| Wallsworth Hall | |
|---|---|
 Wallsworth Hall | |
| Location | Sandhurst, Gloucestershire, England |
| Coordinates | 51°54′20.63″N 02°13′57.46″W / 51.9057306°N 2.2326278°W |
  Location in Gloucestershire | |
Wallsworth Hall is a stately home in the parish of Sandhurst, Gloucester, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
The hall was featured in Simon Jenkins (2004) book 'England's 1000 Best Houses'.[2] The hall was built on the site of a timbered house from the Tudor period soon after 1740 by Samuel Hayward, as a wedding present for his wife, Catherine.
The oldest part of the building faces up towards the side garden and the main front was added a little later. The building still has many of its original features, including the magnificent staircase, which is thought to have been installed in 1753. In 1865 a top floor, new roof, two extensions and the off-centre clock tower were added which updated the building dramatically. In 1903 the whole estate covering 655 acres (2.65 km2) including land, houses and farms was split up and offered for sale. It was purchased at auction and many improvements were made, after 1943 all properties were put on the market including household items, fixtures and fine pieces of furniture were sold. The Hall was then used as a residential nursery and a training centre for nursery nurses.
After 1953 the house spent much of its time empty until in 1987 the building was purchased by the Nature in Art trust,[3] a registered charity,[4] which spent 12 months renovating the building and now operates it as an art gallery.
- ^ Historic England. "Wallsworth Hall (Grade II*) (1340310)". National Heritage List for England.
- ^ Jenkins, S. (2004)"England's 1000 Best Houses". 2nd edn.London:Penguin Books
- ^ "Nature in Art - The Building". Nature in Art Trust. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ "Nature in Art Trust, registered charity no. 1000553". Charity Commission for England and Wales.