We often meet interesting visitors to our gardens at The Hall.  Each week brings new surprises, but there are few to surpass the story of Margaret, who visited The Hall this summer.  Margaret was very interested in The Hall and its history, for she was born here in December 1944.  It has often been presumed that The Hall’s use as a home for evacuee expectant mothers was in the early part of the Second World War, but Margaret’s story suggests that it was the latter part, whilst the V1 and V2 rockets flew and stalled over London, that the mothers were moved west out of danger.  Berryfield House in Bradford on Avon was the primary maternity hospital in the town, but Woolley Grange and The Hall were also used.

The Second World War was a particularly challenging time for The Hall.  Alice Moulton (John Moulton’s widow and Alex Moulton’s grandmother) died towards the end of 1941, in the deepest and darkest times of war.  The ownership, and the substantial responsibility of looking after the property fell to the three Moulton children – John, Dione and Alex – in equal measures.  Whilst the family solicitor advised that The Hall was a ‘white elephant’ and they would be best to sell, they decided that they should keep the property safe for the duration of the war before taking any decisions as to its future.  Nevertheless, the costs were prodigious. 

The Hall and the Estate had been run to Victorian standards right up until Alice Moulton’s death, and the costs of the staff and the rates on a furnished property were unviably high, especially considering that none of the three were in a position to live in the property.  Staff costs were reduced where possible, but the family felt a strong sense of responsibility towards these people who had served them so well for so many years.  The question of rates was solved by the difficult decision to auction the contents of the house almost in their entirety, and this sale took place in June 1944.

The family attempted to let The Hall to a suitable tenant, rather than to sell.  After an abortive let to a Dr. Leitch (this progressed as far as some furniture being moved in, before being terminated on information as to the financial position of the doctor). The Hall was requisitioned as a maternity hospital for expectant evacuee mothers, it is thought as a satellite site to Berryfield.  Prior to this (but after the auction of the contents), electricity finally arrived at The Hall as electric lighting was installed in October 1944.

Our visitor, Margaret, was born in December 1944.  Her mother, Lillie, was evacuated from Woolwich Road in the east end of London.  Lillie travelled with her mother, Amy, and they arrived in Bradford in deep snow.  The Hall offered the relative safety of the countryside, but little else; it was furnished economically and was undoubtedly cold.  Lillie stayed in Bradford with newborn Margaret until the end of December before returning to London.  Margaret’s father, James, visited The Hall to see his wife and meet his new daughter.  Such was the situation at the time he could find nowhere to stay and ended up sleeping in the porch of one of the pubs in the town.  Whilst we do not know exactly how The Hall looked in 1944, we do have some photographs from the summer of 1940, taken by Alex Moulton’s schoolfriend Andrew Fell.  The most noticeable difference from today is that the lower part of The Hall was covered with ivy.

Margaret visited The Hall with her son, daughter-in-law and two grandsons.  It was the first time she had been here since 1944.  

Our gardens are open most Fridays through the summer, and also on some Saturday afternoons. Please visit our Events Calendar to book your tickets – who knows who you might meet?

With many thanks to Margaret and her family for sharing her story with us.