HALL FOR NOTHING By Harold Cunliffe
It was a sad day back in early June, 2007, when an ancient hall in North Manchester suffered an arson attack.
T
he picturesque black and white Tonge Hall was quite amazing, not only historically, but for sporting many original timbers, but all is not lost, restoration has been slowly taking place to save the ancient building.
Above: Tonge Hall, 1907
Above: Tonge Hall prior to the arson attack
Above: The hall at the time of the devastating fire
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LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE
Growing up in town, observing this interesting ancient building from the exterior one wondered what the inside would be like. This hall had been in the hands of the Wolstencroft family for many years, then one day Captain Norman Wolstencroft invited yours truly for a guided tour. Over the years the building had remained untouched due to the previous owners not having the finances to chop, change and remodel the building, unlike many places which were occupied by the wealthy who constantly made many changes. Evidence of this is in an old craftsman’s diary which came to light. The information it contains details the work carried out at Heaton Hall, Hopwood Hall and other ancient manor houses in their quest to “keep up with the Jones’s”. It looks like this carpenter was the entrusted master craftsman to the wealthy. At Tonge many of the original ancient timbers still existed within the structure. On the day I toured the hall Norman took great pride in pointing out various historical items of interest made by former occupants. On one of the timbers were the initials prominently carved into the wood, made by the Tonge family, J.T. carved next to a fireplace, referring to John Tonge. You really felt the history of the place as you proceeded along the uneven floors and walls showing their age by being out of plumb. The relevance of previous ownership and tenants who occupied the building was brought to life once I was told about the several ghosts who frequented the hall. A film crew once captured a spirit as it walked around the exterior of the hall. www.lancmag.com
