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Little Moreton Hall, Congleton added to National Trust in North West by D0c.Col on 05/10/2023

LITLE MORETON HALL
Little Moreton Hall first appears in the historical record in 1271, but the present building dates from the early 16th century with the earliest parts of the house built for the prosperous Cheshire landowner William Moreton around 1504. The remainder was constructed in stages by subsequent generations of the family until about 1610 making the building highly irregular, with three asymmetrical structures forming a small, rectangular cobbled courtyard.

The house remained in the possession of the Moreton family for almost 450 years, until ownership was transferred to the National Trust in 1938. Little Moreton Hall and its sandstone bridge that spans the moat, are Grade I listed and the grounds on which Little Moreton Hall stands is protected as a Scheduled Monument.

The Dissolution of the Monasteries in the mid-16th century provided further opportunities for the Moretons to add to their estate, and by the early years of Elizabeth I's reign, William Moreton II owned an area of 1,360 acres containing a cornmill, orchards, gardens, and an iron bloomery with water-powered hammers, all then valued around £24 pounds.

In 1546 William Moreton's son, also called William, replaced the original west wing with a new range, housing service rooms on the ground floor as well as a porch, gallery, and three interconnected rooms on the first floor, one of which had access to a garderobe or privvy. In 1559 William had a new floor inserted at gallery level in the Great Hall, and added the two large bay windows looking onto the courtyard, built so close to each other that their roofs abut one another. The south wing was added around 1560 by William Moreton II's son, John. It includes the Gatehouse and a third storey containing the 21m Long Gallery. A small kitchen and Brew-house block was added to the south wing in about 1610 and was the last major extension to the house.

The fortunes of the Moreton family declined during the English Civil War. As supporters of the Royalist cause, they found themselves isolated in a neighbourhood of Parliamentarians. Little Moreton Hall was requisitioned by the Parliamentarians in 1643 and used as soldiers quarters. The family successfully petitioned for its restitution, and survived the Civil War but at a huge financial loss. Their attempts to sell the full estate, failed and only several parcels of land were sold. William Moreton died in 1654 leaving debts of £3,000–£4,000, the equivalent to approximately £14 million today. The family's fortunes never fully recovered, and by the late 1670s they no longer lived in Little Moreton Hall, renting it out instead to a series of tenant farmers. The Dale family took over the tenancy in 1841, and were still in residence more than 100 years later. By 1847 most of the house was unoccupied, and the deconsecrated Chapel was being used as a coal cellar and storeroom. Little Moreton Hall was in a ruinous condition; its windows were boarded up and its roof was rotten.

In 1912, Elizabeth bequeathed the house to a cousin, Charles Abraham the Bishop of Derby, stipulating that it must never be sold. Abraham opened up Little Moreton Hall to visitors, and guided tours were conducted by the Dales.

Abraham transferred ownership to the National Trust in 1938. The Dale family continued to farm the estate until 1945, and acted as caretakers for the National Trust until 1955.

The house stands on an island surrounded by a 10 m wide moat, which was dug between the 13th or 14th century to enclose an earlier building on the site. There is no evidence that the moat served any defensive purpose, and as with many other moated sites, it was probably intended as a status symbol. Running the entire length of the south range the Long Gallery is roofed with heavy gritstone slabs, the weight of which has caused the supporting floors below to bow and buckle. The crossbeams between the arch-braced roof trusses were probably added in the 17th century to prevent the structure from "bursting apart" under the load.

The TOAL was from a grass verge directly outside of the NT boundary on the A34. I parked in the Little Moreton Hall carpark without any issue as I'm a member. It is probably the easiest NT property to film as its a compact small site. The South Cheshire Way runs directly in front of the hall and carry's on through a farm field but I didn't fly from there as the tall trees would prevent VLOS and interfere with the signal.

View and discuss this location in more detail on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 53.12561, -2.254015 • what3words: ///stepping.variously.breeding

The originator declared that this location was not inside a Flight Restriction Zone at the time of being flown on 16/09/2023. It remains the responsibility of any pilot to check for any changes before flying at the same location. Landowner permission may be required before taking off.

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Birleys Sports Field, Canterbury (By grandad1950)

A large sports field with extensive facilities and a lovely old church hidden in the trees

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.29087, 1.083089 • what3words: ///fever.truth.badly

Middle Falls, Craven (By markas)

Not many people have heard of this waterfall compared to the more well-known waterfalls in Yorkshire, and you won’t see many photos of it as it’s a little off the beaten track in Upper Warfdale, however its quite near a roadside parking spot, and can actually be seen on the drive, but few actually park up and walk right up to the waterfall.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 54.21232, -2.084683 • what3words: ///reassured.willpower.skimmers

Swanbourne Lake, Arun (By winglider)

Beautiful part of the countryside very close to Arundel. A beautiful park and lake that is open to the public. Parking is very limited in the summer when it gets very busy. There is a tea room and toilets at the entrance.
Unfortunatly they did not want me to TOAL on their property so found a spot by the road.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 50.86196, -0.556248 • what3words: ///rinses.sketch.prospered

Porthcawl - Sandy bay and Trecco Bay Look Out Tower, Bridgend (By stubbyd)

Lovely open beach and area that I can't believe I haven't previously added.

At this hour it is generally empty, but with the introduction of one of two beach front saunas it has become popular with the early morning "sea dippers" (don't know if there's an official term for what these nutters do).

Also included a shot of the old Coney beach fun fair which is slowly being dismantled [thankfully]. This is meant to be replaced by a development of houses, shops, etc.

There is a large choice of parking, but the closest and easiest is the car park of the Hi Tide Inn, the same Inn that hosts the annual Elvis festival, and is literally right on the edge of Sandy Bay itself.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.47858, -3.693852 • what3words: ///schematic.abruptly.studio

Cliffe Castle, Bradford (By Rick2522)

Cliffe Castle is a beautifully restored Victorian mansion and museum set within large landscaped parkland on the western edge of Keighley, West Yorkshire. The grounds include wide open lawns, ornamental gardens, glasshouses, fountains, and long tree-lined paths — all surrounded by gently rolling hills and views across the Aire Valley.

For drone flying, it offers a great mix of architectural detail, open space, and scenic landscape, ideal for both cinematic and aerial photography.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 53.87495, -1.913091 • what3words: ///plank.united.remove

Sturry Road Community Park, Canterbury (By grandad1950)

A fairly wild community open space near canterbury with lots of room to fly

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.29203, 1.110955 • what3words: ///dolly.cabin.photo

Hall Garth Park, Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire (By CutThroatJake)

Hall Garth Park in Hornsea is a large green space that offers locals and visitors a beautiful place to relax. Just a short walk from Hornsea's town centre, this well-maintained park features lush lawns, mature trees, and flower beds. It’s the perfect place for a leisurely stroll or picnic.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 53.91265, -0.169516 • what3words: ///detection.petulant.variously

Lower Town, Fishguard, Pembrokeshire (By stubbyd)

Nestled along the rugged Pembrokeshire coastline, Lower Town Harbour offers a tranquil glimpse into Wales’ maritime past.

This charming tidal harbour is surrounded by colourful cottages [reminds me of Ballamory], fishing boats, and rolling green hills that meet the sea. At low tide, the boats rest gently on the mudflats, revealing the textures and tones and along with the wooded hills and the open bay then I think it offers a lot for photography enthusiasts be they land or air based.

Lower Town has free parking - I didn't check for how long but more than enough for a drone flight or two.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.99573, -4.969473 • what3words: ///prevented.glass.countries

Ruperra Castle, Caerphilly (By pete-the-geek)

This is a stunning Grade 2 listed building. It is unfortunately privately owned and you are not permitted to TOAL nearby. It has been devastated by fire and is in a state of disrepair.

The whole surrounding area is managed by the Ruperra Conservation Trust. On the top of the hill to the North, is a historic Hill Fort and some more modern transformations are still visible via another short walk up the hill which makes for another great location to fly around

Parking is some distance away with a 1km walk to the TOAL site that I used, which is a track that is also a bridalway. It provides a couple of spots that give you good line of site but beware, the surrounding building are private residences so the residence may have objections to overflights. It is also an equestrian business so there are horses and riders frequenting the area.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.57003, -3.127177 • what3words: ///occurs.design.boost

Pen-y-Lan, Newport (By pete-the-geek)

This is a great area to fly for sunset views. It is possible to see from Cardiff to Newport and being elevated above the surrounding area it gives good views. In good weather, you can also see across the Severn Channel to England.

Be careful of the 2 wind turbines.

There are a couple of pull-ins where you can fly from and good views of the drone while flying.

As it is rural, it is possible to easily fly heavy drones there but as you have to take off on the road side, care must be taken to ensure adequate distance from the occasional vehicles.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.55633, -3.077139 • what3words: ///surnames.because.myself


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