Saighton Grange

Saighton Grange originated as a monastic grange. It was later converted into a country house and, as of 2013, the building is used as a school (Abbey Gate College). It is located in Saighton, Cheshire, England. The only surviving part of the monastic grange is the gatehouse, which is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is one of only two surviving monastic manorial buildings in Cheshire, the other being Ince Manor. The rest of the building is listed at Grade II, as is its chapel.HistoryThe manor of Saighton was held by the secular canons of St Werburgh in Chester before the Norman conquest. In the Domesday Book it is listed as Saltone. In 1093 it was granted to the Benedictine monks of St Werburgh's Abbey by Hugh Lupus. The site was given a licence to crenellate in 1399, and this was confirmed in 1410, but the privilege was apparently not acted upon: "Saighton was primarily an agricultural centre until it was converted to residential use in the fifteenth century". The manor house was built about 1489 for Simon Ripley, Abbot of St Werburgh's. Following the dissolution of the monasteries the manor passed through several hands and in time the house was separated from the manor. In the 1840s the house was bought by the 2nd Marquess of Westminster.