Swinfen Hall
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Swinfen Hall is an 18th-century country mansion house, now converted into a hotel, situated at
Swinfen Swinfen is a small community about two miles south of Lichfield in the civil parish of Swinfen and Packington, Staffordshire. Swinfen is referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086 when the Manor was held by the Bishop of Lichfield. The present ...
, in the
Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...
district of
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It is a
Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
. The hall was built in 1757 by Samuel Swynfen to a design by architect Benjamin Wyatt (father of
James Wyatt James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the Neoclassicism, neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to ...
), and remained the home of the Swinfen and Swinfen Broun families for almost two hundred years. Samuel Swynfen (of Swynfen) sold Swinfen Hall to his kinsman, Samuel Swinfen of Walbrook House. The latter died without any children, and left his estate in his will to his nephew Samuel Grundy (the son of his sister Anne, who had married Thomas Grundy of Appleby, Leicestershire) — on the condition that he take the surname of Swinfen and procure an act of Parliament to that effect. Samuel Grundy (now Swinfen) duly changed his name by a private act of Parliament, ( 22 Geo. 2. c. ''3'' ). However in 1770, Samuel Swinfen also died without children and the Hall passed to his brother, Thomas Grundy, who also then changed his name to Swinfen, by another private act of Parliament, ( 11 Geo. 3. c. ''26'' ).Deed Poll Office: Private Act of Parliament 1771 (11 Geo. 3). c. 26
/ref> Thomas Grundy (now Swinfen) was the grandfather of Samuel Swynfen whose will was contested in a series of trials from 1856 to 1864 and raised important questions of ethics in the legal profession. The hall was extended and improved in the early 20th century by Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Swinfen-Broun. On his death in 1948, the estate was bequeathed to the Church and
City of Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth, south-west of Burton upon Trent and 14 miles (22.5 ...
, and most of the land was sold off. The hall stood unoccupied for many years until acquired in 1987 by the present owners and converted to a hotel. Since 2024, the hotel has closed. Patience Swinfen, widowed daughter-in-law and heir of Samuel Swinfen, who died in 1854, was involved in a celebrated legal case related to his will.


See also

* Grade II* listed buildings in Lichfield (district) * Listed buildings in Swinfen and Packington


References


External links

* {{coord , 52, 39, 4, N, 1, 48, 9, W, type:landmark_region:GB-STS, display=title Grade II* listed houses in Staffordshire Hotels in Staffordshire Houses completed in 1757 Lichfield District