We were absolutely delighted to receive a wonderful gift recently from some dear friends of Soulton Hall. This special piece now occupies a place of honor within the room we call The Hall Hall (not a typo[!]).
We are immensely grateful to our dear friends for their recent, thoughtful gift – a magnificent twelve-arm brass chandelier. This exquisite piece features delicate blue shades and a striking double-headed eagle adorning the hanging link. This eagle serves as a symbolic nod to Sir Rowland Hill’s activities within the Holy Roman Empire, and potentially, to the Hill family’s claimed lineage from Charlemagne.
The (we admit strange) name “Hall Hall” its roots in Soulton’s history. The original Great Hall from the High Medieval period was lost in the 17th century (though timbers survive and were reused). The new (in the later 1660s) Justice Room/Moot Hall now stands where it stood.
The periods when there was no formal use of the Moot Hall/Great Hall meant that a room in the building called The Hall was designted as the room called “The Hall”.
This gave rise to the name “Hall Hall,” as a contraction of “The Hall in the Hall”. Engalnd is a funny place, sometimes!
