SD6911 : The Solar Room, Smithills Hall
taken 9 years ago, 3 km from Toppings, Bolton, England

The furniture dates from the seventeenth century. The carved wooded cover over the bed is called a tester; when in use, the curtains would be drawn around the bed to keep out draughts.
Smithills Hall is a manor house, standing on the slopes of the moors above, two miles north west of the town centre. It is one of the oldest manor houses in the north west of England; its oldest parts, including the great hall, date from the 15th century and it has been since been altered and extended particularly the west part.
The hall is owned by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council . The oldest parts were opened to the public as a museum in 1963, and in the 1990s, the museum was extended into some of the Victorian extensions. The west wing was restored by the council in 1999. It is Grade I-listed (List Entry Number: 1388279 LinkHeritage Gateway)
LinkSmithills History (Bolton Museum)