Ingestre Hall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ingestre Hall is a 17th century Jacobean mansion situated at Ingestre, near Stafford, Staffordshire which is now in use as a Residential Arts and Conference Centre. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Ingestre is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The manor was owned by the Mutton family in ancient times but was acquired by the Chetwynd family (whose later descendants became Barons Talbot) as a result of the marriage in the 13th century of the Ingestre heiress to Sir John Chetwynd.

The imposing mansion was built in red brick, on the site of an earlier manor house, in 1613 for Sir Walter Chetwynd, (High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1607). A later Walter Chetwynd his grandson, was created Viscount Chetwynd in 1717. The daughter and heiress of the 2nd Viscount married Hon. John Talbot in 1748 and their son John Chetwynd-Talbot (who was later 3rd Baron Talbot, and from 1784 Viscount Ingestre and Earl Talbot) inherited the Ingestre estate.

The house was badly damaged by fire and was largely rebuilt in the early 1800s by achitect John Nash for the 2nd Earl. In 1856 the 3rd Earl and 3rd Viscount Ingestre, Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot succeeded a distant cousin to become the 18th Earl of Shrewsbury.

The Ingestre estate of 1100 acres was broken up in 1960 when sold off by the 21st Earl. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council purchased the Hall in 27 acres, and has since operated a Residential Arts Centre from the site.