Southchurch Hall

Southchurch Hall

Southchurch Hall is Grade I Listed Medieval moated house located in the Southchurch district of Southend-on-Sea.

The Hall was home to farming families until the 1920s. In 1930 it was extensively restored and presented to the town of Southend by the Dowsett Family. The Hall has been listed in Jenkins’ top 1000 houses in England.

The current hall was built c.1321 – 1364, and has a Tudor and a 1930s extension. The Great Hall is still presented in its 14th Century form. At this time, the Great Hall would have had a central fireplace and original smoke-blackened timbers can still be seen in the roof (although much of the roof was replaced in the 1930s restoration). At the end of the Great Hall is the cross-wing, housing the North and South Solars. These rooms reflect changing fashions for more intimate rooms; the South Solar is a late 16th or early 17th Century extension.

The hall probably stands on the site of a much earlier Saxon hall. The land on which it stands was given to the monks of Canterbury in 823AD and the tenants of the hall subsequently inherited the family name “de Southchurch”. This custom survived until the death of Peter de Southchurch in 1309.

Historic Periods

Opening Times

1st March to 31st October:

• Monday: Closed
  Tuesday: Closed
  Wednesday: 11-4
  Thursday: 11-4
  Friday: 11-4
  Saturday: 11-4
  Sunday: 11-4

Bank Holidays: 11-4

1st November – 29th February:

• Monday: Closed
  Tuesday: Closed
  Wednesday: Closed
  Thursday: Closed
  Friday: Closed
  Saturday: 11-3
  Sunday: 11-3​

Bank Holidays: 11-3

Cost

Free entry

Facilities

More Information

Telephone: 01702 467671

Email: museums@southend.gov.uk

https://www.southendmuseums.co.uk/southchurch-hall

Address

Southchurch Hall Gardens

Park Lane

Southend-on-Sea

Essex

SS1 2TE