Brereton Hall

The manor of "Bretune" is listed in Domesday Book, held by the Baron of Kinderton, Gilbert Venables. The name "Brereton" itself comes from the Old English for an "enclosure among the briars".

The entry for the Grade I listing by Historic England reads:<blockquote>1585 altered 1829 and late C19. Stone-dressed brick; leaded roof to front range, slate roofs to cross-wings. The present building suggests a reversed E plan, probably with a great hall behind the gateway forming the central bar, demolished and replaced by an 1829 conservatory.<gallery> File:Brereton Hall.jpg|alt=|Brereton before 1829, showing the cupolas, which were later replaced by battlements File:Brereton Hall 1899.jpg|alt=|Brereton after 1829, showing the battlements which replaced the prior cupolas </gallery>

Sir William Brereton (1550–1631) built the house in 1586, with this date appearing over the entrance. Although the architect is unknown, Sir William modelled the house entirely on Rocksavage – the country home of his guardian Sir John Savage, and Savage's daughter, Margaret – whom Brereton would later marry. Sir Wiliam was created Baron Brereton of Leighlin, Co. Carlow, in 1624. Sir William's grandson, William, 3rd Baron Brereton (1631–1679) became an original Fellow of the Royal Society on 22 April 1663 and was described by Samuel Pepys. His younger son, Francis, 5th Baron Brereton, died a bachelor in 1722, ending the Brereton family male line.

Brereton later became the retreat of a pop star who built a recording studio at the back. Andy Wood purchased Brereton in 2000, and had since been a family home, changing hands several times over the last two decades. Planning permission for a hotel was rejected in 2017, and Brereton Hall has since come up for sale a number of times. Brereton is no longer open to the public.