own, and guests have had whispers in their ears and an unseen force blowing on their face. It's also said that a forlorn looking woman in bridal attire wanders the garden at 6am where the church used to stand. Also, the spirit of a grumpy old man apparently wanders between two interlocking rooms upstairs. There have been a few experiences from the 1950s that have been shared online. During the year of 1950, Reverend Matthew Nelson and his wife, Joyce, moved into Ordsall Hall and remained there for five years. During this time, the Star Chamber was their living room and their bedroom was the Great Chamber above. Matthew Nelson has spoken to the Manchester Evening News and told them he heard tapping on the cellar and footsteps in the corridor at night. He would say to Joyce "if there are spirits in the hall, they have more right to be here than we do". He also told the newspaper that "we are not going to do anything about it because it may turn out to have quite a normal explanation". Joyce believed the house to be haunted and would hear a door open a number of times. She would presume it was her husband returning, and so would call out for him, but no one would be there.

Another experience comes from Jennifer and Ann Radcliffe who lived in a purpose built flat at the hall with their dad, Fred, who was a caretaker there between 1953 and 1962. They were both young when they moved in with Jennifer being five years old, and Ann only being six months old. As they grew older, Jennifer realised her dad was afraid of being in the hall by himself. She also claims that she saw spirit children in the building. Ann has spoken about seeing a lady she called 'Celery' which they later decided was a mispronunciation of 'Cecily'.

Another caretaker of the building, this time from 1979 until 1985, was Vincent Alcock. He would take his grandchildren into the hall at night using a torch to check on things, not wanting to turn any lights on incase people called the police thinking he was a burglar. It's said that, on a number of occasions, he found a large old door that led into the hall unlocked even though he knew it was locked previously. Leaflets pinned to a notice board would also be found scattered on the floor and a log pile in the hall would frequently collapse.

I've found that during the 1950s a local resident by the name of Jimmy Wright would climb over the walls which surrounded the hall with friends and gain access through a side door. They would explore the hall with torches and, if they heard sounds from the residents, then they would quietly leave. This could have been interpreted as ghostly goings on from residents and this kind of behaviour may explain some of the experiences I've found from people such as past residents and caretakers.

In modern times, the hall used to run a 'ghost cam' where viewers would watch footage of the hall at night. As far as I can tell, this has stopped. Currently Ordsall Hall can't be hired for private paranormal groups, events, or filming. Only ghost nights booked through 'Paranormal City Events' or 'Flecky Bennett's Ghost Walks' can occur. I have, however, found evidence of plenty of ghost events which have occured in the past. 'Manchester Wire' advertised a ghost night for Saturday the 19th of October at 9pm during 2013 for £25 per person. There was also a 'Haunted Evenings' ghost event that occured at 8:30pm on Friday the 29th of March, until 2am on Saturday the 30th of March, 2019. This event cost £55 per person to attend. Another 2019 event has been advertised by 'Haunted Happenings' and this one occured at 9pm on Friday the 13th of September and lasted until 3am on Sunday the 14th of September. This event cost £69 per person. I have also found a 'Paranormal City' event which begun at 9pm on Saturday the 12th of October and ended at 2am on Sunday the 13th of October. This event cost £37.50 per person. Lisa Rawding, from a group called 'Haunted Happenings' that organised ghost hunts at the hall, has said there were flying books at Ordsall Hall.

Regarding the hauntings of Ordsall Hall, Jennifer Holland, the commercial manager at Salford Musuems and Galleries, has said: "I am afraid I personally haven't felt anything at the Hall and in actual fact find it a warm and comfortable place to work, so of there are ghosts, I always think they are friendly ghosts who are happy we are there helping the building stay alive and full of noise" Jennifer has also told 'The Mirror':

"I arrived at Ordsall Hall in 2018 as a non-believer, but over the years, the spirits of the Hall have played many tricks on me such as turning lights on and off, doors being locked behind me and a few unexplained noises... The Hall, however, continues to feel a warm and safe space to work in and I believe if there are ghosts at the Hall they are happy we are here, caring for the building and making sure it is protected and restored... Every morning I now say hello to them and treat them as friendly additions to the Hall. Other staff, more in tune with the paranormal have had friendly verbal greetings and regular sightings of the resident ghosts, but none of us feel like they mean us any harm. They are simply reminders that we work in a 800-year-old historic building"

Lauren Gradwell, the educational facilitator at Ordsall Hall, has also spoken about the ghosts of Ordsall Hall and has said: "That is one of the best draws for us, we are grateful for having ghosts because we can say we have got them; the house is haunted... and it's ghosts plural, not just one. We have several different types of ghost at Ordsall Hall and you're never on your own, EVER... People who used to live nearby used to say that you should never go near Ordsall Hall because the white lady was going to get you!"

Specifically on the White Lady, Lauren has told 'Salford Now': "Lady Margaret was one of twins... She died in 1599 after her twin brother, Alexander died in battle; her younger brother also died of similar reasons the year before. She was also attracted to Lord Cobham who spurned her advances so she was under a lot of emotional strain. She couldn’t take it anymore and starved herself to death.” About the White Lady, Lauren has also said: "Her body may be in London, but her spirit returned home, and she has been seen as a floating candle, a lady in a white dress, and she is said to search for her brother as she waits for him to return from Ireland".

When speaking about the paranormal experiences of Ordsall Hall, Lauren has told 'Salford Now': “It’s not really a case of seeing the ghosts as they don’t appear at will... You’ll get the very strong scent of roses and lavender or you’ll feel something brush past you or maybe pinch your bottom, that’s Sir John Radclyffe. You’ll hear for example a mighty bang, put your head in expecting to find a beam on the floor and there’s nothing.” Lauren has also told sources: "The scariest experience I've ever had here was when I had my name called across the gallery one morning. I was opening up and I got to one of the doors at the far west wing and I heard my name called across the wing... I was gone. I knew the building was empty, so I was through the door and in the staff room! Like I say, you're never on your own. They're not bad, they just like to let you know they're here occasionally" When asked by 'Salford Now' if the location could be one of the most haunted places in Manchester, Lauren replied with: “I would say you’re never alone at Ordsall, ever…”

The source 'Mancunian Matters' has documented an investigation which occured at Ordsall Hall which was conducted by John Leahy. He was asked what it is about the location which makes it such a good place for a ghost hunt, and he said: “I think it’s the history, it has got a spiritual atmosphere... I think it does rely a lot on its architecture, it’s that style. It immediately makes people imagine that there is a ghost.” He has also said: “I do believe in ghosts but I think I need a bit more evidence than just table tipping and Ouija boards... I think Ouija boards are 50/50 whether they are communicating with the spirits or it’s the subconscious of the people touching the boards.” After his investigation with 'Mancunian Matters', John concluded: “I’ve walked around this building actually on my own and I feel quite comfortable... There are other places I’ve been too. You’ve got that caveman instinct where you just do not want to go in to that place... I feel quite comfortable here. It doesn’t feel like a hotspot, it probably does have ghost but I think I’ve been to other places that I’d be more inclined to say this is haunted"

Finally, 'I Love Manchester' have interviewed Caroline Storr; a woman who has worked at Ordsall Hall for five years. She has said: “Parts of it date back to the 1340s and it’s amazing because it’s stood the test of time; two world wars, the peasants’ revolt and the Industrial Revolution literally going on around it. Despite all that, it’s still here... It’s been lived in by lots of different characters. For 300 years it was the home of Radclyffes. It’s been a Victorian working men’s club, a job centre for the homeless in the 1920s and rumour has it a bomb detection centre in the 1940s. In many ways you can see why it’s haunted because so many people have lived within its walls over 800 years.”

Specifically about the spirits, Caroline has said: “We have one ghost believed to be John Radclyffe who was lord of the manor for a long time. He’s a bit cheeky and pinches ladies’ bottoms,” This source has said she was skeptical until it happened to her, and on that experience she has said: “I looked around and no-one was there.” This source also says one of the friendliest ghosts is Cecily, and regarding this spirit Caroline has said: “She’s often associated with a smell of lavender and roses that moves and I’ve smelt her... We have quite a few ghosts of children interestingly, including a girl called Emily who runs up and down the steps in the Great Hall. She usually appears to children who’ll say they’ve been playing with someone... You’ll get stools moving, sometimes things are flung about. I was once in there with someone and holding a pad and pen. I looked down and in massive writing, which wasn’t mine, was the word ‘beware’... There’s also been a lot of activity around the bed, including streaks of white light and tapping beneath it, although I’ve never heard that myself.”

Apparently Caroline doesn't like locking up the building at the end of the day and has said: “I just feel I know a bit too much and don’t want to know anymore because it freaks me out a bit... It just unnerves me. I think there are a lot more stories to be revealed here because people see different things all the time.”

Summary Of Hauntings

1. The White Lady, Lady Margaret Radclyffe (?), a bride (?): Star Chamber, Great Hall staircase

2. Sir John Radclyffe, touches women: Star Chamber

3. Cecily, little girl, appears when children are present, smell of roses

4. 2 male servants: attic

5. Grumpy old man: upstairs

6. Tapping: cellar

7. Footsteps: corridor at night

8. Knocks

9. Bangs

10. A menacing entity: attic

11. Temperatue drops

12. Feelings of being watched

13. Voices of small children: Star Chamber

My Thoughts

With Ordsall Hall being fairly local to me, I really want to believe it's extremely haunted. However, i just don't think that's true. I can very easily see how this location in particular may have capitalised on the tourism benefits of being 'haunted', plus I think a few hauntings may have originated because of what I've found regarding people sneaking in during the 1950s. A door being unlocked, leaflets on the ground, and a log pile falling all come across to me of signs that someone has just been clumsy while wandering around a dark place they shouldn't be in. However, residents and caretakers during this time period may have jumped to 'it's a ghost because of how quiet the intruders were combined with the historic and spooky nature of the building.

This place is an interesting case study though, not because it's haunted or historically significant, but because I've managed to find quotes from an investigator of the location along with a few staff members. It's interesting to me how the investigator has said other places are far more haunted, but the staff members seem convinced that there is definitely something there which is strong enough to touch people. It's interesting, especially as one quote from a staff member regarding the hauntings was "that is one of the best draws for us". I could be very wrong about this, but the quotes combined with the events, the prices of the events, and the ghost cam all suggest to me that Ordsall Hall is likely to not be very haunted.

As I've discussed in previous articles, I do believe that anywhere with human history will have at least one ghost present; but, that doesn't make a building actively haunted. So, I do think that Sir John Radclyffe and Lady Margaret Radclyffe could very well be haunting the location. I also believe that Cecily might too, but I don't think it will be anything to the scale of what's discussed. I don't think you'd find apparitions here and I think touches and smells are likely just psychological influences of the setting. Another important detail to mention regarding the tourism side is that it's said Cecily appears when school parties are present. This could be true, but feels like incentive to bring school groups in to further boost the tourism of the location.

I also don't particularly like how muddied both the historical facts and the paranormal facts are about this location. There have been locations with far less history which is far more muddled than here, so I'm not surprised about that; but it seems people are muddling up information about the White Lady and Cecily. These seem like distinctly seperate spirits, but sources seem to merge them and throw in details about a bride. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bride in connection to the church, but this would seemingly be a seperate spirit to the White Lady. Either way; I feel like this location is not actively haunted. I could be wrong, but I think the spirits here will be past residents and they're probably too old to actively haunt the property.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading this article! As I said earlier in the article, please do contact me at thetrueparanormal1@gmail.com if you have any further details about Ordsall Hall. This can be to clear up the history, or it could be to clear up the hauntings; either way, I will update the article accordingly. This was an article which took a ridiculously long time to write and publish, due to a mix of the quantity of information and general life things, but I'm really glad it's out now. The next article will be published on Friday the 5th of December and it will be a database update which will properly go into detail on where I've been and what to expect going forwards. The following article, hopefully to be published on Monday the 8th of December, will document a haunted location in Preston.

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