Historic Liverpool Dwellings - Croxteth Hall

Croxteth Hall in the 1820s

The ancestors of the Molyneux family arrived from France to England around 1100 bearing the name 'de Molines'. Robert de Moulins' son, William, settled in Lancashire where they were granted lands. They can be shown to have held a large moated manor with a private chapel, Sefton St.Helen Church, without interruption from about 1100 to 1700, being hereditary constables of Liverpool Castle, before moving to Croxteth Hall. The original house was built here in about 1575, then expanded with additional wings added in several stages in Tudor, Georgian, and Queen Ann styles. This transformed it over the centuries from an Elizabethan hunting lodge to the elegant building you see today.  The principal front, the west façade, was built in 1702 and during this period, a bakery and a brewery were built, though during the Victorian era these were demolished. Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their children stayed at Croxteth Hall on the 9th of October 1851 before visiting Liverpool the following day during torrential rain. However, the visit started fine with 700 members of the local gentry being entertained in the Hall grounds. In 1874 a wing was added for visitors to the hall to stay in which meant knocking down the bakery and brewery to build the front of the house. The Grade II-listed kennel building, with its distinctive red brick walls and patterned blue and green slate roof was designed by renowned Chester architect John Douglas in the 1800s. Also on the grounds is the magical Victorian Walled Garden, which houses a quintessential collection of old fruit trees and antique glasshouses. Hidden by its high walls, the 'secret garden' is a remarkably peaceful place. It was landscaped on the flood plain on the River Alt, and its fertile ground was renowned not just for growing the finest fruit and vegetables for the Earl's kitchen, but also as a home to a delightful array of colourful flowerbeds for the family to admire. The surrounding glasshouses are home to the Liverpool Botanical Collection, founded in 1803 by William Roscoe. The botanical garden is one of the oldest in the world, and still features a variety of exotic plants grown from the original collection.

The vast north range, designed by John MacVicar Anderson, was added in 1902-04 by the 5th Earl. The addition of this build closed the original courtyard and Croxteth Hall became a fully equipped Edwardian mansion. With about 230 rooms, together with storage rooms and attics, the Hall and its outbuilding are Grade II listed as are 3 of the outbuildings, with another 15 buildings on the estate also Grade II listed. In the rooms, ladies would paint water colours, do their letter writing and embroidery with Lady Getrude doing lathe turning and she was president for the Guild of Lathe Turners. Some examples of her work are on show, such as the candle holders. In the card rooms, there are lots of pictures on the walls of all the family ancestors. In the smoking room, the gentlemen would stay here after dinner and smoke cigars. In the breakfast room, they would discuss what they were doing for the rest of the day - whether that be letter writing, going to the walled garden or discuss going hunting.

The Molyneux family lived at the Hall from the 16th century until 1972, when the last Earl died. His American-born widow Josephine, Countess of Sefton, once a close friend of the Duchess of Windsor and nicknamed 'Foxy' for her abundant auburn hair, continued to spend some time at Croxteth. She became the last member of the Molyneux family to reside in the hall and in 1974 a large auction was held when the contents of the hall were sold, including lots of paintings and furniture, with Liverpool Museums buying a lot of the items. Following the death of the last Earl, there had been an extensive search for an heir to the title, but no successor was found. The estate was then divided up, with the Hall and some of the estate grounds now under the management of Liverpool City Council.

The beautiful staircase. Photo by Colin Lane

Croxteth Hall has been renowned for being haunted for many years, with experts believing it may be the ghost of the former resident, Hugh William Osbert Molyneux, the 7th Earl of Sefton, who died in 1972. One other theory claims that it is the infamous gambler, William Philip Molyneux, 2nd Earl of Sefton, who laid the foundation stone at Aintree racecourse in 1829. Local legend has it that William's ghost wanders the grounds and that he tends to appear around the time of the Grand National every year. Inside the building lurk several ghosts which include a young boy who stands by the fireplace in the dining room. A dark shadowy figure moves around the billiard room, and a gentleman, believed to be the 6th Earl of Sefton, walks through the tearoom. More recently people have started reporting the shocking sighting of a man in a hood, with many people describing his face as 'horrific'. He walks the corridors and seems to stop and look at people before turning away and disappearing into rooms closed to visitors! Footsteps are heard, and cupboard doors open and slam shut of their own accord.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2022/05/historic-liverpool-dwellings-childwall.html