Eccleston Hall is a Grade II listed hall located in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside, England. Originally constructed in the 16th century, the current building dates from 1830. It has been used as a place of worship, of residence and a health sanatorium before being sold to private development in 1997.

Eccleston Hall
Eccleston Hall
LocationEccleston in St Helens, England
Coordinates53°26′59″N 2°46′24″W / 53.449604°N 2.773403°W / 53.449604; -2.773403
OS grid referenceSJ 444 938
Built19th century
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated28 February 1989
Eccleston Hall is located in Merseyside
Eccleston Hall
Location in Merseyside

History

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The current building is the third such hall built on the land with the first being around 1569.[1][2] It was originally on the estate of Eccleston and Scarisbrick. It was originally used as a place of worship by Catholics; records show that John Swinbourne received £36 from Thomas Eccleston in 1701. A silver chalice at the hall was kept there indefinitely until such time that Mass could be said in nearby Prescot Parish Church. In 1790, the hall was returned to the family owners.[3]

The current hall was built around 1830, by Samuel Taylor, a cotton manufacturer, who had been working in the previous building since 1827.[1][4] It is constructed mainly of sandstone ashlar, with a hipped roof of Welsh slate. The building includes several Doric columns, and a southwards projection towards the garden. A church was also constructed by Taylor in 1838.[1]

In 1909, the estate around the hall was planned for suburban development. A scheme to build 4,000 homes on the grounds was unveiled in 1919.[5] By this time, the hall was used as a Tuberculosis sanatorium.[6] The building has been Grade II listed since 1989, by which time it was used for hospital administration.[1] In 1997, the building was sold to private development and converted into apartments.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1392654)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Timeline". St Helens Community Archive. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  3. ^ Farrer, William; Brownbill, J, eds. (1907). "Townships: Eccleston". A History of the County of Lancaster. Vol. 3. London. pp. 362–367. Retrieved 4 March 2020 – via British History Online.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ "Samuel Taylor (b. 1802) of Eccleston Hall Estate, St. Helens". St Helens Archive Service. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  5. ^ a b Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus & Sharples, Joseph (2006). Lancashire: Liverpool and the Southwest. Yale University Press. p. 578. ISBN 978-0-300-10910-8.
  6. ^ "Eccleston Hall Tuberculosis Sanatorium". National Archives. NH 48/290.