Braunstone Hall And Gardens (Leicester)

 house, public garden, historic landmark

The Winstanleys had the Braunstone House built in 1776, now called Braunstone Hall.
James Winstanley purchased the estate from the Hastings family in 1650. He paid £6,000. The Winstanleys were Lords of the Manor of Braunstone for nearly 300 years and were responsible for building most of the structures which can be seen in Braunstone Park today.

Braunstone Hall was built by James Oldham, who was later to become Mayor of Leicester. There is a rainwater head dated 1776. During the building work, a stonemason and a labourer fell to their deaths from the attic storey. This may have given risen to the stories of the Hall being haunted. The garden part was used to grow fruit trees and contained several hot houses. It is now the walled Garden. There was also a small home farm which provided food for the hall. After the Winstanleys left the hall in 1926 it was converted for use as a school.