| Hough End Hall | |
|---|---|
 Hough End Hall | |
  Location within Greater Manchester | |
| General information | |
| Type | Mansion |
| Architectural style | Elizabethan |
| Location | Nell Lane,Chorlton-cum-Hardy,Manchester, England |
| Coordinates | 53°26′10″N2°15′53″W / 53.436111°N 2.264722°W /53.436111; -2.264722 |
| Completed | 1596 |
| Designations | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Hough End Hall |
| Designated | 25 February 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1283002 |
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Hough End Hall is a historic house inChorlton-cum-Hardy (originally inWithington[1]), a suburban area ofManchester, England. It was built in 1596, during the reign ofQueen Elizabeth I, bySir Nicholas Mosley, when he became Lord of the Manor of Manchester and of the dependent Manor of Withington (Chorlton-cum-Hardy was at that time a township within the Manor of Withington). TheMosleys were an influentialMancunian family from the 16th century onwards and were prominent in the affairs of the Manchester district for two and a half centuries.
The house stands on Nell Lane, just north-east ofBarlow Moor Road. Behind it runs theMetrolink line toEast Didsbury andManchester Airport, and Chorlton Brook passes along its northern side (Mauldeth Road West runs past it on the south). It is a three-storey brick building withgabled wings ornamented with balls. The central portion of the house is surmounted by aparapet in the form of three smaller gables with similarfinials. The chimneys consist of square shafts set diagonally on square bases.
Over the years the house has been considerably altered, with new windows and structural modifications. The original oak, nail-studded back door is now inside the house, and a five-light window on the return of the staircase bay has been built up and can only be seen from within. The house has previously been used as a toolhouse, a blacksmith's shop and a farmhouse. By the 20th century the interior had been stripped of its original oak fittings; a handsome staircase at the east end of the house was removed by Lord Egerton toTatton Hall.[2]
In 1917 some of the lands of the Hough End estate lying to the north-east of the hall, and north of the Midland Railway line, were taken over by the War Department for use asAlexandra Park Aerodrome until its closure in 1924; the site is now used as a public recreational space.[3]
Today, Hough End Hall is surrounded by large concrete office blocks, partially hiding it from public view. It hasGrade II* listed building status.[4] Part of the former grounds of the Alexandra Park Aerodrome are now used for theGreater Manchester Police police horse and dog training centre, the Hough End Centre,Broughton Park RUFC's ground, and Hough End Playing Fields, including the site of the new swimming pool for Chorlton-cum-Hardy and Withington.
There was a fundraising campaign by The Friends of Hough End Hall to turn the building into a community centre.[3] In late 2015, a local group purchased the building and said it would be called Hough End Hall Academy, adding that it will be used for educational purposes.[5] It is now an academy and mosque.[6]
