A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



A house appears to have existed on or near the site 

 of the hall as far back as the reign of Henry VI, 

 but the oldest parts of the present building do not 

 date back further than the first half of the 1 6th century, 

 and of this original house little or nothing can now be 

 seen, the black and white work now remaining on the 

 outside belonging to a later rebuilding in the same 

 century. 



The house stands about a quarter of a mile to the 

 south of Barlow Moor Road between Chorlton-with- 

 Hardy and Withington, on slightly rising ground on the 

 north bank of the River Mersey, the position being 

 originally in a large measure one of natural defence. 

 The building is of two stories, quadrangular in plan, 

 but almost wholly modernized and preserving few 



quatrefoil panels in the former porch to the north. 

 The bay window is continued up to the second story 

 in a timber gable, the barge boards of which have 

 been renewed. On the north wall of the quadrangle 

 is a sundial with the date 1 5 74, and the motto Lumen 

 me regit vos umbra, marking the work of Alexander 

 Barlow who renovated the Hall in that year. The 

 bay window contains in its six upper lights some good 

 heraldic glass. On one are the heads of a double- 

 headed eagle (the crest of the Barlows), with the motto 

 Prist en fop. Another contains the arms of Holland, 

 and a third those of the third Earl of Derby encircled 

 by a garter, with the date 1574 and initials A.R 

 below. This appears to have been placed here by 

 Alexander Barlow (whose sister Margaret was the Earl 



Barlow Hall 



features of architectural interest. The entrance is by 

 a doorway on the east side of the quadrangle, but it is 

 said to have been formerly on the north side, part of 

 which is described as a porch with gable over, still 

 remaining. The quadrangle is irregular in shape but 

 measures about 40 ft. from north to south, the width 

 varying from 32 ft. on the south end to 38 ft. on the 

 north. The plan of the buildings now surrounding 

 the courtyard preserves very little of the ancient 

 arrangement of the house, which may originally have 

 consisted of the north and west wings, the quad- 

 rangle being completed later ; but the great hall 

 occupied the west wing, and a bay window in the 

 north-west corner of the courtyard belonged to it. 

 This bay, together with the restored half-timber work 

 on the north side of the quadrangle, is the only 

 picturesque bit of old work now left on the exterior 

 of Barlow Hall, if we except a carved beam and some 



»!' Charlton 



of Derby's second wife) two years after his brother- 

 in-law's death. 



Booker"* gives two more shields, which have now 

 disappeared. 



I . Argent a lion rampant gules, collared or, which 

 is the coat of Reddish. 



z. A shield of Kendall of seven quarterings : (i) 

 Gules a fesse cheeky or and azure between three eagles 

 displayed of the second ; (2) Ermine a fesse azure ; 

 (3) Azure a cross or ; (4) Argent three garbs gules ; 

 (5) Argent on a cross azure five fleurs de lys or ; (6) 

 Or a lion rampant guardant azure ; (7) Argent three 

 martlets gules. 



A corridor runs all round the house on the inner 

 side next to the courtyard, but in the old west wing 

 it is a modern arrangement, the bay window now 

 lighting its northern end. There is a staircase bay in 

 the north-east angle of the courtyard, and two other 

 Chupel, zgj. 



300 



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