History
The land on which the house stands has been in the possession of the de Hoghton family from at least the 12th century. The family descends from Harvey de Walter, who was a companion of William the Conqueror, and the name de Hoghton was assumed in 1150. The present building dates from about 1560–65, and was built for Thomas de Hoghton, replacing an earlier house on or near the same site. King James I stayed in the house for three days in 1617. In 1643 the house was damaged by Parliamentary forces during the Civil War, and in 1692–1702 Sir Charles de Hoghton carried out repairs and rebuilding. The family ceased to live in the house from 1768, and it was rented to local farmers. It was derelict by the middle of the 19th century. Sir Henry de Hoghton, the 9th Baronet, inherited the estate in 1862 and decided to restore the house. It is not known who carried out the earlier part of the restoration, but by 1876 the Lancaster architects Paley and Austin were involved, having carried out work on rooms including the banqueting hall. Sir Henry died in 1876, and restoration work was continued by his brother, Charles, the 10th Baronet, although the house was not ready for him to take up residence until 1880. By that time Paley and Austin had restored the gateway tower and the adjacent walls (1877), designed an entrance lodge (1878), carried out work on the offices in the east wing, built a new kitchen, a new underground service corridor, and made other alterations (1879–80). Further work on the stables and farm buildings was carried out by the Blackburn architect James Bertwistle. Sir Charles died in 1893, and from 1896 to 1901 the London architect Robert Dudley Oliver added nursery accommodation, a smoking room, a billiards room and a large drawing room (later used as the ballroom).
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