Belgrave Hall and Gardens

Another way of escaping the city in Leicester. Most of my escape places are also free.
The Hall (Grade II* listed) is in the midst of two acres of serene walled gardens that are open to the public. The gardens were an important aspect of the Hall in Victorian times (a status symbol that showed the family’s wealth).
Belgrave Hall provides an oasis of peace and quiet in a busy city. It was built in the early 18^th century, in what was then a small village 3 miles from the town of Leicester. Now city traffic passes, almost unnoticed, just beyond the garden walls.
In its current role as a museum, the rooms have been designed to appear as they may have been decorated and used in Victorian times, with the contrasting lifestyles of an upper middle class family and domestic servants. This period was when the Ellis family was resident.
The beautifully laid out natural room settings create the
feeling of having just missed the occupants of the house.
Edmund Cradock, a ‘nouveau riche’ hosiery merchant, built the Hall between 1709 and 1713 and died soon after its completion.
Ellis and his wife Priscilla moved to the Hall with eight of their eleven children seven daughters and their youngest son. The family lived there with their servants the cook, housekeeper, parlour maid, aid-​of-​all-​work, coachman and gardener.
The Ellis sisters bought the Hall from their brother in 1868, after he inherited it from their father. Upon the death of the last remaining Ellis sister in 1923, the Hall was sold.
Little is known of the next owners, the Simons. The Vann’s who lived there from 1767 to 1844, ran a thriving hosiery business from the Hall, employing the local framework knitters as outworkers. They gave generously to many local charities, including Leicester’s first free school. John Ellis, who purchased Belgrave Hall in 1845 and his family were also noted for their good work in the community. Ellis, a wealthy businessman, was responsible for bringing the railways to Leicester in 1833. In 1936, the estate was sold to Leicester City Council for £10,500 around a third of its actual value.
A number of statues and monuments from lost gardens in Leicestershire are now situated within the gardens. The rock and water garden, botanic garden, eco garden and glasshouses compliment the older, formal grounds. Refurbishment work carried out in 2005 included improved access to the gardens.
The rooms show how a house of the period worked in great detail.
Free admission.