Old drawings and paintings of Shelford Old Hall

The first Shelford Hall, or the Old House, was built in 1660 by Thomas Wale It was altered in 1764 by another Thomas Wale and then largely demolished in 1852.

Shelford Hall was the family seat of the Wale family who were the principal landowners in Little Shelford for 300 years.

The oldest portion of the House, the South Front, with its small, recessed windows and large chimney, was from the 15th Century. The hall also boasted a 10 acre park along the river.

Old Shelford Hall was modernised in the Georgian style by another Thomas Wale on his return from Riga, Russia in the 1760s.

Thomas Wale, retiring from his Ship Building at Riga, preferred Shelford to Harston Hall as a residence, and so made an arrangement to rent the House for the yearly sum of £30 and took up residence in 1765.

This description of the house is from Fanny Wale's A Record of Shelford Parva.

"The chief rooms in the older portions of the mansion were panelled with oak throughout, of those of later date had deep wainscotting. The ceilings were crossed by large projecting beams. The huge fireplace in the South Room was filled in with an Elizabethan chimney piece (now in the library of the modern house). There were six staircases, and the lobby at the top of the principal one was hung round with portraits of the family, beginning with Gregory Wale, painted (circa 1672) represented as a child feeding a Goldfinch, and eight others ending with one of Thomas Sherard Wale, who died in Surinam in his 27th year, 1821.

"In the Dining Room were portraits of King George III and Queen Charlotte (presented to Lieutenant General Wale when appointed Governor of Martinique, 1912). The house was full of spacious cupboards and closets in all of the recesses of the walls; One in the pantry having an iron door, was found to be the receptacle of the Family Archives, discovered in 1852 in a mouldering condition, and scarcely legible. From those records, the Rev Henry John Wale composed the book called "Grandfather's Pocket Book", a few copies only were printed and are in the possession of the Misses Wale.

"The large Kitchen was furnished with a "Boot Jack" and appliances for roasting huge joints. There was a deep window seat in the thickness of the wall. The meat larder filled "like a butcher's shop", testified to good living and hospitality, as did the brew house at the end of tyhe North wing whence came the famous ale our ancestors delighted in. The entrance to the Cellarage was by a door ubnder the chief staircase."

With its six staircases, beamed and oak-panelled rooms and enormous Elizabethan fireplaces, it seems to have been a commodious and comfortable house, lived in and loved by generations of the Wale family. It was however not grand, and was in a poor state of repair when it was partially demolished in the 1850s.

In the early 1800’s, the Rev. Mr Preston ran a school in Shelford Hall. One of its pupils was Thomas Babington Macaulay, later Baron Macaulay, a historian and Whig politician, who served in Government as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster General between 1846 and 1848.

The Lodge, as it is now known, was also used as an officer’s mess and offices in WW2.

A pencil drawing of Little Shelford Old Hall from the southern aspect, probably by Fanny Wale. The first Shelford Hall, or the Old House, was built in 1640. It was altered in 1764 by Thomas Wale and then largely demolished in 1852.

A pencil drawing of Little Shelford Old Hall, probably by Fanny Wale. The hall is seen from what is now Camping Close and the Whittlesford Road.
The first Shelford Hall, or the Old House, was built in 1640. It was altered in 1764 by Thomas Wale and then largely demolished in 1852.

Sword book

A drawing of the Old Hall as featured in the book Sword and Surplice; or, Thirty Years' Reminiscences of the Army and the Church by Henry John Wale published in 1880.

A pencil drawing of Little Shelford Old Hall, from the northern aspect, by Louisa Wale. The first Shelford Hall, or the Old House, was built in 1640. It was altered in 1764 by Thomas Wale and then largely demolished around 1852.

A painting of Little Shelford Old Hall by Fanny Wale from A Record of Shelford Parva. While the painting shows the date 1860, Fanny would have only been nine year old at the time, suggesting she simply copied the date from the original painting. It was probably copied from the painting below which was owned by the Wale family.
The first Shelford Hall, or the Old House, was built in 1640. It was altered in 1764 by Thomas Wale and then largely demolished around 1852.

A pencil drawing of Little Shelford Old Hall from the eastern aspect, probably by Fanny Wale. The first Shelford Hall, or the Old House, was built in 1640. It was altered in 1764 by Thomas Wale and then largely demolished in 1852.

"Study chimney piece of the Old House." (From the back of the drawing - "Study of the Old House. Overmantle (oak) was put into the dining room of the (new) hall. It is now in Ivy Cottage and the summer house."

These are photos of a model of Shelford Old Hall in Little Shelford which is now the property of the Museum of Cambridge. The hall itself was built in 1640 and was largely demolished in 1852.

Part of the north wing of the historic hall remains. It is now known as the Lodge. It can be found at the junction of Whittlesford Road and Bridge Lane in Little Shelford. It is now a family home.

Old Shelford Hall was a Tudor development of a medieval hall house, and was modernised in the Georgian style by Thomas Wale on his return from Riga, Russia in the 1760s.

The model Colonel R.G. Wale made in the late 1840s shows u-shaped ranges enclosing an open courtyard.

A sketch re-produced in Fanny Wale's book gives an idea of the rambling and unpretentious charm of the buildings.

With its six staircases, beamed and oak-panelled rooms and enormous Elizabethan fireplaces it seems to have been a commodious and comfortable house, lived in and loved by generations of the Wale family. It was however not grand, and was in a poor state of repair when it was partially demolished in the 1850s.

By 1850, the new Hall was arising in the Park and a few years later most of the old house was demolished, with only a rump surviving on Bridge Lane to serve as an entrance Lodge.

Model

The Lodge in Little Shelford - the remains of Shelford Old Hall

The Lodge in Little Shelford - the remains of Shelford Old Hall

A copy of a Victorian pencil drawing of the Lodge, made by Rosemary Nicholls in 1977.

A pencil drawing of the lodge, what remained of Little Shelford Old Hall, probably by Fanny Wale after 1909. The hall is seen from what is now Camping Close and the Whittlesford Road. The first Shelford Hall, or the Old House, was built in 1640. It was altered in 1764 by Thomas Wale and then largely demolished in 1852.

The Lodge around 1881. This photo is significant as it shows the Lodge before it was extended to accommodate some of the Wale family following the 1929 fire. The man pictured is blacksmith Edward Elbourne.

David Martin's talk about Little Shelford's two halls at the Little Shelford Local History Society

Whatever happened to Little Shelford’s two halls? I’m David Martin, a writer and storyteller. I am about to share some historical photos and drawings, and some memorable stories about our halls which were at the heart of village life for 400 years.

Along the way, you’ll hear about how the Australian gold rush affected one hall, what links escaping a famous siege hidden under a blanket in a horse and cart and Shelford Hall, and how a dramatic fire burnt down our version of Downton Abbey.

This is Shelford Hall. There are almost 70 photos and paintings of the two halls on the village’s history website.

This is one of them, of Little Shelford New Hall. What happened to it is not exactly a mystery. But many people in the village don’t realise that Little Shelford has boasted two major halls over the last four centuries.

Shelford Hall was the family seat of the Wale family who were the principal landowners in Little Shelford for 300 years.

Many of you will have walked or driven past the remains of the first hall on your way here tonight.

This is what remains today of our hall - gate posts and part of the stable block which are now two homes. By the end of this evening, you’ll never walk past these gates again without thinking about the hall that dominated life in Little Shelford.

Let’s take a step back in time to 1880.

I present to you, Little Shelford Old Hall (on the left)

This drawing is a tracing from one at King's College Cambridge.

You can see Whittlesford Road, what is now the Rec and even the stagecoach that used to stop outside Shelford Hall.

Recognise this? It’s the Lodge – the yellow house at the junction of Bridge Lane and Whittlesford Road, down that end of Church Street.

It’s also the partial remains of Little Shelford Old Hall. (Pause) The Lodge was the north wing of the original 17th century Old Hall. With respect to the current owners, it doesn’t look much like a hall now, does it? Why might that be?

Let’s go on a historical journey together.

This what the Old Hall would have looked like in its heyday if you were standing in Camping Close off Whittlesford Road. Isn’t it grand? You can see the elements that go to make up the current Lodge on the left of this drawing.

Along with the Manor House, it was one of the two main houses in the village for 200 years.

This is the view if you walked down to the end of Church Street and right turned into Whittlesford Road, with Camping Close behind you.

The Old Hall was built in around 1660 by Thomas Wale. The oldest portion of the House, the South Front, with its small, recessed windows and large chimney, was 200 years older ie from the fifteenth Century. The hall also boasted a 10 acre park along the river, much of which is now the village rec and the site of Courtyards.

Thomas Wale, retiring from his ship building at Riga, preferred Shelford to Harston Hall as a residence, and so made an arrangement to rent the House for the yearly sum of £30 and took up residence in 1765.

This is a drawing from the Wale family archive being seen in public for the first time.

Words from the back of the drawing tell us that this is the chimney piece of the Old Hall’s study.

The oak overmantle was later put into the dining room of the New Hall.

The fireplace was later moved to Ivy Cottage.

There is a model of the old hall building which is now in the possession of the Museum of Cambridge though it is not currently on display. (You can ask to see it by the way).

Here is a lovely description of the Old Hall by Wale family historian, Graham Chinner:

“With its six staircases, beamed and oak-panelled rooms and enormous Elizabethan fireplaces, it seems to have been a commodious and comfortable house, lived in and loved by generations of the Wale family. It was however not grand, and was in a poor state of repair when it was partially demolished in the 1850s.”

These two photos show you the corner of Whittlesford Road and Bridge Lane and what the hall would have looked like on the right compared to the current Lodge on the left.

This is how the Old Hall would have looked like as you walked along Bridge Lane

This photo of the model made by Colonel Wale show the U-shaped ranges enclosing an open courtyard. Again, Bridge Lane is on the left and Whittlesford Road runs along the bottom of the photo. It was a fascinating old building.

The hall wasn’t always a home for the Wale family. In the early 1800’s, the Rev. Mr Preston ran a school for up to 12 pupils in Shelford Hall.

One of its pupils went on to be rather famous. That pupil was Thomas Babington Macaulay, a historian and Whig politician, who served in Government as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster General between 1846 and 1848.

He was at the school from 1812, he wrote extensively. His biography includes many letters written when he was at the School in Little Shelford including this interesting anecdote.

When Macaulay, feeling homesick, wrote home unfavourably about the people of Shelford, his father urged the 8 year old to set about reforming them. (That worked well then).

This is a lovely photo from the Wale family archive and its historically important.

In the middle of the 19th century, the old Hall was partially demolished, because it was regarded as being dilapidated. This left the remaining half as a lodge to be the gatehouse to the New Hall. This photo is significant as it shows the Lodge between 1860 and 1908 shortly after it has been shrunk down but before it was extended again.

BTW That’s blacksmith Charles Elbourn in the foreground.

Here’s the Lodge again, but there’s a difference. It has an extension on the side to help the building accommodate some of the Wale family after the fire in 1929. That extension is still in place today.

As an aside, the Lodge was also used as an officer’s mess and offices in WW2 according to John Altham.

Right now lets move onto the New Hall.

Talk through location from map from about 1920.

Mention river cut on right.

So here’s what the Wale estate would have looked like if you had a drone in the 19th century. Wasn’t it lovely? You can see the New Hall on the right, and the Lodge – the rump of the Old Hall – on the left.

The new Gothic style house, known at the time as the New Hall, or Shelford House, was built around 100 metres north of the current Wale Recreation Ground in about 1852 by Robert Gregory Wale.

Col. Wale built the hall with his wife's money when he married Fanny Anna West, because her uncle thought the Old House was too dilapidated for her to live in.

Village historian Fanny Wale was the eldest of Colonel Robert Gregory Wale’s seven children. Its strange to think that when she was born in 1851, the paint was scarcely dry in the spanking new Shelford Hall.

PAUSE/ break

This is the hall in all its finery.. Wasn’t it grand? You can see the tennis court in the foreground.

The New Hall had six bedrooms. The servants' quarters were on the third floor.

One member of staff at the hall caught the eye of family historian Fanny Wale as he did something to help the whole village every single day.

“Charles Cooper, who was born deaf and dumb, but learned to talk and understand other people, worked under his father who was head gardener at Old Shelford Hall, and subsequently was house boy in the new house.

“He called himself “Chubber”, he helped to clean silver and copper and rang the house bells very punctually at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m, they were then useful to the whole village, now they are not much used and people set their clocks by the railway trains,” wrote Fanny Wale.

“Another of Charlie Cooper’s duties was to pump water into the upstairs cistern which supplied the big bath and the kitchen boiler. Shelford Hall was let to some friends who brought their own servants, but Chubber refused to leave so he had to be hired with the house, and the tenants found him very useful and amusing. He kept a watch over everything and scolded anyone he thought was careless or mischievous.”

This is how the Hall would have looked from Bridge Lane.

It was a beautiful building. But it was almost as if it was fated from the start. In reality, the Wale family only enjoyed 30 years of good living at the hall.

To quote village historian, Graham Chinner, Col Wale could hardly have chosen a less auspicious time to indulge in a palace.” The Corn Laws were repealed in 1845 meaning untaxed grain from America flooded the market and made the Shelford Farms owned by Col Wale difficult to rent. Col Wale finished up moving out of the Hall to Hall farmhouse around 1885.

This is where the hall history takes a fascinating twist.

From then on, Shelford Hall seems to have been let to tenants, initially to the Hallett family who had struck it rich discovering gold in Australia until they lost most of their fortune in the Australian bank failures.

Extended members of the Wale family were later to become tenants of the hall.

This is my favourite picture of the hall, again from the Wale family archive.

This is a fascinating painting in so many ways, and captures the hall at the height of its glory.

Bride Adelaide Wale had a colourful life. Adelaide, or Aida as she was known, was one of the two daughters of Captain Frederick Wale. Captain Wale was killed in the siege of Lucknow in India in 1857. But children Aida and her sister Minna, escaped with their lives by being hidden under blankets in the back of a bullock cart.

This painting shows the society wedding of Adelaide Wale to her cousin Reginald at Shelford Hall in 1881. His mother’s diary revealed that the wedding celebrations went on until after 4am the next morning.

We know most about life at Shelford New Hall from the writings of John Altham, a member of the Wale family. John’s children, Jane Lagesse and Jimmy Altham are with us this evening.

This is the layout of the hall, according to John who sketched this from memory in 1986.

Describe the lay out of the hall. Telephone room. Music room. Description on the bottom of the picture.

In the latter part of the 19th century, the hall seems to have been mothballed. Kellys Directory of Cambridgeshire for 1900 does not record it as occupied.

John Altham came to live at the Lodge midway through the First World War with his sister and his mother. They also spent a lot of time at the New Hall, which was now rented by relative, Isabella, and her husband Jack Eaden.

“We have our own nursery down a long passage which frightens us in the dark, especially when the candle blows out,” John Altham wrote in his diary.

"I have a big toy cupboard full of Meccano, trains, my butterfly boxes and books.

"We go to the river often where we have a large punt at the perch hole."

I believe this is tenant Jack Eaden in the hall gardens.

John Altham’s diary continues: “We had the free run of the lovely garden surrounding the Hall where Aunt Isa and Uncle Jack lived. The mysterious grandeur of the Hall with its servants, its houses, the old mulberry tree, strawberry beds, peaches on the wall, the apple loft, pigs in their pens, chickens running around the stable yard, the big dog kennel with Bess, the shooting black retriever, always so excited to be talked to, the orchard running down to the river - and THE RIVER - the greatest excitement of all!”

This shows a Wale family picnic in around 1880. John didn’t write about that but he had more to say about the gardens.

“The kitchen garden was a thrill too. Walled in, it had everything, including two strange pits about four feet square and two feet deep, with wooden covers over them, as a spare water supply for hand watering cans. These were inhabited by enormous toads, quite frightening for children! The green houses, full of exotic plants for the house, were heated by coke boilers and enormous iron pipes running under the staging, and they smelled as only green houses fully furnished can smell - quite delicious.

The next section of John Altham’s diary gives you an idea of staff who ran the Hall. "Mr Albert Thorogood has come back (from the War) and he is Chauffeur and gardener. Mr Wisbey is also gardener. Also in the stable yard are Mr Whitfield and Mr Harry Want who look after some hunters which belong to Mr and Mrs Pares Wilson who have come to live at the Manor House.

"In the house we have cook and Lena and Celia living in and more help for the visitors in the summer.

“When the grown ups go out, we often play hide and seek with the maids in the house or the garden. The house is very long and has lots of hiding places.

“There were tennis parties, an annual cricket match against the village XI, an annual pageant, where one year my father and his sister were dressed as miniature green flies! Psyche, a talented dancer, would dance for dinner guests on the lawn “in the lights of Uncle Barry Willis’s car!”

You may have heard a moment or two ago I mentioned Chauffeur Mr Albert Thorogood.

He was clearly loved by the Wale family to the point where he inherited the Wale family Rolls Royce.

Legend has it that Albert didn’t have much use for the car. So, he finished up using it to pull the plough on his garden.

Albert also used a motor cycle engine to create what was the first mechanised lawn mower in Little Shelford – he was obviously an ingenious chap.

This idyllic life came to an end in 1929 when the Hall was tragically burnt down.

Little Shelford New Hall was destroyed by fire on February 24 1929, 95 years ago this Saturday.

The Cambridge Chronicle report stated: "A disastrous fire occurred at the Hall, Little Shelford in the early hours of Sunday with the result that the building was almost completely gutted. It was discovered by Mme Carne, the governess who, with the butler and the maid, were immediately above the fire. Captain and Mrs Gordon Dill removed their children to safety in The Lodge. While waiting for the fire brigade which was delayed due to the thick fog, the occupants attempted to subdue the outbreak, then confined to the pantry, with buckets of water. But the heat melted a lead pipe and the cistern emptied so water had to be fetched from a cottage about 30 yards away."

The fire is believed to have originated in the pantry, and gutted the entire building. The roof caved in and there was little chance to retrieve any of the contents.

Philippa Pearce, the author of Tom’s Midnight Garden, who was the daughter of the miller in Kings Mill Lane, recalled as a small girl being held up to a window to see the flames as the fire took hold.

The hall was almost completely destroyed. This was because the Fire Brigade couldn’t find the hall because of the heavy fog that night.

Here is John Altham again: “Some of the family were in Cambridge at the time, where they spent the winters - the Hall being too costly to keep warm. The Hall was rented to some cousins. Legend has it that some sticks which had been left to dry in front of a stove caught fire.”

The owner at the time of the fire was Fanny Lucretia Wale, the compiler of the book “A Record of Shelford Parva”. She had not lived in the Hall for a quarter of a century, having let it to relatives for much of that time.

Tenant Isa Eaden can be seen on the right of the photo searching through the remains of the fire.

John Altham wrote: "The house was mortgaged so could not be rebuilt but an addition was built onto the front of the Lodge; thus the Lodge became once again the family home.”

“We all then lived in the enlarged lodge until 1939 when war broke out and the family moved to Cambridge.”

The Lodge was sold by the Wale family after WW2.

Thank you for indulging me.

And a special thank you to Jane Lagesse and Jenny Chinner for being so generous sharing the information they have amassed about the halls.

So, that is the story of our two halls which were at the heart of Little Shelford’s history for 300 years.

One was partially demolished. One was gutted by fire.

All the photos you have seen tonight and the words of John Altham can all be seen on the village’s history website at www.littleshelfordhistory.com

Posted Nov 17 2025