The Great Hall at Mains is a timber-framed building, built to replicate an original Banqueting Hall that was on this exact spot over 500 years ago and - despite its new appearance, beneath us, lie several hundred years of history...if not more.

Royal Love Nest…?

George IV

The original Hall has also been home to many other famous local families including the Fitzherbert – Brockholes, the most famous of which was Maria Fitzherbert, mistress and later, 'wife' to George IV. Mrs Fitzherbert, a stately beauty, was twice widowed by the age of twenty-five. Maria, a staunch Catholic, had connections with Mains Hall through her marriage to Colonel Fitzherbert, her second husband, whose relatives resided at the Hall.

The Prince Regent – later to become George IV, torn between love and duty, illicitly courted the young Maria away from the gossip and speculation of London society. It has been suggested by some historical sources, that the Prince visited her here at the Mains estate. One can almost imagine the two lovers walking hand in hand here within the grounds in happier times. The lengthy courtship was followed by a secret marriage lasting nine years.

However, the marriage was dissolved by an Act of Parliament in 1795 in order for the Prince to marry the Princess Caroline of Brunswick… apparently a much 'better match', for no Prince could inherit the throne if married to a Catholic.