Bradlegh Old Hall moated site and fishpond

Overview

Location

Reasons for Designation

Around 6,000 moated sites are known in England. They consist of wide ditches, often or seasonally water-filled, partly or completely enclosing one or more islands of dry ground on which stood domestic or religious buildings. In some cases the islands were used for horticulture. The majority of moated sites served as prestigious aristocratic and seigneurial residences with the provision of a moat intended as a status symbol rather than a practical military defence. The peak period during which moated sites were built was between about 1250 and 1350 and by far the greatest concentration lies in central and eastern parts of England. However, moated sites were built throughout the medieval period, are widely scattered throughout England and exhibit a high level of diversity in their forms and sizes. They form a significant class of medieval monument and are important for the understanding of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside. Many examples provide conditions favourable to the survival of organic remains.

The monument is a well preserved example of the site of a late medieval moated manor house. The monument retains its original 15th century gateway and considerable evidence of the original Bradlegh Old Hall will survive beneath the present house and gardens. Additionally the waterlogged moat and fishpond will preserve organic material.

Details

The monument is the moated site of Bradlegh Old Hall and its fishpond. The site includes a rectangular island c.58m x 52m upon which stands Bradlegh Old Hall and its outbuildings, a 15th century sandstone gatehouse through which the driveway passes to the Hall, and well tended lawns and shrubs. Surrounding the island is a waterlogged moat averaging c.12-14m wide x 1.4m deep. Water feeds into the W arm via a pipe and exits by an outlet pipe in the E arm. Along the W half of the N arm the outer scarp has been given a shallower batter to measure c.25m across at this point. Access to the island is across the N arm via a modern causeway leading to the gatehouse that replaced an earlier stone bridge. A short distance to the W of the moat is a narrow L- shaped fishpond - its N arm measuring c.60m long x 8m wide, and its W arm measuring c.30m long x 8m wide before opening out at its S end into a sub- rectangular dry hollow c.20m x 14m x 1.5m deep. Bradlegh Old Hall was originally a 15th century moated manor house of which only the gatehouse and moat remain. The present building is late 16th century incorporating earlier features. The hall and gatehouse are both Listed Buildings Grade II. Bradlegh Old Hall, its outbuildings and service pipes; the gatehouse, driveway and sandstone flanking walls the modern causeway; the moat inlet and outlet pipes; an oil storage tank, all fences, flagged areas, and an ornate timber feature on the E lawn, are all excluded from the scheduling. The ground beneath all these features, however, is included. The monument includes two separate protected areas.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

13479

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Farrer, , Brownbill, , The Victoria History of the County of Lancashire, (1907)
Farrer, J, Brownbill, W (eds), The Victoria History of the County of Lancashire: Volume II, (1908)
Other
Darvill, T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Moats, (1988)
Dennison, E., MPP Single Monument Class Descriptions - Fishponds, (1988)
DOE, List of Buildings of Historic & Architectural Interest,
DOE, List of Buildings of Historic & Architectural Interest,
Owen (Site Owner), To Robinson, K.D. MPPFW, (1990)
Ref No. 559/1/2, Cheshire SMR, Bradlegh Old Hall, (1988)

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.