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I visited here with Lavino and a non member Tom, This was our second visit to the mansion ( as the first time I didn't have my own camera :| ) and unlike our first visit we managed to get to the upper floors. And people have been saying a lot that this place is un safe and I totally agree with them :lol: . On the upper floors it is a lot more decayed than the ground floors as Lavino learned when trying to open a door. We also managed to get onto the roof which has an amazing view and is just a great place to sit down for a few minutes. On the way out we decided we would look for the grave of the owners horse which we thought we saw in the middle of the crops, but when we got to it it was just a lion statue after we took some pictures of it the farmer came with his quad and gun, and he didn't look very happy :Weapon2: ( guess it didn't help we were in the middle of his crops ). Anyway here is a bit of history and some pictures hope you enjoy 
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The mansion was built around 1580 for the Winstanley family. It is a Grade II listed building and also listed as a Ancient Scheduled Monument. The Winstanleys owned this Elizabethan Hall until 1596, when the estate was sold to James Bankes, a London goldsmith and banker. Extra blocks were added in the 17th and 18th centuries. Further and extensive alterations were made in 1811-19 by Lewis Wyatt in a Jacobean style.. To the south, on lands belonging to the hall, is a small stone building which was used to house bears that provided entertainment for the hall's guests
The stable court and other buildings to the side of the main house are a prize example of English eccentricity, designed with a heady mix of Norman, Tudor and Baroque motifs. They were built by Meyrick Bankes II a colourful character who travelled extensively in Europe and America and adorned his grounds with statues of animals and monsters
The Bankes family retained ownership of the hall until the 21st century when it was sold for private development. The hall had been kept in good condition until the 1960s when habitation stopped. As the building decayed and the cost of maintaining the mansion was too much for the family it was sold on and any intended plans for redevelopment have failed leaving the building to decay rapidly.
.The mansion was built around 1580 for the Winstanley family. It is a Grade II listed building and also listed as a Ancient Scheduled Monument. The Winstanleys owned this Elizabethan Hall until 1596, when the estate was sold to James Bankes, a London goldsmith and banker. Extra blocks were added in the 17th and 18th centuries. Further and extensive alterations were made in 1811-19 by Lewis Wyatt in a Jacobean style.. To the south, on lands belonging to the hall, is a small stone building which was used to house bears that provided entertainment for the hall's guests
The stable court and other buildings to the side of the main house are a prize example of English eccentricity, designed with a heady mix of Norman, Tudor and Baroque motifs. They were built by Meyrick Bankes II a colourful character who travelled extensively in Europe and America and adorned his grounds with statues of animals and monsters
The Bankes family retained ownership of the hall until the 21st century when it was sold for private development. The hall had been kept in good condition until the 1960s when habitation stopped. As the building decayed and the cost of maintaining the mansion was too much for the family it was sold on and any intended plans for redevelopment have failed leaving the building to decay rapidly.
