Chelmsford & District National Trust Supporter Group

Report by Keith Otter

Mannington Hall is not owned by the National Trust. Originally built in 1460, but changed extensively since by various owners, it was bought in the eighteenth century by Horatio Walpole, the brother of Robert Walpole. It is still owned by the same family.

En route we stopped at Thornham Walks, so that those who wished could grab some refreshments and/or make use of the intriguing “green latrines”.

On the way to Mannington Hall our coach driver, Tim, had to negotiate his way along some rather narrow roads. He had to wait more than once while cars backed to let us pass. On one occasion he had to back the coach to let a tractor with a trailer get past.

We arrived at Mannington Hall at 1 pm. We were welcomed by the Hon Henry Walpole. We then divided into two groups, depending on whether we wanted to eat before visiting the Hall itself or vice versa. Fortunately the two groups were more or less equal in size. Pat and I opted to eat first. Most of us had pre-ordered.

We finished our lunches before the other group had finished their tour of the house. Once they had finished it was our turn. Both groups were shown around the Hall by Lady Laura Walpole, who assured us she did not mind showing the two groups around without a break between even though the tours each took an hour or more.

She started by showing us some of the interesting features on the outside of the building, including traces of a large window from the house’s early days. It has been extended a number of times and new windows fitted. In some cases the builders had painted the stone surrounds of the new windows to match the terracotta of the originals. Apparently the various Latin inscriptions on the front of the building were somewhat disparaging of women!

The hall and some of the ground floor rooms are panelled. There are many family portraits and interesting furniture, including four chairs used at the coronation of George V, which are still in very good condition. Lady Walpole showed us the turret room, which is now a small library. In response to a question, she told us she had considered using it as a study but preferred more light.

We then went up to the first floor landing, with an exposed beam dating from the original building and artefacts in display cabinets.

After our tour of the building, Pat and I looked around some of the beautifully maintained gardens, including the rose garden, a wildflower garden and the sensory garden. The scented garden was closed to visitors because of nesting birds. We were sorry we could not spend longer there before getting back on the coach for the journey home.