Ford Green Hall

About the museum

Ford Green Hall is a Jacobean farmhouse built in 1624 for the yeoman farmer Hugh Ford and his family. It stood on a farm of about 36 acres, and the Fords lived and worked there for nearly two centuries, keeping dairy cattle, brewing ale, spinning cloth and growing herbs for medicine and cooking. The house was built just after the Tudor period, when prosperous farming families were gaining status and comfort in the countryside.

Its English oak frame, decorative lozenge panels and steep gables are typical of the age, and inside there are oak beams, stone floors and hand-carved furniture. The kitchen hearth, the stillroom with its dried herbs and the great chamber show the daily life of a farming family in 1624, with characters such as the Ford family and a local surgeon. A small period garden lies beside the house.

The hall was rescued from decline in the 20th century and is now cared for by the Ford Green Hall Museum Trust, which runs it as a Staffordshire heritage museum. It is Grade II* listed. Alongside the rooms, the hall offers hands-on activities for all ages, school sessions with costumed interpreters, a Georgian-style tea room, seasonal events and a venue for weddings and civil ceremonies.

Highlights

• Jacobean farmhouse of 1624 with oak timber frame and lozenge panels
• Kitchen hearth, stillroom and great chamber
• Small period garden
• Hands-on activities and school sessions with costumed interpreters
• Tea room serving non-visitors as well

Permanent exhibition

• Jacobean farmhouse rooms – The kitchen, stillroom, great chamber and other rooms furnished to show daily life in a farming household in 1624, with a small period garden.

Operated by

Ford Green Hall Museum Trust

Admission & discounts

The shop and tea room are open to people who are not visiting the museum.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The Hall is a 17th-century timber-framed farmhouse. Doorways are wide enough for manual wheelchairs and there is an accessible toilet near reception with a baby changing unit. There is no lift, so the upper floor is reached by a Jacobean staircase with two short carpeted flights and a low handrail; a video tour of the house plays on a loop in the exhibition room for those who cannot go upstairs. There are two entrances: the rear gate has steps over the flood defences and then a gentle path to the reception and tea room, and the front entrance has a short flight of steps, with a step-free route round to the rear. Some rooms are dimly lit. Guided visits and extra commentary can be provided for blind and visually impaired visitors on request. Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the Hall and garden. The garden can be reached without steps, although steps with handrails lead up to the viewing mound and most paths are gently sloping gravel.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities

The Hall offers hands-on activities for all ages, seasonal celebrations and school workshops. Under-5s are free and children aged 5 to 16 pay £3. The accessible toilet has a baby changing unit.

Getting there & parking

The Hall is on Ford Green Road (B5051) between Norton and Smallthorne, next to Whitfield Valley nature reserve and a short distance from the National Cycling Network.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Jacobean tea room serves hot and cold drinks, cakes and pre-packed snacks, and it can be visited without a museum ticket. Group catering such as afternoon teas and light lunches must be booked in advance. There is a shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Weddings / ceremonies

The furnished Hall and its gardens can be hired for weddings, civil ceremonies and other celebrations; a wedding pack is available on the website.

Plan your visit