26/06/2021
Wollaton Hall was built between 1580 and 1588 for Sir Francis Willoughby and is believed to be designed by the Elizabethan architect, Robert Smythson, who had by then completed Longleat in Wiltshire and was to go on to design Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. The style is an advanced Elizabethan with early Jacobean elements.
The hall was bought by Nottingham City Council in 1925 and opened as a museum in 1926, becoming home to George the Gorilla, Hilary the Hippopotamus and Geoffrey the Giraffe.
The Hall reopened in April 2007 after being closed for two years of refurbishment. The Prospect Room at the top of the house, and the kitchens in the basement, are now opened up for the public to visit on guided tours.
It is noted as one of the most haunted buildings in Nottinghamshire. The ghost of the White Lady roams the back of the building and has been evident on many occasions whilst more sinister activity has been experienced in Room 19. We also can't escape the many ghost sightings in the cellars and the constant murmuring voices heard in the narrow corridors.