Building Name

Bramall Hall, Bramhall

Street
Hall Road
District/Town
Bramhall, Stockport
County/Country
GMCA, England
Client
Charles Nevill
Work
Restoration, Modernisation
Listed
Grade I

Bramall Hall is one of the best places to get a sense of the art and craftsmanship of Faulkner Armitage’s work and Stockport Council, the owner of the Hall, have specifically highlighted his work alongside all the other treasures of the house. G F Armitage worked on the house 1883-7, 1891 and possibly later.

Bramall Hall is an excellent example of a courtyard black and white timbered mansion house, a style much loved by Armitage. Although the site is mentioned in Domesday Book much of the present building dates from the 16th century and was home to the Davenport family for 500 years. In the mid-19th century the Davenport family sold a considerable portion of the wider estate to developers for building who retained the hall itself and a much-reduced park of 49 acres. However, the developers unsuccessfully attempted to let the hall to tenants and it remained empty and neglected. Water damage from leaking roofs caused some of the timbers to rot and parts of the building were on the verge of collapse by the time of its eventual sale in 1882. The new owner was Thomas Henry Nevill who gave it to his son Charles as a wedding present. Both Charles and his father were calico printers, owning the Strines Printing Works near Marple, Cheshire. Charles Nevill restored the house with both respect for its antiquity and the desire to make it a modern home for himself and his wife, Mary Jane Booth. It is not known precisely how Armitage came to be commissioned for the work at Bramall but the choice proved to be a good one. Although some early 19th century work was demolished or replaced, neither Nevill nor Armitage wanted to destroy any part of the fabric of the old building. Even where Nevill wanted new fittings, e.g. panelling, this was laid over the original surface, thus in a sense preserving it. In what is now known as the Neville Room, Armitage designed and constructed an enormous fireplace, but even this was not actually built into the fabric of the building, and could, in theory, be removed. Where old timber could not be repaired, Armitage incorporated oak to match the original timber and also used adzed panelling rather than machine cut. Armitage probably started the work in 1883 when Nevill moved into the hall as the latter was keen to oversee everything himself. After a survey, the initial work included putting unobtrusive skylights in the roof in places where they would not be seen from a distance but would provide light and access to the roof. The foundations were also strengthened with concrete and new underfloor heating installed. The external work on the Hall is not always easy to identify but perhaps the most significant is the introduction of gables on the courtyard side, especially the five small ones surmounting the bay window which are remarkably similar to those at Little Moreton Hall. This will be no coincidence. Not only did Armitage have a love and knowledge of the black and white timber framed buildings of Lancashire and Cheshire, but it is also thought that some of the original window glass at both halls was executed by the same craftsmen. Internally, Armitage altered the cage newel staircase leading from the Great Hall to the drawing room above by cutting out the centre and inserting fluted columns. On one of the brackets at the foot of the stairs was carved ‘This staircase was rebuilt AD1887’ and on the other, the initials CNM for Charles and Mary Nevill.

Away from the main rooms extensive work was done on the servants’ quarters and guest accommodation. Significant alteration was made to the North East wing to provide adequate servant accommodation including the addition of a small second floor extension. Similarly, cloakrooms were added throughout the hall for the convenience of both family and guests. These, along with associated service passages were given dado panelling and opaque glass as required. Bramall was quite an early commission for Armitage and the internal design work, especially the metalwork, is flamboyant. The size of the rooms in Bramall allowed him to work on a large scale without the work being obtrusive. The door furniture and light fittings are all individually designed but certain touches in the designs, e.g. scrolls of metal, unify the design. Charles Nevill had installed electricity as soon as it was possible to do so, and the metalwork on the stairs includes four different styles of light fitting, some for gas and some for electricity, which may suggest that Armitage worked on the house over an extended period of time. Armitage himself had been using electricity in his designs from as early as 1883 and was a keen exponent of this new form of lighting.

In 2016, Bramall Hall reopened after a £1.6m renovation project, mainly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, but also the Friends of Bramall Hall. The latter chose to fund the recreation of the informal dining room which Armitage had designed for the Nevills. The colour scheme for this room was largely based on a fragment of original wallpaper which still survives and original Armitage furniture was purchased to give an idea of what an Armitage room would have looked like and as such is an excellent introduction to his work. [Gill Fitzpatrick 2019]

Reference    Burton, Alfred Manuscripts relating to Bramall Hall in 3 volumes. C1883. Stockport Borough Council
Reference    Cabinet Maker and Art Furnisher 1st December 1884
Reference    Donald Insall Associates Ltd. Bramall Hall Conservation Management Plan. September 2010.