Wigan Album

c1980. Aerial photo of Winstanley Hall on the left. To the top right is a square shape among the trees. This is the moat around the original Winstanley Manor House, perhaps going back to the 12th or 13th Century. It was probably built of wood on a stone foundation. The Winstanleys built the stone Elizabethan Hall in 1555-1561. Thomas Winstanley was head of the family and he married Elizabeth. After Thomas' death in 1561, Elizabeth narried John Bradshaw of Presteigne, Radnorshire and subsequently moved to Wales. Winstanley Hall and Winstanley Estate were sold to James Bankes, a London goldsmith, for 3,100 pounds in 1595. The Hall has been empty and fallen into disrepair since the 1950s.