Description:The oak carved Staircase was installed by the Second Baronet, Sir Charles Wolseley (1630-1714) during renovation of the Hall and grounds. The famous travel writer Celia Fiennes (Lady Wolseley’s niece) visited during one of her journeys and remarked on the “very good staircase, well wanscoated and carv’d with good pictures”. Later the seventh Baronet, also Sir Charles (1769-1846) dismantled the staircase and then the eighth Baronet, another Sir Charles (1813-1854) put it back. This latter Sir Charles was a fine wood carver and made several sections of the staircase lost in its earlier removal.
The Wolseley family had lived on the estate since Norman times. In the eighteenth century Wolseley Hall was rebuilt, but suffered from a serious fire in the early 1950s. In 1954 the Hall was in a great state of disrepair and abandoned by the family, who took up residence in nearby Wolseley Park House. Wolseley Hall was demolished around 1965. The estate remained derelict until 1990, when the gardens were restored as Wolseley Garden Park. The site later became home to Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.
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