Hough Hall, Moston

 Originally taken in 2019...

The structure of the Hough Hall is thought to date back to the Elizabethan period, if not slightly earlier. The external chimney stack on Hough Hall Road façade of the property is a common feature in houses of this era. The timber-framed building does not conform to a usual plan or layout for domestic properties of this period, and it also has no date stone or dated beams or drainpipes. Therefore, it is a rare surviving example of a house which was added to in a piecemeal fashion. The hall was extended in the late-nineteenth century and altered internally to include a Jacobean-style staircase and panelling. 

The Early Hall

Hough Hall was occupied by the Halgh family (their surname also sometimes spent Hough) and it is important to distinguish Hough Hall in Moston from Hough End Hall in Chorlton-cum-Hardy.

During the early-sixteenth century, Hough Hall was occupied by George Halgh and his wife Ann (née Consterdine). Unfortunately, the marriage was not a happy one, and Ann had a long-standing affair with Sir John Byron of Clayton Hall. Ann and Byron were even openly-living together at one point even though she was still married and after George’s death, they eventually married, suggesting this really was a romance. Whilst her first husband was still very much alive; the affair produced a son and a daughter. The daughter, Ann Halgh, bore George’s surname but was officially recognised by Byron as his heir. This, Ann, married Cuthbert Schofield, who in 1561 filed a divorce at the Bishop’s Court in Chester on the account of his wife’s adulterous behaviour with a gentleman named Michael Goodricke (they later ran away to Ireland together).

Captain Robert Halgh was the last in the line of the Halgh family to own the hall. As he supported the King during the English Civil War (1642-1651) he was ordered to sequester his estate during the Parliamentarian years to secure his future freedom.Halgh died around 1685 but it seems he did not leave Hough Hall. A ghost story was recounted centuries later that Captain Halgh still roamed his former home and the estate with his phantom dogs. It was noted; ‘many a Moston man has spent the night at a neighbouring inn rather than pass the hall late at night‘. Or certainly this is the story they told their wives the next morning! 

source...https://ifthosewallscouldtalk.wordpress.com/2020/10/20/hidden-histories-hough-hall-moston-manchester/

Historic Moston Manor House Faces New Planning Application After Partial Demolition in 2021

In 2021, part of the historic Moston Manor House in Manchester was demolished after being classified as a public safety risk. Key structural elements, including sections of the gable end and the chimney stack, were removed due to concerns over the building’s stability.

This iconic 500-year-old building, a landmark in the Moston area, had stood for centuries before structural degradation forced local authorities to take action. The decision to demolish parts of the manor was made to protect the public from potential hazards.

Now, a fresh planning application has been submitted to Manchester City Council, sparking renewed interest in the future of this heritage site. The proposal may pave the way for restoration or redevelopment efforts that could preserve what remains of the manor's rich history.

Revisit to Hough Hall, April 2025