October 2014
By Stephen Guy
Remember the clocks go back on October 26th.
For generations the manor house stood isolated within sight of the river estuary that would bring untold wealth to the area.
Speke Hall was at the end of a forest track leading from the tiny port of Liverpool. There was just one substantial building along the route – Toxteth Chapel. No surfaced roads led in and out of Liverpool until around 1750 when coaches started to regularly serve the town. People used footpaths and bridleways to get around. In Liverpool there were just seven streets – muddy thoroughfares with no pavements – clustered around the castle. Speke Hall is a magnificent survival from Tudor times and reflects the wealth of the families who lived there. Like many isolated houses, it had a moat which harked back to the Middle Ages when marauding barons and Scottish invaders roamed the land. Even smaller farmhouses sometimes had moats which served decorative and practical purposes – harbouring birds and fish which ended up on the table. An 1849 Liverpool guidebook said: “The hall and adjacent estates are the property of Richard Watt but they are in the occupation of Joseph Brereton, a merchant of Liverpool. “A stone bridge with high piers leads to the principal front and the house is entered through a picturesque stone porch. “Two large oak doors open from this porch into an inner court of an oblong form in which two enormous and venerable yew trees still flourish (pictured).
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“The great hall is very lofty. A fine oak wainscoting reaches from the floor to the ceiling. “Here is also a mantelpiece said to have been brought from the king’s palace at Edinburgh after the victory of Flodden Field. “In a deserted room adjoining, in olden times the drawing room, is a magnificent carved oak chimney-piece, representing a pedigree of the Norris family for three generations. “This family were in possession of the property for a long series of years.” Thankfully not much has
changed in the 165 years since this was written. However, the description concludes: “A short distance to the east of the hall is the quiet village of Speke.” Much of Speke village remains but the area has been totally transformed since Victorian times. Less than a century ago the only way to get to Speke Hall was along country lanes. I Learn more about the history of Liverpool at the Museum of Liverpool, Pier Head, open 10 am to 5 pm every day, admission free.
0151 734 0666 www.suttonkersh.co.uk
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