Trips & Adventures – 25 July 2019

Clayton Hall (the building) is a hidden gem. If you take the tram from Piccadilly Gardens heading towards Ashton, not far past the Etihad Stadium (Manchester City’s football ground), you will come to Clayton Hall (the tram stop).

Clayton Hall is a 15th-century manor house on Ashton New Road, in Clayton, Manchester, just two minutes away from the tram stop. It is hidden behind trees in a small park. You cannot miss it unless you blink at the wrong time.

The hall is a Grade II listed building, the mound on which it is built is a scheduled ancient monument, and a rare example of a medieval moated site.

We arrived about 12.00 noon and were ushered into the oak-beamed dining area. Although it was the hottest day of the year so far, we were greeted by a lovely log fire. We had pre-ordered food for ten people so fortunately our party was made up of exactly ten people.

We had a leisurely meal – the home made soup was delicious – and we filled up with sandwiches, cake, teas and coffees.

We split into two groups and toured round the various rooms. We were encouraged (and to be truthful, we don’t need much encouragement) to touch items, to open drawers and to try on items of clothing. In the washroom Ken tried on some bloomers and gave us a lesson in ironing. He also got us singing “Doing the Lambeth Walk” and “All The Nice Girls Love a Sailor” while we tried on various hats and waved our canes.

John was delighted to find a book about Belle Vue – “Showground of the World” remembering and celebrating the fun and heady days of Belle Vue Zoological Gardens.

The staff are all volunteers and they seemed to enjoy it as much as we did. After viewing rooms upstairs we were given a power point presentation about the history of the building which was fascinating.

We ended up with cold drinks, ices and a walk around the gardens before heading back to the city centre.

There are more photos here

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