Gawsworth New Hall, Macclesfield, Cheshire, England

The Gawsworth Old Hall should prompt the question as to whether there is a newer counterpart and there is. Its cleaner lines rob it of the sort of character that makes the old hall so endearing. In fact, it could fit with a bunch of Georgian townhouses in any city. The newer building dates from 1712 by a Lord Mohun in 1712. Having married a joint heiress to the property, he got into dispute with the Duke of Hamilton, who had married another. Their decision to settle the matter with a duel now looks foolhardy because neither survived it. Sharing the property would have been a better outcome so one is left to wonder if compromise ever reached the negotiating table. These days, the Richards family own both halls and live in the newer one, which is not open to the public. It once was photographed by the famous early twentieth century postcard photographer Francis Frith, apparently more out of a friendship than anything else. Eerily, the building doesn't look much different in his photo to how it appears today.