The Hall

The Hall was built around 1610 for John Hall, a wealthy mill owner, and is at the east end of the town. The Hall family of Bradford can be traced back to at least the 13th century, under the name of "De Aulâ" or "De la Sale" (salle being French for hall). John Hall's grandson, also named John Hall, had no legitimate children and left his estate to his great-niece Rachel Baynton. She later married William Pierrepont, who became Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull, giving the house its alternate names. After the second Duke died without issue, the house was sold to Thomas Divett, in 1802, who established a woollen mill, and sublet the house, which fell into disrepair. In 1848, the house was sold to…

The Hall, in particular the south front, is notable for having "more glass than wall". The architect is not known. Similarities of style to Longleat, not far away and built about 30 years earlier, have led to suggestions that Robert Smythson may have been involved in the design. The building sits high on a terrace. The south front has three projecting bays of two stories, with gables above. The outer two bays are wider than the central one, and have semi-circular projections. Open rings above the bays form a kind of balustrade. The terrace has a balustrade with a central staircase, leading to the main doorway of the house, which has a round arch, flanking Tuscan columns, and scroll-work…

After the death in 2012 of Alex Moulton, great-grandson of Stephen Moulton, under the terms of his will the house – along with investments, land, outbuildings and cottages – was gifted to a charitable trust. In 2020 the trust was reorganised as a charitable incorporated organisation, the Alex Moulton Charitable Trust, which continues to preserve and maintain the Hall and its collections, and promote engineering and design.