This post, the fifteenth in the series detailing the rooms and contents of Middleton Hall as described in the 1676 inventory, focuses on the rooms involved in textile maintenance. They were called “The Washhouse”, “The Laundry Chamber” and “The Linen Chamber”. In medieval times the washhouse and laundry were the same room, but by the 17th century each of these rooms represented a different isolated stage: the wet Washhouse was where dirty textiles were washed; the dry Laundry

The Georgian Renovation of Middleton Hall was one of two major renovations in its history that completely changed its appearance. It began in 1707 and was not completed until 1762. This Renovation was started by Thomas Willoughby, 1st Lord Middleton, but he could only begin it with the permission of his mother Emma (nee Barnard) because Middleton Hall was still her dower house at that time. Neither Emma nor Thomas nor even Thomas’ son, Francis Willoughby 2nd Lord Middleton, l