Looking Back – Scruton Hall

by The Time Traveller

Sixty years ago, the contents of Scruton Hall were sold at a 3-day auction and the old house sadly demolished. A recently obtained sale catalogue of the contents has revealed that the Hall was rich in antique furniture, silverware, an extensive library and many paintings, some by Poussin, Lely, Ramsay and Kneller. Paintings of Samuel and Roger Gale are known to have been bought at the auction by the Society of Antiquaries. Roger Gale (1672-1744) was the first vice-president of the Society and Samuel Gale (1682-1754) was the Society’s first Treasurer and a godson of Pepys.

Perhaps the Gale’s interest in antiques goes some way to explain the eclectic mix of contents at Scruton Hall. The Hall & estate ultimately passed to the Coore family in 1876 when heiress Harriet Gale married Lt. Col Lechmere Coore.