Spains Hall

Spains Hall

There has been a house on the site of Spains Hall for nearly ten centuries.  The hall is named after Hervey de Ispania, who held the Manor at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086.  Spains Hall has been in continuous occupation by only three families ever since.

The Elizabethan house that you see today dates from the early 15th century.  The Estate passed to the Kempe family on the marriage of Margery de Ispania to Nicholas Kempe.  The facade was built in 1585 and in 1637 Robert Kempe added the Dutch gables.  Allegedly, he was knighted by Cromwell in front of the house in 1641.

The Estate was purchased by Samuel Ruggles in 1760, a clothier from the nearby town of Bocking, and it has remained in the family’s ownership ever since.

The Dutch gables were restored in 1977 and won a heritage award.  The most recent phase of renovation was completed in 2009 and brought the house back to full function.  It is once again a family home but one that boasts impressive public rooms and first class venue facilities.

Spains Hall Estate are proud members of the Historic Houses Association