Wonderful Memories

Little Moreton Hall 1902
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My great grandfather - Charles Dale was living at Moreton Old Hall when this photograph was taken.

His family, the Dales, had become tenant farmers for Moreton Old Hall in the 1860s and the Hall was the farmhouse that was provided. Thomas and Ann Dale had 15 children - Charles was the youngest, so the size of the Hall would have been greatly appreciated.

I remember being told about secret doors and invisible panels and how the children used to love playing hide and seek.

Ann Dale used to open the door of the Hall to tourists even in the early 1900s. I've been told about people having afternoon teas, provided by Ann and her daughters, on the front lawns of Moreton Hall. They said that her scones were something to die for and people still spoke about them 50 years later.

Ann and subsequently her children farmed the farm until it was passed into the care of the National Trust