Rode Hall

About the museum

The Rode estate in east Cheshire has belonged to the Wilbraham family since 1669, when it was bought for Randle Wilbraham, the younger son of Roger Wilbraham. The family traces its line back to a sheriff of Cheshire in the thirteenth century. The first manor house was probably half-timbered, and it was replaced by a brick house completed in 1708.

A larger house was then built beside the brick hall and was altered by each generation to suit its needs and taste. The result is often described as two houses in one: a west-facing house of 1705–1707 and a larger Georgian house completed in 1752. In the early nineteenth century Randle Wilbraham III had Regency changes made with the Liverpool architect John Hope. In 1927 Darcy Braddell removed Hope’s stucco to show the red Cheshire brick and added an Ionic portico.

The estate passed in the male line until 1900, when Katherine, an only child, inherited it. Her husband George Baker took the name Wilbraham, and the family still lives at Rode. In the 1980s the family decided to open the house to visitors, and urgent restoration after a serious outbreak of dry rot, supported by English Heritage, was finished in 1987. The house is known for family portraits, Gillow furniture and English porcelain and pottery, and its gardens have been restored to their nineteenth-century character.

Highlights

• Collection of English porcelain and pottery
• Gillow furniture and family portraits
• House of two periods with a Grecian portico
• Grade II listed park with Rode Pool and Stew Pond
• Italian Garden, rose gardens and five-acre Wild Garden
• Annual snowdrop walks in February

Permanent exhibition

• The Hall and its collections – Rooms of the two-period house with English porcelain and pottery, Gillow furniture and family portraits, shown on guided tours.

Operated by

Baker Wilbraham family

Admission & discounts

Prices apply in the summer season (house and gardens). Tickets can be booked online or bought at the Courtyard Kitchen on arrival. RHS members enter the gardens free and Historic Houses members enter free, except on special events such as the Bluebell Walks and the Specialist Plant Fair; show the membership card on arrival.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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

Disabled parking is available outside the Hall. Some paths are steep and covered with bark, so they are not suitable for wheelchairs; mobility scooters and buggies with larger wheels may manage the terrain. Visitors are advised to telephone ahead for details. Well-behaved dogs on short leads are welcome.

Kids & families

Children must be supervised near the pool because of the water. The farmers’ market is described as suitable for the whole family.

Getting there & parking

The estate is reached mainly via the A34 and signposted turnings in Scholar Green or Rode Heath. Directions from Congleton, Sandbach, Stoke and Manchester and a downloadable map are on the website.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available

The Courtyard Kitchen (Rode Tea Room) serves homemade cakes, cream teas and hot and cold drinks on opening days.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit