Wolseley Hall

This article is about Staffordshire. For the building in Canada, see CFB London.

Not to be confused with Wolsey Hall, Oxford or Woolsey Hall.

Wolseley Hall
Wolseley Hall, from The County Seats of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland by Francis Orpen Morris
Location in Staffordshire
General information
Location	Near Rugeley, Staffordshire
Coordinates	52°46′49″N 1°57′52″W
Completed	Late 17th century
Demolished	1966

Wolseley Hall was a stately home near the village of Colwich, in Staffordshire, England. It was demolished in 1966; the former gardens are now a nature reserve of the Wolseley Centre.

History

The manor house

The estate was held by the Wolseley family from the 11th century, when Edric de Wholesley lived here. It was granted to the family as a reward for killing the wolves which, by attacking the deer, were detrimental to the King's hunting in the county.[1][2][3]

A moated manor house was built in the 11th century. During the reign of Edward IV, Ralph Wolseley, who was a Baron of the Exchequer, created a deer park, and was granted a licence to crenellate the house.[1][2][3][4]

The hall

Sir Robert Wolseley, 1st Baronet (1587–1646), was a Royalist army officer during the Civil War. His estate was subsequently confiscated, and the manor house fell into ruin. On the restoration of the monarchy the family regained their lands, and a new house was built by Sir Charles Wolseley, 2nd Baronet, a short distance from the old manor house. There were alterations by James Trubshaw in the 1820s.[1][2][5]

The hall was damaged by fire in the 1950s, and demolished in 1966. In the 1990s there was some restoration of the gardens, by Sir Charles Wolseley. It is now the Wolseley Centre: a nature reserve and the headquarters of the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust since 2003.[1][2][6]

See also

Wolseley baronets

References

1. "Wolseley Hall" Lost Heritage: England's lost country houses. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
2. "Wolseley Hall" Parks & Gardens. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
3. "Wolseley Manor House" Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
4. "Wolseley Hall, a British Stately Home" British Towns and Villages. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
5. "Wolseley [Ouseley], Sir Charles, second baronet, appointed Lord Wolseley under the protectorate". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29849. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
6. "The Wolseley Centre" Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 5 May 2020.