About
Rufford Old Hall is one of the finest and most atmospheric medieval buildings in Lancashire — a magnificent timber-framed manor house whose great hall, dating from around 1530, contains one of the most remarkable carved oak screens in England and preserves the authentic atmosphere of Tudor domestic architecture with extraordinary power.
The building is constructed in the traditional black-and-white timber-frame style that characterises the great domestic buildings of the North West, with dramatic close-set oak framing creating a bold visual effect on the exterior. The interior of the great hall is the architectural centrepiece: a soaring space with a superb hammer-beam roof of great complexity and beauty, and at one end the famous moveable carved oak screen — an object of extraordinary craftsmanship whose purpose, size and ornamental richness have puzzled and fascinated scholars for centuries.
The screen is unlike any other surviving piece of medieval woodwork in England. Massive in scale, richly carved with intricate Gothic tracery, quatrefoils, shields and decorative motifs, and furnished with three large carved finials of mysterious symbolic significance, it appears to have been designed as a portable structure that could be moved and reassembled — but for what purpose? The most compelling explanation connects it to dramatic or ceremonial performances, and this connection supports the most celebrated tradition associated with Rufford Old Hall.
According to a long-standing local tradition, the young William Shakespeare visited Rufford and performed here with a company of players in the early 1580s, entertaining the Hesketh family who owned the hall. The Heskeths were known patrons of dramatic entertainments, and the evidence — while circumstantial — is intriguing enough to have attracted serious scholarly attention and popular fascination. This possible Shakespeare connection is explored thoughtfully in the museum displays.
The hall passed to the National Trust in 1936 and contains outstanding collections of Tudor furniture, arms, armour, tapestries and objects associated with the Hesketh family. The attached Victorian wing houses further displays including an excellent folk collection of Lancashire domestic and agricultural artefacts. The garden contains a topiary walk and herbaceous borders set within a simple but pleasing formal layout.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
💡 Visitor Tips
- Ask a volunteer to tell you about the carved oak screen in detail — the mystery of its purpose and its possible connection to Shakespeare performances is one of the most fascinating stories in English heritage.
- The great hall is best seen in bright daylight — the hammer-beam roof and the carved screen are the primary reason to visit and deserve careful attention.
- Rufford station on the Ormskirk to Preston line is only a 10-minute walk from the hall — arriving by train is an atmospheric way to visit.
- Combine a visit with the Martin Mere Wetland Centre nearby for a full day out, especially rewarding in winter when the swans and ducks are spectacular.
- The folk collection in the Victorian wing is easy to overlook in the shadow of the great hall but is genuinely excellent — Lancashire domestic history at its best.
- National Trust members enter free and the property is rarely as busy as the great set-pieces — an excellent, lower-key NT day out.
- The garden is charming in summer and the topiary walk is a pleasant place to recover from the intensity of the hall interiors.
- Special events including Halloween evening openings and Christmas candlelit tours make use of the hall's atmospheric qualities to great effect — check the events calendar.
Highlights
Discover the unique exhibits and collections at this museum.
Collections
The collection comprises approximately 3,000 objects including the outstanding folk collection of Lancashire domestic artefacts, Tudor and Stuart furniture and arms from the Hesketh family collection, tapestries, ceramics and household equipment. The medieval hall building, with its carved oak screen, is itself the most significant item in the collection.
The Great Hall and Tudor Rooms
The medieval hall with its hammer-beam roof and extraordinary carved screen, and the adjacent Tudor rooms containing the Hesketh family's collection of furniture, arms, armour and tapestries.
Shakespeare at Rufford
Displays exploring the compelling tradition that the young William Shakespeare performed at Rufford in the early 1580s, set in the context of Elizabethan theatrical patronage and the Lancashire recusant community.
Lancashire Folk Collection
The Victorian wing houses an extensive collection of Lancashire domestic and agricultural artefacts documenting everyday life in the region from the 17th century onwards.
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.