Yesterday's weather was perfect. Friends came to visit and after a lunch of home made vegetable lasagne and raspberry cheesecake we set off to Ford Green Hall.
The hall was hosting an open day for the Old Nortonian Society, a local history society which promotes the interest of local and family history in the village and parish of Norton-in-the-Moors.
The society's wonderful collection of photographs were on display throughout the hall and there were some fascinating images as well as information about them and also interesting recollections to be overheard as we wandered around.
After a good look around the house and garden we had a leisurely walk around the lake at the nature reserve which is close by.
The hall, as always was a pleasure to walk around and there were lots of fascinating items to see. Photos below of the things that caught my eye. I took photos of quiet corners and smaller objects as there were quite a few people looking at the photo displays and I didn't want to intrude on them.
Ford Green Hall was built in 1624 for yeoman dairy farmer Hugh Ford, owner of 36 acres of land in the area. The family lived at the hall for over 200 years. After the Ford family left the Hall it was divided into three and later four cottages. The building was purchased by Stoke City Council in 1946 and opened as a museum in 1952. Following budget cutbacks in 2011 the hall was faced with closure but in 2014 its management was passed to Ford Green Hall Ltd a charitable organisation led by volunteers.
It looks to be a lovely place to visit and thank goodness that these local history societies etc, exist, in order to remind everyone of how we used to live. Glad that you had such a worthwhile visit. 😁
ReplyDeleteIt is a lovely place to visit and it was such a lovely day for it too. Having mostly worked in museums over the years I'm very appreciative of local and family history societies and the valuable work they do for their local area:)
DeleteA good spot to explore.
ReplyDeleteIt is always interesting:)
DeleteBeautiful blog
ReplyDeleteThank you:)
DeleteWhat a beautiful place, good job they were able to save it. There are some really interesting items inside, I particularly like the pottery. It looks the kind of property you could easily move into and feel at home. 😊
ReplyDeleteSo glad it was saved as so many old buildings are lost. The embroidery was lovely and the pottery too. I was drawn to photographing them:)
DeleteWhat an interesting Open Day Rosie at a lovely location. It looks as though there were loads of interesting things and photos on display. Its good to hear it was saved from closure too such a shame when cutbacks etc hit museums.
ReplyDeleteYour lunch sounds rather scrumptious too.
It was fascinating and I enjoyed the photos even though I'm not local to here. I'm so glad it was kept open as a museum,if closed it could have been sold off or been neglected. Paul made the lasagna, he makes the pasta too so the kitchen is chaos for a while:)
DeleteMy first husband was a Ford. I wonder if he was distantly related...but probably not! Such a lovely place to visit. And the meal sounds delicious. Lucky friends!
ReplyDeleteI always think of Mistress Ford from The Merry Wives of Windsor. It is a lovely place and I'm glad it is still there to visit. Old friends of over 50 years so it's always good to spend time together:)
DeleteWhat a wonderful way to spend a day. Delicious home cooked food and friends that share the same interests. I like your photos of quiet corners Rosie. i would have been drawn to them too. x
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely day. There were some super objects to see and take photos of, the herb garden outside was lovely too:)
DeleteLooks like an interesting place to visit. I just returned from a 2 wk tour of The UK, but didn't see this. I love touring old houses. Am always amazed that something that old is still around, things we build today certainly won't hold up that long. I'm happy to hear it was saved, losing history is always a sad situation.
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a wonderful time over here and saw lots of the old buildings you love:)
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