Cotton

Cotton Hall is an eclectic mix of buildings that somehow blend together well. In their strange dilapidated state they are very attractive.

Cotton Hall The original house is late 18th century built in red brick with large sash windows and a portico. The house has a commanding view over rolling countryside. Pugin added a three storey addition to the right in 1846-48, and Edward Pugin added a further building to the left of the original house. At one time Cotton Hall was a school.

St. Wilfrid�s The church was built in 1846-48. It was commissioned by The Earl of Shrewsbury for the Reverend Father Frederick Faber. In 1936 the church was lengthened by G. Drysdale. It has some Hardman metalwork and stained glass windows. By the doors are the schools roll of honour.

Argument It was at St. Wilfrid�s that a momentous argument took place. Pugin was unwell and it was becoming apparent that the Earl of Shrewsbury and Ambrose Phillips were beginning to loose credibility as bastions of Catholic taste. The argument centered around the use of screens in churches, as we know Pugin considered the rood screen as a vitally important part of the formality and mystery of the church. The feeling was that Pugin came out of the argument rather badly.