Editing Ordsall Hall (section)

===Later use===
[[File:Ordsall Hall, Great Hall, high end, 2009.JPG|thumb|right|upright|The Great Hall. The corridor to the left of the staircase leads to the Star Chamber.]]
At the time of the 1666 [[hearth tax]] survey, Ordsall Hall was the largest house in Salford, with 19 hearths.{{r|BHO}} The Oldfield family of Leftwich, near [[Northwich]], bought the estate at the end of the 17th century, and in 1704 it was sold again, to John Stock, a trustee of [[Cross Street Chapel]]. His family were probably the last owners to reside at the hall. The Stocks lived in the hall's central section, comprising "a large hall, lounge dining room, a chapel, six rooms on a floor, with brewhouse, large courts, stable, etc", while the two wings were leased to tenants from about 1700.{{r|SalfordHistoryHall}} In 1756, the hall was sold to Samuel Hill of [[Shenstone, Staffordshire]]. Two years later, on Hill's death, the house passed to his nephew, Samuel Egerton of [[Tatton, Cheshire|Tatton]].{{r|SalfordHistoryHall}}

The hall remained in occupation until 1871, the last residents being the descendants of John Markendale, who had taken over the lease of the building in 1814. The land surrounding the hall was used by the Mather family of cowkeepers and butchers for many years. During the last quarter of the 19th century, Ordsall Hall became engulfed "in mean streets and industry".{{sfnp|Robinson|1986|p=159|ps=none}} From 1875, Haworth's Mill rented the hall and used it as a [[working men's club]].{{r|SalfordHistoryHall}} The Great Hall was converted into a gymnasium after being cleared of the inserted floor and later partitions, and provision was made elsewhere for billiards, a [[Skittles (sport)|skittle]] alley, and a bowling green. In 1883, the hall was bought by [[Wilbraham Egerton, 1st Earl Egerton|Wilbraham Egerton, 2nd Baron Egerton]], and restored during 1896–98 by the Manchester architect [[Alfred Darbyshire]] at a cost of £6,000{{sfnp|Robinson|1986|p=159|ps=none}} ({{inflation|UK-GDP|6000|1898|r=-2|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}{{inflation-fn|UK-GDP|group=lower-alpha|df=y|mode=cs2}}). The restoration allowed Lord Egerton to found a clergy training school at the hall. Provisions for the school included the construction of a church dedicated to St [[Cyprian]] in the north forecourt, and a new servants' wing on the south side. In 1908, the school was moved to Egerton Hall, changing its name to the Manchester Theological College. The men's social club at Ordsall Hall survived until 1940. During the Second World War, the hall was used as a radio station.{{sfnp|Robinson|1986|p=159|ps=none}} In the 1960s, the church and servants' wing built for the clergy school were demolished.{{r|SalfordHistoryHall}}

[[County Borough of Salford|Salford Corporation]] purchased Ordsall Hall from the executors of [[Maurice Egerton, 4th Baron Egerton]] in 1959. After major restoration work, it was opened to the public in April 1972, as a period house and local history museum.{{r|SalfordHistoryHall}} Like many old buildings, Ordsall Hall has stories of hauntings. A White Lady who is said to appear in the Great Hall or Star Chamber is popularly believed to be [[Margaret Radclyffe]], who died of a broken heart in 1599 following the death in Ireland of her brother, Alexander.{{sfnp|Cooper|2003|p=104|ps=none}}

In March 2007, the Extraordinary Ordsall Campaign applied for a grant of £5.1&nbsp;million from the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]], to regenerate Ordsall Hall and secure its future.{{r|24HourMuseum}} After supporters had raised £1&nbsp;million by September 2008, the Heritage Lottery Fund provided the remaining £4.1&nbsp;million. Only 40 per cent of the building was then open to the public, but following restoration work further rooms were expected to be opened. The building closed for refurbishment in early 2009,{{r|Keegan2008}} and re-opened to the public on 15 May 2011.{{r|ReOpening}} In 2013, the newly restored building received a Bronze Award in the Small Visitor Attraction category organised by tourist body [[VisitEngland]], one of 320 nominations from across the country.{{r|VisitEngland}}