Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Prenton Hall Farm

Hi, Prenton Hall Farm became our family home six years ago & we would be very grateful for ANY information regardng its history.

Many thanks

...and welcome to the forum!

Thank you so much, what a wonderful photo & the attached information is vey interesting.

Does the woman with the kennels and horses still live next door? I remember her saying that the horse figured out how to operate the gate latch to escape.

I find the Saddle story/legend quite interesting about the beheading that apparently took place there a few hundred years ago. If you go in the Saddle they have a few interesting local pics with narratives between the bar and the function room, if you've not seen them already.

Hi Neil, I hadn't heard that story about the Saddle Club!! I don't know about a beheading but there are certainly a few legless specimens to be seen leaving there on a Friday night !! LOL

And YES the lovely lady with the horse does still live next door!!

In the large hall there is a trap door below which is a set of very worn stone steps which lead down to 4 vaulted cellars. Apparently there was a secret passagway that ran from the cellars & across to Storeton. In one of the cellar rooms there is a plinth shaped out of the sandstone & it is historically known as the Monks Bed.
We have heard small snippets of the house's history but given it's age there must be lots more. We just can't seem to find anything.

There was a lad called Amos I used to know who lived next door to you. Think he was into garden paving or similar.

Here is the legend of the Saddle:
http://www.saddle-club.co.uk/history-romance.html

I've got a picture of it before it turned into a night spot in the 1900's, i'll see if I can upload it.

We have often thought that the soundproofing in that place is amazing as you can't even hear the karoke in the car park!

Hi,

I'm an archaeologist who used to live on the same road as the Hall. Prenton is quite an interesting area, as it is one of only a handful of Wirral mill sites mentioned in Domesday (another being at Bromborough). The mill site is known, and it's likely that the Hockenhull family owned the lands it was situated on. Prenton was also home to forested area in Domesday. This is not necessarily a forest as you would think now, but was an area of land that was not allowed to be fenced or restricted to allow game such as deer and boar to roam.

The estate was owned by Walter de Vernon at Domesday, who was one of William I's chums. Always wanted to undertake a geophysical survey at Prenton Farm Hall. I suspect that there will be evidence of a much earlier building within the grounds.

How interesting can you post pics of the cellars.

Thank you all for replies & information therein. Angie I will certainly try & get some pictures of the cellars & post them.We would love to find pictures & plans of what the original house used to iook like & also the plans for this present building as it is obvious that the layout was far diffrent than it is today & of course at one time it was all one house with next door Prenton Hall. Unfortunately we're new to this & wouldn't know where to look. We went to Birkenhead Library & asked there but they said they had nothing

Have you tried Wirral Archives? Phone 606 2929. They're really helpful there.
www.wirral.gov.uk Go to Leisure & Culture, then Records & Archives.

Thanks chriskay, I'll give them a try.

Also, Cheshire records office. I've got the baptismal records of previous owners of the house if you're interested in the owners aswell as the house.

Hi Cathy and welcome.

Here's a copy of the Prenton entry in the Domesday Book and Mortimer's translation of it published in 1847 in his "History of the Hundred of Wirral"

Hi deano & greasby_lad & thank you both for your replies. they are much appreciated. deano I would love to see the baptismal records for the house owners please.I have the name Gaskell up to now but nothing else.

I'll dig them out in the next few days, up to my eyes with Thingwall at the mo, but will get on to it as soon as i can.

That's great. Thank you very much

Just spotted this on fleabay. Might be of interest cathy.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PRENTON-HALL-...les_Postcards_MJ&hash=item483a471810

2 days to go.

i WON A COMPETION AT SCHOLL TO GO TO YOUR HOUSE ALMOST 20 YEARS BACK. wE WERE TALKEN AROUND THE WHOLE PROPERTY AND TOLD STORIES ABOUT GHOSTS HAUNTING DIFFERENT ROOMS ETC. i CANT REMEMBER MUCH ABOUT IT NOW BUT FROM WHAT i CAN REMEMBER ITS A VERY NICE PLACE!

sorry about the caps! Oh do the miles still live 3 doors down on the corner?

Here is the view just opposite about 100 years ago. Not a single legless specimen or taxi in sight!

Another of the Roman Road steps across the way over the golf course.

Great pictres Neil, THANK YOU !!!

Hi Sanchez, we had taechers from a local school visit us yesterday. They took photos of the cellars for the children to look at as they are working on a project of the history of Prenton.
We were talking about the Monk that haunts next door & we were able to tell them about a sighting that my eldest son had here. He was sitting in the front living room & saw legs from the foot up to the knees walk past the living room door & towards what was once a door to the outbuldings at the back of the house. He said the legs looked to be wearing white stockings or gaitors. There are strange things that happen here, doors opening inexplicably, items being moved. My Son in Law was woken in the night by a voice right next to his face, needless to say he is very nervous when they stay over, as are other visitors who say there is a sinister atmosphere in some of the rooms A white dog has been seen in the hall when our dogs were outside. It all sounds really creepy I know, however I have never felt scared in the house even when I am here alone. I think it is LOVELY :0)

PS. Sorry Sanchez, I don't know the name of the people living on the corner.

Thank you for the link Pinzgauer. Unfortunately I have been so busy of late that I missed out on purchasing the lovely postcard :0(

I don't know if this is of any help but I lived in Prenton Dell Road, from 1955 to 1969.
We did not live in a big house like yourself but lived in No. 189, the last house on the corpoation estate.
My brother,when he was about 9 years old, decided to explore an excavation in the pavement. The hole had been made by one of the Utility Companies, which one I can't remember. The hole had been excavated about 5ft down and straight down the outside face of your boundary wall.
That said, he decided to do a bit of excavating himself. Under your wall! The side wall caved in and left a hole, which he entered. He found animal skulls( Birds and Large Mammals) and various other things( I can't remember what).I know what he found as I dragged him out of the hole worried that the wall would collapse and seal him in the underground room!
These were laid out on a stone shelf within what looked like a tomb.By the way this was over 50 years ago.
The Utility Company filled the hole in, that week, but someone reported it to the Birkenhead News that this 'Tomb' had been found. It was speculated that it was a Priest hole and tunnel that went to Storeton Hall. It might be worth looking at the Birkenhead News archives for more information!

So, you have a room or tunnel under your garden. This is approx. 20 feet past your front door towards Roman Rd.

Hi Cathy. My partner lived in Prenton Hall Farm in the early 80's in a top floor flat. A friend of his slept on the sofa one night but got really spooked when the sofa shook and he couldn't wait to get out of there!! Is it still flats? Also i have cleaned the property next door for the lady with the dogs and it was like going back in time. Fantastic!

Hi alidoodle, yes I beleive that the house was divided into flats at one time. It is just our family home now though. I can well imagine that happening o your partmer's friend too. Some very strange things do happen here !! :0)

Thanks for sharing your brothers story Kevin. It must have been a real adventure for him.