Museum - Bramall Hall in Stockport

Black Friday? Cyber Monday? As far as we're concerned there's only one important shopping day that counts: Museum Shop Sunday. The day to show some love to your favourite cultural institutions - and pick up a fabulous gift in the process! In honour of this special event, we're offering 10% off everything on our online shop. Just use the code LOVEBH at checkout. This offer is valid from tomorrow until Friday 11th December, so grab a bargain in time for Christmas! ... Our online shop can be found here: http://orlo.uk/1UpPO Every purchase you make supports Bramall Hall. Thank you for your continued support. #MuseumShopSunday #SustainingCulture

Are you feeling festive yet? This delightful decorative robin would look lovely in your home through Christmas and beyond. 'Little Jaky' also makes a wonderful gift, if you can bear to part with him... Limited stock available. Available to purchase online here: http://orlo.uk/K7WES Every purchase you make supports Bramall Hall. #supportingmuseums #museumshop

It's week 2 of 'Moustache Monday' and this week we've chosen to feature Tom Nevill and his sensible wartime moustache. Tom served in the First World War, and inherited Bramall Hall following the death of his uncle Charles in 1916. #Movember More information about Movember and the Movember Foundation charity can be found here: http://orlo.uk/WkZwH

The doors to our beautiful Hall may be temporarily closed, but rest assured we are still here for you on your hunt for the perfect gift. Our online shop is very much open! Shop from our beautiful selection of gifts and souvenirs including; Christmas decorations, home décor, books and products inspired by the architecture of the hall. New product lines are being added all the time. Please visit our online shop here: http://orlo.uk/iHsH3... We look forward to welcoming you back into our Hall and shop soon, but in the meantime, happy online shopping! As ever, thank you for your support. #shopmusueums #supportingmuseums

MOUSTACHE MONDAY If you are looking for some inspiration this #Movember then look no further than some of the fan-tache-tic former residents of Bramall Hall, beginning with our brilliant industrialist Charles Nevill. More information about Movember and the Movember Foundation charity can be found here: http://orlo.uk/KX2BU

TUESDAY LIKE A TUDOR: A proverb a week explained by Bramall Hall 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.' This is one of the oldest and best known proverbs in the English language, serving as a warning against taking unnecessary risks; better to keep what you have than jeopardise losing it in an attempt to gain something greater. Its use can be traced back to the end of the fifteenth century, (though its likely to be much older) and its origins lie in falconry. ... In Tudor England birds of prey would have been a common sight as falconry was part of the fabric of everyday life. Not only was it an effective method of hunting, affording poorer members of society a means of supplementing their diet, for those who were wealthy a rare bird could be a huge status symbol. Skill at the sport was seen as a mark of high culture and could often come at a price as the birds would need to be trained by a falconer and a range of accessories such as hoods, jesses, bells and lures were required. Hence the bird you held in your hand could be a very valuable commodity indeed, far greater than those it was trained to hunt.

ROLL UP ROLL UP! As we're sure you're all aware its international wallpaper week, and where better to see some stunning Victorian designs than Bramall Hall's beautiful dining room. The Lincrusta wallpaper shown in the photograph was created especially for the hall and is based on an original sample found during a restoration project. The vivid peacock blue would have been the height of fashion when Bramall's Victorian owners, Charles and Mary Nevill were in residence. It was thanks to the tireless fundraising of our amazing volunteers: The Friends of Bramall Hall that this wonderful period feature was returned to us.

TUESDAY LIKE A TUDOR: A proverb a week explained by Bramall Hall Serving as a warning against a needlessly self-destructive act of revenge this proverb is much more than a figure of speech. Its origins can be traced back to the middle ages when it was not unheard of for someone to have their nose removed as a form of corporal punishment. More commonly however this violent act was carried out in response to a personal vendetta or as an act of spite. Besides the obvious discomf...ort having your nose removed brought with it a high level of social stigma as it was believed during this time that facial blemishes were the result of sin. Thus there are many accounts of women being disfigured in punishment for infidelity. The saying may also be associated with the numerous legends of pious women who cut off their own noses to protect their virginity or guard against an unwanted marriage.

TUESDAY LIKE A TUDOR: A proverb a week brought to you by Bramall Hall ‘As dead as a doornail’ Used to decorate and strengthen doors in former times, door nails would have been much more familiar to our ancestors than they are to us. Some historians believe that the ‘door nail’ referred to in the saying is the one which would be repeatedly struck by the door knocker. Since it was constantly being hit, it would have been deader than most things. This saying was in use by the ...end of the fourteenth century and was used by Shakespeare in his play ‘Henry VI Part 2’. The image shown includes close detail of the wicket gate which currently stands in our Great Hall. In Tudor times this stood outside and was the main way of gaining access to the house, looking closely you can see the studded nails.

TUESDAY LIKE A TUDOR: A proverb a week brought to you by Bramall Hall ‘Hair of the dog that bit you.' The widespread belief that drinking a little more of what caused the problem in the first place actually stems from the Tudor times. It was thought that if you were bitten by a mad dog, laying a hair from that very same dog across your wound would help you to heal. By the sixteenth century we see the phrase being applied to specific hangover cures and it was included in John ...Heywood’s book of proverbs published in 1534. The rather handsome chap in the photo is not a mad dog but a familiar friend here at the hall. Winston the Newfoundland can be regularly spotted on Saturday mornings assisting our wonderful volunteers in the grounds.

We are happy to announce that from today, the Bramall Hall Shop and Visitors Centre will be open Wednesday to Sunday each week. Our shop is full to the brim with lovely gift ware, local crafts and produce as well as souvenirs. When visiting our shop please follow the governments guidelines on social distancing and face coverings. If you would like to visit Bramall Hall itself, you can now do so on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Before visiting, please pre-book your tickets using our online box office; https://bramallhalltickets.eventbrite.co.uk

Look at this wonderful old photograph of our beautiful Hall posted by our colleagues at Stockport Libraries & Archives.

This week, we will be open; Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We can currently welcome visitors with tickets bought in advance. It is really easy to buy your timed ticket online. Welcome!