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Heaton Hall

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MichaelJM
MichaelJM
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4 out of 5
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Heaton Hall

  • September 26, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by MichaelJM from Nottingham, England
Heaton Hall

Around 3 miles out of Manchester is the large parkland area called Heaton Hall. This estate was established in 1772 when James Wyatt designed Heaton Hall and its neighbouring Orangery for Sir Thomas Egerton. Although it was several decades later (in 1823) before the conservatory was finally added. The estate remained in the ownership of the same family until 1902 when it was bought by Manchester Corporation and almost immediately opened to the general public in September of that same year.

I took the metro link from Piccadilly and that was an interesting experience. Tickets have to be purchased on the station, in advance of your journey, and as a “virgin” traveller on the tram I did find it a little confusing. Once, however, I’d grasped the principle (select the destination, select the type of ticket and then feed the coin with the required fare) I realise what a meal I’d made of the whole transaction!

One of the entrances to the park is just across the road from the metro station and I later learnt that I was on the very edge of the City of Manchester – a two minute walk up the road would have put me into Bury.

The walk through the park can be real relaxing and there are numerous woodland walks winding through the grounds. At one point I saw a couple of guys walking two cows along the lanes before opening gates to one of the grazing fields in the park. There was a variety of cows in the field including highland cattle with their magnificent horned heads. Just along from the cattle was a group of donkeys and I can imagine how excited city children would be in visiting the park.

Close to Heaton Hall is the Western Pleasure Grounds, which in the 1800s was designed for the family as a peaceful haven for the family. There was an emphasis on colours and bright flowers abounded. Nowadays the gardens have been restored to its 18th Century appearance with gardens, ponds and two summerhouses and all the people of Greater Manchester can enjoy strolling around the site.

Also in the gardens you’ll find a 1770s Ha-Ha – a sunken wall built to stop the estate’s cattle from encroaching on the house’s formal lawns. More aesthetically pleasing is the Wyatt designed Temple – a design feature rather than a religious building - but believed to have been used by Egerton as an observatory. The 1800s Dower House is now occupied by the Manchester Bee Keepers and the Town Hall Colonnade was moved here from the front of the Town Hall in 1912.

The original tramway shelter (in use between 1905 and 1932) is still in place and the depot now houses the tramway Museum.

What surprised me was the uninterrupted view across open countryside to the distant city and the rolling hills that over looked the metropolitan town of Manchester – I’d always envisaged it as an urban sprawl. Clearly not the case!

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