Clayton Hall Living History Museum

We remain extremely grateful to Manchester City Council and Warden Construction Ltd for their ongoing support as this important heritage project moves forward

A special event on 11th April will provide an opportunity to welcome new volunteers, tour the museum, and learn more about the Hall’s history. Anyone interested in getting involved is very welcome to come along—email us at info@claytonhall.org

Planning is now beginning for a grand reopening event, provisionally proposed for the first Saturday in June, which will mark an important moment as the Hall reopens to the community after a significant period of restoration.

Once these figures are available, we will begin working to secure the funding needed to complete this important stage of the project.

Alongside the restoration of the building itself, we are also continuing to strengthen the organisation behind the museum.

Some elements of the wider regeneration work are still ongoing. We are currently awaiting costings from Manchester City Council for the repair and reinstatement of the roof, which was originally constructed using Pennine flagstone.

Works at Clayton Hall continue to progress well and we are pleased to report that the building is scheduled to be formally handed back to the Trustees in May, following completion of the current phase of restoration works.

Following last night’s Trustees’ meeting, it was encouraging to reflect on the real progress being made at Clayton Hall Living History Museum. Exciting times lie ahead!

Renovation work inside Clayton Hall is now underway. These things take time, but it is reassuring that @mancitycouncil.bsky.social and Wardens Ltd are being thorough. Better to do the work properly than rush and face extra costs later.

Thank you both for your help and support. 💪

Poster advertising a Volunteer Open Day at Clayton Hall. Text reads: “Volunteer Open Day. Saturday 11th April, 11am.” The poster explains that members of the public are invited to meet existing volunteers and take part in a behind-the-scenes tour as Clayton Hall prepares to reopen. Food and light refreshments are provided. Contact details shown: info@claytonhall.org and claytonhall.org. Images show volunteers and children in historical costume and a volunteer working in the gardens at Clayton Hall. Clayton Hall Living History Museum logo appears at the bottom.

Volunteers’ Open Day, 11th April 2026 🌟

As we prepare for our grand re-opening, we’re welcoming new volunteers. Meet the team and enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of the work so far.

🍴 Food provided. Email info@claytonhall.org to attend (name, contact details & dietary needs)

So if you wonder why we do the things we do around New Year's, it turns out we owe a lot of it to our Victorian forebears.

🔍Discover more secrets and tales. We can't wait to welcome you to our next free open day in 2026 — visit claytonhall.org

In some areas, Christmas greenery was sometimes replaced by bowls of snowdrops (named after earrings and not snowflakes), which flowered around Candlemas. This was known as the 'white purification' as the snowdrops were thought to purify the house ready for the New Year.

In larger homes such as Clayton Hall, Christmas greenery such as holly and ivy may have been kept up until Candlemas on 1st February— the final day to remove all signs of Christmas—otherwise it was believed that there would be a death in the family before the following Christmas.

Victorians cleaned their homes before New Year, clearing rubbish and ashes for a fresh start. Festivities lasted until Twelfth Night (6th January), marking the Feast of Epiphany when the Wise Men reached Bethlehem. Decorations were removed then to ensure good luck for the year.

Phantom Balls were popular with the Victorian middle classes, blending mysticism with entertainment. Guests dressed as ghosts, demons, and spirits, held séances, read tea leaves, and predicted what the new year would bring, indulging their fascination with the supernatural.

Superstitious Victorians also believed warding off spirits ensured a prosperous year. On New Year's Eve in the 1800s, towns echoed with drums as young men 'wassailed' (Saxon for 'good health'), making noise to banish spirits whilst church bells rang at midnight.

'First Foot' is a Hogmanay tradition where the first to enter a home after midnight brings gifts like black bun, shortbread, coal, salt, and whiskey to symbolize fortune. A dark-haired male visitor was seen as lucky, while blonde hair was thought to bring trouble...

The tradition of singing Auld Lang Syne began at Hogmanay parties. Written as a poem by Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1788 and meaning "for old times’ sake," it was first sung in Scotland and soon became a New Year’s staple across the British Isles.

Queen Victoria loved all things Scottish, including Hogmanay, Scotland’s biggest celebration of the year. Like today, Victorians gathered on 31st December to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new, embracing the festive spirit of New Year’s Eve with family and friends.

Ever wondered why we sing Auld Lang Syne on #NewYearsEve or why we would welcome a dark-haired man carrying coal across the threshold during the first footing?

On New Year's Eve, we lift the lid on Victorian traditions that gave us New Year's Eve as we know it.

👇🧵

🎄 Merry Christmas from the Trustees at Clayton Hall Living History Museum and Friends of Clayton Park.

Thank you to all our visitors, volunteers, and supporters who made this year so special.

We wish you a peaceful festive season and hope to see you again in 2026.

Seymour Road at Clayton Hall For over 120 years, the school at Seymour Road has been at the centre of Clayton’s vibrant community.

🔍 Seymour Road online exhibiton (with thanks to Wise Owl Trust for their support): claytonhall.org/seymourroad/

🙏Many thanks to Manchester City Council and Warden Construction Ltd for their continued help and support!

We also hold accounts from residents who fought to improve their neighbourhoods throughout the post-industrial years, in the run up to the Commonwealth Games and into the present day.

A citywide effort like this will help bring even more East Mancunian voices to light.

We hold a rich collection of eyewitness testimony and stories, available to browse during our free open days, from people who worked at Bradford Pit, Clayton Aniline and other local employers.

East Manchester was once the beating heart of industrial Manchester and, after years of decline, the 2002 Commonwealth Games marked a turning point whose impact is still felt today.

East Manchester has a wealth of social history that deserves to be heard more widely. The recent exhibition about Seymour Road school, part of which was also on display at Manchester Central Library, showed just how powerful these stories are.

With the help of Cllr Tom Robinson, we're looking to begin a citywide collection of social history, to be shared and accessible to everyone.

Exciting news! Thread🧵👇

It was a pleasure to welcome Cllr John Hacking, the Executive Member for Skills, Employment & Leisure at Manchester City Council, to Clayton Hall whilst renovation works continue.

Today we remember those who gave their lives fighting fascism and defending our freedom and democracy.

We will remember them.

#RemembranceSunday

It's Halloween! 🎃 Witches and evil spirits are out tonight… but not at Clayton Hall. Our walls are covered in centuries-old witch marks to keep you safe.

Discover their secrets at our free Open Day tomorrow, Saturday 1st Nov!

🔍Visit claytonhall.org

Clayton Hall Living History Museum and the Friends of Clayton Park express our deepest condolences following the tragic events at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Yom Kippur. At this most sacred moment in the Jewish calendar, our thoughts and prayers are with those victims who have lost their lives, those injured or affected, their loved ones, and Jewish communities in Greater Manchester, and far beyond. Antisemitism, along with every form of hatred, must be confronted wherever it is found. Together, we must stand firm to ensure that violence and intolerance have no place in our society.

Clayton Hall Living History Museum and the Friends of Clayton Park express our deepest condolences following the tragic events at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Yom Kippur. 👇