Wollaton Hall (Nottingham)

United Kingdom / England / Beeston and Stapleford / Nottingham
 mansion / manor house / villa, tourist attraction, natural history museum

Wollaton Hall is a country house in Wollaton, Nottingham, England started in 1580 and completed in 1588 for Sir Francis Willoughby (1557-1596) by the Elizabethan architect, Robert Smythson (also the architect of Hardwick Hall). The building consists of a high central hall, surrounded by four towers. Unfortunately, Smythson's interior was destroyed by fire and remodelling was carried out by Sir Jeffry Wyattville in 1801.

The gallery of the main hall contains Nottinghamshire's oldest pipe organ, thought to date from the end of the seventeenth century, possibly by the builder Gerard Smith. It is still blown by hand.

Now owned by the Nottingham City Council, it currently houses Francis Willughby and John Ray's natural history collection of stuffed animals and birds. The house is now Nottingham Natural History Museum, with Nottingham Industrial Museum in the outbuildings. The surrounding parkland has a herd of deer, and is regularly used for large-scale outdoor events such as rock concerts, sporting events and festivals.

In 1855 Joseph Paxton designed a near replica of Wollaton Hall in Buckinghamshire, now known as Mentmore Towers.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   52°56'52"N   1°12'34"W

Comments

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This article was last modified 5 years ago