Eaton Hall (Cheshire)

Eaton Hall is a country house set within a large park in the village of Eccleston near Chester in England. It is the country house of the Duke of Westminster. The estate covers 11,000 acres (45 square kilometres).

Related Topics:
Country house - Park - Eccleston - Chester - England - Duke of Westminster

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The estate has belonged to the Grosvenor family since the reign of Henry VI in the 15th century, when Ralph Grosvenor, married Joan, daughter of John Eaton and heiress to the estate. The house has been rebuilt several times. Sir John Vanbrugh built a brick house on the site at the end of the 17th century. Between 1804 and 1812 William Porden reconstructed the house in a gothic style. He doubled the size of the house, but retained the basement of the old house and some of the walls. In the 1870s Eaton Hall was massively expanded in a heavier version of gothic by Alfred Waterhouse. This was probably the most expensive building project ever on an English country house, costing six hundred thousand pounds: a reflection of the Marquess of Westminster's status as the richest man in the United Kingdom. (He became the 1st Duke of Westminster in 1874 while work was in progress, officially for his philanthropic work). The reconstructed house was extremely irregular and asymmetrical, but again some of the old structure was retained, and the nine bay, three storey form of the Vanbrugh house was still apparent in the centre of the facade of the main block. This version of Eaton Hall featured a large chapel with a bell tower, which was connected to the other wings of the house, but stood apart from the them. The tower bore a strong resemblance to the clock tower, Big Ben of the Palace of Westminster in London. At one time, "There is no place like home" was played on the bells each time the Duke approached the house

Related Topics:
Henry VI - John Vanbrugh - William Porden - Gothic style - Alfred Waterhouse - Marquess of Westminster - Duke of Westminster - Clock tower - Big Ben - Palace of Westminster - London

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Eaton Hall served as a hospital in both World Wars and as an officer cadet training school from 1946 to 1960. The main part of the house was demolished in the 1970s, but the chapel, bell tower and stable block were retained. A new house was built in a modern style. It was said by some to resemble a ranch house at the end of a dusty road in Argentina. In the 1990s, this house was refaced in stone and given a classical air.

Related Topics:
World War - Ranch - Argentina - 1990 - Classical

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The house contains a fine collection of furniture and paintings assembled by the Grosvenor family. The family made its fortune by developing most of Belgravia and Pimlico and a large slice of Mayfair, all of which are in London. Pimlico has been sold, but the family still owns many properties in Mayfair and Belgravia.

Related Topics:
Grosvenor - Belgravia - Pimlico - Mayfair - London

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Eaton Hall is a private residence and not open to the public, but the garden is open to the public for a few days each year. There is a function room which may be hired by charities.

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