The House from a circa 1910 postcard
Built / Designed For: Thomas Patten
House & Family History: In the late 19th century, because of the rapid encroachment of the manufacturing area of the town upon his property, Colonel John Wilson Patten, Lord Winmarleigh, took the decision in 1870 to sell Bank Hall and 13 acres to the town. Thus, one of the finest Georgian country houses in the Northwest became the Warrington Town Hall for the sum of £9,500.
Comments: Pevsner called Bank Hall "the finest house of its date in south Lancashire."
Garden & Outbuildings: The famous cast iron gates were manufactured by the Coalbrookdale Company at Ironbridge, Shropshire, and were exhibited at the International Exhibition in London in 1862 (they were supposedly commissioned as a gift to Queen Victoria, who declined them).
Title: Disintegration of a Heritage: Country Houses and their Collections, 1979-1992, The
Author: Sayer, Michael
Year Published: 1993
Publisher: Norfolk: Michael Russell (Publishing)
ISBN: 0859551970
Book Type: Hardback
House Listed: Grade I
Park Listed: Not Listed
Past Seat / Home of: Thomas Patten, 18th century; Col. John Wilson Patten, Lord Winmarleigh, 19th century.
Current Ownership Type: Government
Primary Current Ownership Use: Offices
Ownership Details: Bank Hall has been used as Warrington Town Hall since 1870.
House Open to Public: Yes
Phone: 01925-444-400
Website: http://www.warrington.gov.uk
Historic Houses Member: No