We have certainly been making the most of our National Trust membership this last couple of weeks and this week we headed over to Liverpool to visit Speke Hall.
It isn’t a place that was particularly on my radar to visit but a friend suggested we meet there, so it seemed like a good opportunity to go.
Speke Hall is a fabulous Tudor hall built by the Norris family some 500 years ago. There is so much to see and do at Speke Hall that it makes it, very easily, a full day out.
Arrival and Parking
The Hall is located in Speke and you pass down a long driveway, into a large car park (parking is free). The children were given a trail guide to follow on their way around, and we did make a start on this, but to be honest we didn’t get around to completing it as they were so distracted by all the other fantastic things to see.
The Grounds and Play Areas
Speke Hall has a lot of different areas, and I was surprised at just how big and diverse the area was. When you arrive there is a maze that you can head around or a decent play area to play in.
We did the maze and play area for a short while before walking on to discover the gardens. There are various trails including one that leads you into the Woodland Play Area. There are large books to read as you follow the legend of a giant and lots of things for the children to climb on and explore. They had lots of fun with this area, and it finished in a large clearing that has some outdoor instruments for the children to play.
We then moved on again to a woodland play area (complete with zip line) and I’m sure we will be back to explore this area much more when it’s a bit quieter as there is a lot to do in this bit.
The Gardens
We continued on and came to the gardens. We had a walk here and explored the area before stopping for a bite to eat. After we’d eaten we headed back towards the lawn where archery and an assault course had been set up for the children to try. They had a lot of fun with this and it was a good way to burn off some energy.
Speke Hall
Speke Hall itself is a fabulous building, and it came at a good time for us as Daniel has been reading about the Tudors, so it brought his history to life for him. The children were given a clipboard complete with trail map here too. I find these things always help them engage a little more in the buildings, as they are too young to really appreciate the splendour they’re encountering and it helps to give a bit of focus to their visit as well as providing prompts to talk about too.
We all enjoyed exploring the hall, and I will be back again soon, when we cover the Tudor period together and in more detail; they’ll be able to appreciate the need for the hiding spots that the Priests used once we have covered the idea of the Reformation and all that ensued from that.
We were at Speke Hall for a few hours and only left as I wanted to avoid the traffic heading back to Manchester. When we next visit I think we might stop somewhere close by for an evening meal then head back to make the most of a full day there.
