Speke Hall is one of the best examples of a Tudor timber-framed building in Britain, having remained largely unchanged since the 16th century. The house is set in attractive gardens, which offer panoramic views towards North Wales, and its interior includes furnishings from a variety of periods. Highlights include a priest hole and the Great Hall with its apparently life-size portrait of the ‘Childe of Hale’, John Middleton, who legend says was over nine foot tall.