Wednesday 12 August 2015

Capesthorne Hall and Gawsworth

Two historic houses near Macclesfield  in Cheshire proved to be another successful visit last August. We started  at Capesthorne Hall, an 18th century mansion originally designed by Smith of Warwick and set in beautiful grounds, where we had a very interesting and informative tour of the house followed by lunch. We then moved on to Gawsworth Hall, the  Tudor-built home of Mr and Mrs  Richards, who told us about the history of the house and showed us the beautiful little family  chapel with its  windows made  by William Morris. Once again the sun shone and there was time to visit the gardens and tea room.

Both of these privately owned houses showed us how the families had managed to keep and maintain the historic aspects of their homes in the present and also to take on new commercial activities to assist in the upkeep.