SITE NAME: Address Unitary Authority: Parish: Location: Grid Ref:

Somerford Booths Hall (Grade II*) Chelford Road, Somerford Booths, Congleton CW122LY Cheshire East (former Congleton B.C.)

Somerford Booths CP c. 4 kms NW of Congleton, North of the river Dane 832 656

CHESHIRE GARDENS TRUST

Owner: P. Hogarth, The Hermitage, Hermitage Lane, Holmes Chapel, CW4 8DP Recorder RB/IBW Date of Site Visit Date of Report Draft 1:

19/06/2015 amended: 08/12/2015

Sornerford Booths Hall is a private property and not open to the public. Cheshire Gardens Trust was unable to obtain access for recording purposes.

Names: The parish and hall of Somerford Booths lies North of the river Dane but may be confused with the parish of Somerford and the property of Somerford Park South of the Dane. Somerford Booths Hall was owned for centuries by the Swe~enham family, while the neighbouring parish and hall of Swettenham was held by the Swe~enhams.

Summary A house of 1612 with 'Gothic' alterations of 1817 by John Webb, whose influence may be seen in the parkland's design, with a walled kitchen garden and small formal gardens added c. 1890. The Hall, gardens and park survived as a private residence until the 1960s when a change to business premises resulted in major alterations to the hall and its historic setting. Former parkland is let for farming and the N part of the grounds is now a separate property, Woodside Business Park.

Principal remaining features as suggested by aerial photographs: -Three drives from Chelford Road (from SW, Wand NW) - Walls of kitchen garden - Walls of formal gardens, sundial - Single mature trees near the Hall - Two ponds and tree belt by NW drive - Woodland on slopes of the Dane valley

History

Ormerod traces the pedigree of the Swetenhams of Somerford Booths back to the late C131•

The extant listed house was built on a moated site in 1612 by Edmund Swetenham2• His

property comprised "in addition to the 'Hall of Somerford' a water mill and upwards of 200 acres of landn3. The Swetenham line continued until1768, when the estate passed to a nephew, Roger Comberbach, who had married the natural daughter of the last male Swetenham. His son Roger (1758-1814) inherited and assumed the name Swetenham.

In 1814 he was succeeded by his son Clement Swetenham (1787-1852), who fought under Wellington in Spain and at Waterloo as a major with the 16th Dragoons. At the time of his marriage in 1817, Clement Swetenham employed the landscape designer and architect John Webb4

• Webb's improvements to the house were in the picturesque Gothic style. It is likely that Webb also advised on the layout of the grounds, including the infill of the moat5 .

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Clement Swetenham (1819-1885) succeeded in 1852. He was High Sherriff of Cheshire in 1860. In 18866 he was followed by his son Clement William Swetenham (1852 -1927), who laid out the formal gardens at the hall's S and E elevation.

His widow continued to live at the hall until1935, when the estate of 543 acres was sold7 by the trustees of his grandson Michael Swetenham, then a minor. Most of the land appears to have been bought by the sitting tenants of the estate's 6 dairy farms. Somerford Booths Hall with 63 acres of grounds was sold as a private residence to a Mr Samuel Midgley.

After his death in 1940, the property was acquired by Mr. T. Jessop of Didsbury, who not only modernised the Hall but was determined "to make the estate play a valuable part in filling the nationallarder18

. He introduced a herd of pedigree Ayrshires for milk production and employed a farm bailiff and a squad of German prisoners to raise market-gardening produce, to keep bees and to breed poultry. (See Appended Information for reference to the Hall's 'secret passage'.)

In 1948 Somerford Booths Hall was for sale again, "completely modernised with self-contained staff quarters"9

. The property was bought by Mr. J.B. Stringer, who lived there until1963.

1963 - 2007 Change to business premises 10

In 196311 Somerford Booths Hall was sold with 63 acres. The building firm Price Bros used the historic Hall as offices and made major changes to the hall's historic setting. The stables (built in 169612

) and service buildings to the N and NW of the Hall were demolished and replaced with two-storey office blocks, which became the HQ of American Can Co. Service buildings W of the Hall were replaced with 2 bungalows, a single-storey building, a swimming pool and car parking .

Sold in 1985 with grounds of 48 acres, Somerford Booths Hall became the HQ of retail jewellers Dane Hall Ltd. In the late 1990s further alterations were made to the interior of the hall, when it became the headquarters of retail jewellers HPJ Ltd. This company divided the grounds in two creating 'Woodside Park' business park, now a separate property.

2007 - 2015 Proposed Development In 2007 Bell Meadow Property Developments Ltd. proposed "Conversion of Hall to a single residential dwelling, demolition of 3 existing bungalows and replacement with 3 detached dwellings with access, car parking, landscaping and associated infrastructure"13

.

This planning application was withdrawn a few months later.

In 2010 HOW LLP, a specialist planning and environmental consultancy, re-submitted the above application on behalf of Bell Meadow Property Developments LLP14

, who have an option to buy the site from the owner HPJ LLP, subject to planning approval. The layout had been changed and the application included an Historic Building Appraisal and Impact Assessment by AHP (Architectural History Practice), an Arboriculturallmpact Assessment by Cheshire Woodlands and Landscaping Plans by Barnes Walker Landscape Architects. Although this planning application was approved, with conditions, on 26/01/20011 15

, no development took place at the site. In 2012 HPJ LLP went into administration16

.

2015 New Development Plans: By the summer of 2015, Bell Meadow Property Developments LLP were no longer involved. The site had been bought by a new owner, who submitted a different planning application to Cheshire East planning authorities on 26/111201517

.

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Description from cartographic and pictoral evidence (Numbers in brackets refer to maps and pictures appended)

1817 John Webb at Somerford Booths Ormerod describes Somerford Booths Hall as occupying "a delightful elevation near the river . .. and now undergoing considerable alterations and improvements in the Gothic style from the designs of Webb"18

.

John Webb (1754-1828) of Lichf~eld had worked with William Emes, a follower of Capability Brown, before establishing his own practice as a landscape gardener. He worked extensively in Cheshire and gained the reputation of "a skilful conjuror of Parks and Pleasure Grounds"19

.

At Somerford Booths Webb worked as an architect; he designed and directed alterations to the Hall's interior and remodelled the S and E elevations in the picturesque gothic style. It is very likely that Webb also advised on the layout of the grounds (1 , 3). Characteristic Webb landscaping features executed at Somerford Booths include: - Hall set in an open parkland with lawns up to the house, - shrubberies screening the walled kitchen garden and service buildings, - single trees and small plantations in the parkland, tree belts along the road - a new serpentine drive through the park, - 2 small pools surrounded by woodland.

The walled kitchen garden was probably also built under Webb's direction. It is indicated in Bryant's map of 1831 (2). The extant walls show early C19 brickwork20 (10).

1839 - 1963 The private residence: Approaches from Chelford Road (3) - a short service drive from the W to the stables, -the picturesque drive from the SW leading through the park to the hall's N elevation, -a curving drive from theN to the hall's N elevation, added by 1910. The drive from theE, shown in 1831 (2) is no longer used.

Gardens: Around 1890 the simple fenced lawns around the Hall of 1824 (1) and 1839 (3) were changed to more formal pleasure gardens with a terrace along the hall's E and S sides. Brick walls with gate piers enclosed the N forecourt at the hall's main entrance (8). Low brick walls were used to define a rectangular E lawn and a semi-circular S garden (7). In 1929 the latter was laid out with a perimeter pathway, clipped yews and beds of roses around a sundial (6). The pleasure gardens extended westwards (W garden) with a rose walk, an oval lawn, shrubs and hedges21

•

During the war years and after, walls and paths remained but the planting was simplified to lawns and clumps of trees/shrubs (11 ).

Walled kitchen garden: In 1935 the "fine mellow brick walls about 10' high (were) partly covered by peach, pear, plum and cherry trees". An orchard occupied the area S of the walled garden, while to its N were a vegetable garden, a "greenhouse, stovehouse and a range of pits"22(4). In 1952 the orchard and kitchen and vegetable gardens appear to be cultivated (11 ).

Park: The park was at its most extensive in 1839 (3). Already by 1875 its size had been reduced to that shown in the map of 1935 (4). The brochure of the 1935 sale describes the remaining park as containing "many fine Oak, Elm and Chestnut trees". Part of BunisterWood and various plantations contained "a large number of mature Oaks, Elms and Ash". The timber was valued at £2.71623

• The Hall, gardens and park totalling 63 acres were bought and maintained as a private residence (4).

1963 - 2007 Major changes to the hall and its historic setting: When Somerford Booths Hall changed to commercial use, the stables and ancillary buildings were replaced with office blocks, bungalows and car parks. It appears that most of the park was let for farming and ploughed (12). The parkland trees have gone. However, woodland remain on the slopes of the Dane, as do the tree belts along the road and some mature trees around the hall (5). By 2008 the N part of the site had become a separate property, 'Woodside Park' business park, (13, 14), accessed by the curving NW drive. The grounds of Somerford Booths Hall had shrunk

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to the landS of the hall (14). The sundial and low walls of the formal gardens remain, laid to grass (5, 9). The walls of the walled garden also remain; the garden is no longer in use (10).

2007- 2011 Proposed development: Bell Meadow Property Developments LLP24 proposals were to further divide the site by creating 4 separate private properties (14) in order to finance the restoration of Sornerford Booths Hall to a single dwelling. These plans retained theE and S formal gardens and landscaped the walled garden. Two detached houses around a courtyard would occupy theW part of the site, with the 3rd detached house built S of the walled garden. These plans were approved but not executed.

2015 New Development Plans: The planning application of Sornerford Booths Hall's new owner application25 indicates acquisition of Somerford Booths Hall, Woodside Park' business park and additional land N and E of the Hall. Thus, today's boundaries of the Sornerford Booths property appear to be those of 1935, before the sale (see maps 4+5: lots 1 and 1A). The new development plan proposes:

restoration of Somerford Booths Hall, demolition of all 1960s offices and buildings,

• 16 new-build housing units with garages, • landscaping which retains the C19 SandE gardens, existing parkland trees and shelter

belts; 2 new-builds in the walled garden.

Please note that this report contains the research and recording information available to Cheshire Gardens Trust at the time. It does not purport to be the finite sum of knowledge about the site as new information is always being discovered and sites change.

Copyright notice ©

All rights reserved. This "WOrk is part of ongoing research by Cheshire Gardens Trust No part of this "WOrk may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission from Cheshire Gardens Trust.

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Appended Information

• Listed Sites

Somerford Booths Hall: - Somerford Booths Hall: Grade II* listed building, EH ID 56586. HER No: 1143/1/0 -Site of filled moat at Somerford Booths Hall, a moated house of 1612. HER No: 1143/1/1

Somerford Booths - Possible shrunken/shifted village. Now reduced to the hall. HER No: 1143/0/0 -Old Hall Farmhouse, C17 with later additions. Grade II listed building. HER No: 1143/0/0 - Somerford Booths Mill: three-storey brick and slated mill, now a residence. Pool and sluice still

maintained. HER No: 1144/1.

• 1935 Description of the gardens (sale brochure, CALS document 135823)

The E garden contained two tennis courts. The Sand W gardens are described in detail (cf. image 6): "On the Southern front is a broad terrace walk, from which 2 short flights of stone steps descend to a formal lawn ornamented with clipped Yews and laid out in beds planted with Roses and extending to a semi-circular bay with herbaceous border and dwarf brick wall, which divides the lawn from the park. On one side of the lawn is a clump of Wellingtonia, Irish yew and other conifers. [W garden] Beyond the lawn is a beautiful Garden Walk bounded on one side by tall Holly Hedges and a shrubbery border of Veronica, Lilac and Laburnum and on the other by Azaleas and Rhododendrons and a specimen Copper Beech. The walk leads past a plantation of Plane and Sycamore trees with thousands of Narcissi and Daffodils below to a Rose Walk and Oval Lawn, enclosed on the one side by tall Rhododendrons and on the other by a magnificent Yew hedge about 20' in height. "There is also a walled garden, "enclosed by a fine old mellow brick wall about 10' in height, partly covered by Peach, Pear, Plum and Cherry trees and divided by broad gravel walks. Beyond are a vegetable garden with span roof greenhouse, stove house and ranges of pits."

• A secret passage (Transcript of part of an article cut from Congleton Chronicle and held by Congleton Museum; no date- probably written during 1945 or 1946)

"Rumour insists on the existence of a romantic secret passage, having its association with the religious persecutions of bygone days (the Swetenhams were Roman Catholics), and leading from the hall to some hidden exit inside the estate. The writer of these notes was informed by the previous owner that the entrance to this passage was in the cellar, and that in his time it had been bricked up. Mr. Jessop, on the other hand, was informed by Mr. Midgley jun. of his belief that it was somewhere in the house itself. There is a cunning little "hidey-hole" in the wall of a passage on the first floor, at present put to the prosaic use of a store for sweeping brushes, while directly below, in the same wall on the ground floor, is a spot where Mr. Jessop was told, the entrance was hidden, but this is now covered by panelling .... As to the outlet, Mr. Jessop's belief is that this was in what is called Fiddle Wood, a densely overgrown spinney lying some 300 yards to the east of the mansion. Perhaps someday, if Mr. Jessop is kind enough to allow further research, this offers the most promising line of investigation."

Please note that this report contains the research and recording information available to Cheshire Gardens Trust at the time. It does not purport to be the finite sum of knowledge about the site as new Information Is always being discovered and sites change. Copyright notice ®

Page 5 ofG Somerford Booths Hall

All rights reserved. This work Is part of ongoing research by Cheshire Gardens Trust No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted In any form or by any means without prior permission from Cheshire Gardens Trust

1 Ormerod, George. 1819. The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester . vol.iii, p. 56Q-561. Details of alterations since 1612 are given in: AHP. 2008. "Historic Building Appraisal and Impact Assessment", p.31, part of Planning Application Cheshire East 10/1273C

2 1nscription on extant key stone of porch inN elevation: "Edmund Swetenham 1612". Details of alterations since 1612 are given in: Architectural History Practice. 2008. "Historic Building Appraisal and Impact Assessment". p.31, part of Planning Application Cheshire East 10/1273C

3 Ormerod (see 1), referring to a document of 1631 4

ibid. 5 Description of Somerford Booths Hall in 1829: "Until these few years, the whole was surrounded by a moat, now

filled up" in: Jones Views of the Seats, Mansions, Castles etc of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. 1829. Vol. i:

6 Probate valuation of Somerford Booths Hall of 10/11/1886: CALS document DCB/1716/4/5 7

1935 sale particulars: CALS document 135823 8 Quotation and information, courtesy of Congleton Museum, from an article entitled "Picturesque lih Century Mansion Somerford Booths Hall, cut from the Congleton Chronicle and held by Congleton Museum. Unfortunately, the cutting does not include a date; the article was probably written in 1945 or 1946.

9 Advertisement in Contry Life of 05/11/1948

10 Information about developments since 1963 from: 1985 sale brochure, Reeds Rains, 28/06/1985, Congleton Library, AHP. 2008. "Historic Building Appraisal and Impact Assessment" (see 1), Congleton Chronicle 28/06 1985 and 01/11/1985, Congleton Library

11 Advertisement in Country Life, 24/10/1963 12 Historic stables described in 1935 sale particulars (see 7): "a substantial block of mellow brick with stone quoins

and slated roof; porchway inscribed Edmund Swetenham 1696". 13

Cheshire East Planning, application 07/0654/FUL 14

Cheshire East Planning, application 10/1273C 15 Cheshire East Planning, application 10/1274C 16 www.insidermedia.com South West News 26/01/2012 17

Cheshire East Planning: Application 15/5369C 18 Ormerod (see 1), p.560 19 Earl Grosvenor (Eaton Hall) in a letter of 1804, quoted from: Laurie, lan C. 1984. "Landscape Gardeners at Eaton

Park, Chester, Part 1", Garden History, vol. 12, No.1, p. 39-57 20 AHP (see 2), p.24 21 Details of the gardens in 1935 are given in Appended Information 22 1935 sale particulars (see 7) 23

ibid. £ 2.716 in 1935 = £ 100.437 in 2005. 24 Cheshire East Planning: Applications 10/1273C and 10/1274C

25 Cheshire East Planning, Planning Application of 26/11/2015: 15/5369C

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