Capernwray Hall

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Capernwray Hall is a 19th-century mansion set in 175 acres (708,000 m²) of parkland, just south of England's famous Lake District, and west of the Yorkshire Dales National Park in Carnforth, Lancashire. Capernwray Hall was built in the mid-1800s as a private home for the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire.

Capernwray Hall is the home of Capernwray Missionary Fellowship of Torchbearers (CMFOT), where they also run one of their worldwide Christian Conference Centres and bible schools.

[edit] History

Capernwray Hall was built as a stately home for George Marton who was Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire in the early part of the 19th century.

The architect was Edmund Sharpe, and in about 1820, he built Capernwray Hall for the Marton family of 5 and their 30 servants. The whole estate was much larger than just Capernwray Hall, comprising some 27 or so farms in the area, plus Borwick Hall just down the road.

During World War II, only one family member, Mrs. Marton, lived there alone, along with a few servants. Ripley St. Thomas School evacuated their pupils to Capernwray Hall from the centre of Lancaster, and the British Army used the park for storing petrol in 44 imperial gallon (200 L) drums. On September 11, 1946, the whole of the estate went under auction, Capernwray Hall being described as "...one medium-sized family residence".

Major Ian Thomas, having engaged in many evangelistic campaigns with men like Tom Rees and Alan Redpath before WWII, was currently with the British Army in Germany. He was looking for a place to provide both holiday recreation and evangelical Christian teaching. He sent a telegram to his wife, asking her to go and bid for Capernwray Hall at the auction. Being, as Mrs. Joan Thomas said, an obedient wife, she attended the auction with a friend of the family who would do the actual bidding. Somehow they managed to scrape together enough money to buy Capernwray Hall. It became the property of the Thomas family.

Since that time, the Hall has been well used. Many students and conference visitors from all walks of life and very many nations have attended Capernwray. It is thriving today with up to 2,000 guests and students per year.

[edit] References

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www.capernwray.org.uk