Little Moreton Hall
A moated Tudor manor house in Cheshire with leaning timber-framed walls, a long gallery, a knot garden and costumed guides.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Little Moreton Hall was built for the Moreton family in stages between about 1504 and 1610. The north range with the Great Hall came first, followed by the west service wing, the south range with its gatehouse, and a late kitchen and brew-house block. The Moretons grew wealthy through marriage, land purchases and the dissolution of the monasteries, but they supported the king in the Civil War and were left in financial difficulty. By the late 1670s they no longer lived in the hall and let it to tenant farmers.
The house is best known for its crooked look. The heavy stone roof over the long gallery on the top floor of the south range pushed down on the timber frame, so floors and walls lean at odd angles. The hall stands on an island in a moat that was probably dug in the 13th or 14th century. Engineers who studied the building in 1990 could hardly believe that it was still standing.
Elizabeth Moreton, a nun, inherited the empty house in 1892 and restored the chapel. In 1912 she left it to her cousin, Charles Abraham, Bishop of Derby, on condition that it was never sold. He opened it to visitors, and in 1938 he and his son gave it to the National Trust. Visitors see the Great Hall, parlour, chapel and long gallery, where many rooms are lightly furnished. A knot garden planted to a design of 1670 surrounds the house with herbs and vegetables that the Tudors would have used.
Highlights
- Leaning timber-framed Tudor house on a moated island
- Long gallery on the top floor of the south range
- Protective marks carved and burnt into the timbers
- Knot garden with Tudor herbs and vegetables
- Costumed Living History team on the ground floor
- Mrs Dale's Tea Room and the Little Tea Room
Permanent exhibition
- The Tudor house – The moated timber-framed hall with its Great Hall, chapel and long gallery, shown with costumed guides and protective marks carved into the timbers.
- Operated by
- National Trust
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £16 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | £8free up to age 4 · Child ticket for ages 5 to 17; under 5s are free. |
| Groups (15+ people) | £15.20 per personAdult group price for pre-booked groups of 15 or more; the child group price is £7.60. |
| Families | £40Two adults and up to three children. A ticket for one adult and two children costs £24.00. |
The prices are for the whole property without Gift Aid; with Gift Aid the adult ticket is £17.60. National Trust members enter free and should show their card at the Welcome Building.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Only the ground floor of the hall can be visited in a wheelchair; the upper floors are reached by steep spiral staircases, and a book of photographs and a visual guide of the upper floors are available. Powered mobility vehicles and motorised wheelchairs up to 0.5 metres wide can enter the hall, and wider ones can go as far as the Great Hall. The courtyard is cobbled and floors are uneven. Manual wheelchairs can be borrowed from the Welcome Building and at the hall. Blue Badge parking and an accessible toilet are near the Welcome Building. An induction loop, large print and Braille guides are available. Mrs Dale's Tea Room cannot be entered by powered mobility vehicles but the Little Tea Room can. Only assistance dogs may enter the hall, tea rooms and garden.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 4 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | £40 · Two adults and up to three children. A ticket for one adult and two children costs £24.00. |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Baby changing facilities
Free self-led spotter trails and guides run throughout the year, with extra activities in school holidays and a Christmas show in December. Baby changing is near the Welcome Building.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Kidsgrove station
The nearest railway station is Kidsgrove, 3 miles away; Congleton station is 4½ miles away. Infrequent buses (not on Sundays) run from Alsager to Congleton and pass close to Kidsgrove.
By car
Parking available
The car park, 100 yards from the hall, is for visitors to the hall only and has Blue Badge spaces.
- Accessible parking
The hall is on the east side of the A34. From the M6 junction 17 follow signs for Congleton and join the A34 southbound, then follow the brown signs. The what3words location of the car park is ///scanner.legwork.untrained. Walkers from the Macclesfield Canal leave at bridge 86.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
Mrs Dale's Tea Room has table service and a log-burning stove, and the Little Tea Room offers takeaway food for the garden. A pre-loved bookshop is in the Welcome Building. Toilets are near the Welcome Building and off the courtyard.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Costumed Living History guides on the ground floor and room guides upstairs answer questions. Group and self-led school visits are possible. Dogs other than assistance dogs are allowed only on the front lawn outside the moat, in the car park and on the path to the canal. |
