A country seat with a prodigious history
Historic Brereton Hall in Brereton, Cheshire is a fine Elizabethan country house but one that has been sadly separated from much of its original estate.
A vast 27,000 square foot in size and including 4 “fine” reception rooms, 12 bedrooms and 10 bath and shower rooms, this Grade I listed hall stands in 116.68 acres. The hall’s foundation stone was allegedly laid by Queen Elizabeth I during the ownership of Sir William Brereton (1550 – 1631) in 1586 and thus Brereton became a “Prodigy house”. After passing through the ownership of the Bracebridge family, it was purchased and then substantially altered by a Manchester industrialist named John Howard in 1817.
Two stories to keep beside you
The House of Hurt
Derbyshire-Staffordshire border Georgian country house that has been in the same family since 1480 for sale for £3.25 million
The Thin House
Studio for sale in weirdest building in South Kensington
Howard made changes to the exterior and interior in the Regency style in 1829 and further additions were made to Brereton Hall in the 19th century. The building was subsequently used as a school in the 20th century and then was variously the home of a popstar and a computer games tycoon named Andy Wood.
Wood sold up in 2002 after deciding that “life in a country pile… isn’t all it is cracked up to be” and marketed Brereton Hall at a price of £2.25 million. The current “businessman” owner paid him some £2 million according to the Manchester Evening News for the hall and 10 acres. He then acquired another 100 acres as part of an effort to restore the estate but sadly its gatehouses, coach house and other properties are still separately owned.
Jackson-Stops & Staff seek a not insubstantial figure of £6.5 million for what they describe as a “compact estate”.
Subscribe to our free once daily email newsletter here:[contact-form-7 id=”225″ title=”Contact form 1″]
Readers have their say
1 comment
The Brereton family were one of the most important of the Cheshire ‘gentry families’. Others were Delves Broughton, Davenport, Grosvenor, Cholmondeley, Stanley, Egerton, Bromley Davenport and Downes.
They all intermarried with abandon in order to consolidate their power. The Downes seat, Shrigley is now a rather horrid hotel