Ordsall Hall

Salford is a city full of surprises, and not the least significant of these is the magnificent Ordsall Hall, a Grade I listed Tudor manor house slap bang in the middle of a housing estate.

The first ever recording of the hall was back in 1177 so you can see why this lovingly restored building earned its Grade I status. The two-year restoration - all £6.5 million of it - allowed Ordsall Hall to re­open in 2011 with better public facilities including a couple of lifts, repaired features and beautiful grounds, all combining for a delightful attraction.

Ordsall Hall has a number of significant rooms and features warranting attention from anyone with a passing interest in the nation's history and heritage. In the east wing there are surviving examples of medieval domestic quarters, as well as six pieces of stained glass from the same period. The Great Hall is one of the largest open timber framed structures in the region and the restoration of the Italian plaster ceiling room is quite lovely. As you'd imagine, it's a great resource for young, inquisitive minds.

The garden grounds surrounding the hall are wonderful for a family picnic or short stroll, and reflect the variety of eras through which the building has managed to survive.

But beware, Ordsall Hall is famous for something else, something altogether more mysterious. A lady cloaked in white haunts the corridors and a young girl is sometimes spotted on the stairs to the Great Hall. There's a ghost cam set up that you can watch online, and regular ghost nights allow a small number of believers to come over all Ghostbusters until the small hours. Spooky.