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In
1642, the Hall came under attack by the Cavalier Prince Rupert,
whose forces aimed to secure the capture of the hall's owner,
the Roundhead Colonel Purefoy. In his absence, his wife Dame Purefoy,
along with her son-in-law George Abbott, 3 maids and 8 servants,
staunchley defended their property against the 500 marauding soldiers.
So
impressed was Prince Rupert by their valour, that upon their final
surrender he spared them their lives.
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Original
stained glass window depicting Prince Rupert and Dame Purefoy |
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| Family
feuds, battles, lawsuits, suspicious fires... Caldecote Hall has
had a rich and varied history...
The
Estate of Caldecote has had a rich, turbulent and sometimes illustrious
past. It was registered in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as being
in the ownership of the Bishop of Chester when it was valued at
the princely sum of 60 shillings.
There
followed a long period of wrangling over its ownership and either
through litigation or through the powers vested in some of the more
tyrannical of our Monarchs, the Manor passed through the hands of
a series of owners including King Henry VIII, Edward VI and Charles
II.
It
was during the reign of Charles I that the original Hall, which
was originally built as a fortified Manor went through one of its
most dramatic periods. |
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In
the 30's and 40's Caldecote Hall was an institution providing
treatment for patients with alcohol and other drug addictions |
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The
hall's period as a treatment centre for 'alcoholists' appears
not to have been too successful - on its closure, 3 truckloads
of empties were found hidden in its attics. |
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original manor door now forms the entrance to the
Church on the Estate - and still bears the bullet
holes from the seige of 1624 |
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William
Purefoy took revenge when he was elected a member of
the court that tried Charles I - he signed the King's
death warrant |
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| At
this time, the Estate was owned by Colonel William Purefoy,
the famous Puritan leader and zealous Parliamentarian.
As such, he was a wanted man and in August of 1642,
the Princes Rupert and Maurice, nephews of King Charles,
laid siege to Caldecote Hall in search of their enemy.
Knowing of their imminent arrival William was hidden
away in the Hop Garden whilst his wife, son-in-law,
3 maids and 8 servants staged a defence of the Manor.
The
Princes were supported by a marauding troop of 500 soldiers
- but despite the odds, the brave defenders managed
to hold out for a considerable time by melting down
pewter goblets and cutlery to form bullets for their
muskets. They killed 3 officers and 15 soldiers before
the Prince's finally secured their surrender by setting
fire to the Hall.
Their
bravery earnt them their lives as Prince Rupert spared
them for their gallant defence - but the Hall was damaged
and had to be rebuilt. |
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A
Victorian family home of distinction
In
its more recent history, the Hall was acquired as a family
home in the late 19th Century. The new owner, Captain Henry
Leigh Townshend, acquired the original Estate which covered
over 1200 acres of land and proceeded to build the Hall
we see today at a cost of £80,000 in 1880. He was
a self-made millionaire of more humble origins who wished
to live the life of - and be accepted by - the landed gentry.
The Hall bears the marks of the Townshend family motto,
"Patience Overcomes Evil" and was designed to
reflect their desire to live in luxury. The Townshend family
is well known historically and Peter Townshend, famed for
his scandalous relationship with Princess Margaret in the
50's, is a descendant.
The
magnificent Minstrels Gallery that overlooks the main hall
is a superb example of the grand style and evokes a sense
of decadence and opulence that characterises the Caldote
Hall of that era.
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| The
current Hall with its elegeant Minstrels' Gallery,
was built in 1880 by Captain Henry Leigh Townshend
and was designed with all the opulence of the
Victorian era |
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Captain
Townshend was a self-made millionaire who aspired
to the life of the gentry and cultivated relationships
with the high society. |
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| As
a Mens Retreat for the treatment of Alcoholists, the
Depressed and Brain Weary, Caldecote Hall attracted
many wealthy Patients |
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At
Caldecote Hall all social classes are received and experience
shows that they mix readily and freely together, working
and indulging in sporting competitions in a spirit of
real comradeship. |
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| Turbulent
times - break-up, institutionalisation and fire..
Despite
Captain Townshend's wealth and his efforts to ingratiate
himself amongst those he wished to consider his peers,
the family was never fully accepted amongst the gentry
and he is reputed to have died an unhappy man. His descendants
decided to break up and sell off the estate and in 1924
the original 1200 acres was sold at auction in 28 lots,
including the 35 acres on which the Hall stands today.
This
main plot was purchased at that time by The Church of
England Temperance Society who converted it into a Retreat
for treatment of "Neurasthenia and other Nervous
Ailments resulting from Mental Strain, Drugs and Alcohol
Addiction." The original visitors book shows a
stream of wealthy vistors who enjoyed the restorative
pleasures of the house and grounds as well as the expert
treatment of its resident physicians.
However,
on closure of the treatment centre, the discovery of
3 truckloads of empties in the attics, suggested its
success might not have been thoroughly overwhelming.... |
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The
Hall was purchased in 1953 by Commander Cyril Colbourne,
a property developer, who elected to rent out a main portion
of the building as a school, then known as St Chad's.
By
1955, the school principle owed rent arrears and was being
pursued by the Commander for payment. It was in this circumstance
that Colbourne decided to place the Hall back on the market.
On Wednesday 27th April 1955, the local headlines read
that Caldecote Hall was for sale at a price of £15,250
- the following day, the same newspapers carried the story
of a terrible fire sweeping through parts of the main
hall, destroying its roof and severely damaging many of
its rooms.
The
debt-laden school principal disappeared and was never
heard of again.
Unable
to pay for restoration work, Commander Colbourne sealed
off the damaged area and lived out his life in an apartment
at the front of the Hall.
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| Just
one day after being placed on the market in
1955, fire swept through the Hall under suspiscious
circumstances - and has remained fire-damaged
up to the present day |
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This
magnificent Hall has a rich and fascinating history
and deserves to be restored to a glory that reflects
its past and preserves its position for the future.. |
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