Description:The oak carved staircase, probably by Edward Pierce (1630-95) about 1677, with soft-wood panels, said to be by Grinllng Gibbons, (1648-1721), was installed by the 2nd 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 wainscoted and carv’d with good pictures”. Later the 7th Baronet, also Sir Charles (1769-1846) removed the staircase and then the 8th 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.
This photograph was taken immediately prior to the auction of fittings & demolition of the Hall.
The Wolseley family had lived on the estate since pre-Norman times. Permission was given to build, fortify and crenellate a Wolseley Hall in 1469. The Hall was completely altered by the 7th Baronet c.1821 to a Gothic design by local architect, James Trubshaw. This design was considered a 'monstrosity': major ground floor rooms had no internal access except via a temporary lean-to. Marital financial problems led the 9th Baronet to sell most of the remaining contents, including some ancestral portraits, of the Hall and several hundred acres of the estate in 1919 . When the 19th Baronet moved into the hall it was described as being almost derelict and inhabited by chickens. However, despite the 'Depression', he managed to recover it to a habitable state. In 1936 he inherited other Wolseley possessions from Frances, daughter of Field Marshall Sir Garnet Wolseley, a member of the Irish branch of the family. Some of the silver presentation items were donated to the County Museum at Shugborough. A serious fire occurred in 1933. In 1954 the Hall was in a great state of disrepair and abandoned by the family, who took up residence in their nearby Dower-House, re-named Wolseley Park House. After failing to find a tenant or obtain grants Wolseley Hall was boarded up in 1956 awaiting a decision on its future by the 11th Baronet when he came of age in 1965. In 1959 The National Trust declined to take it over due to its condition and lack of architectural or historic interest to them. In 1962 the Trustees of the Estate decided that the only financial option was to demolish the hall which occurred in 1966.
The estate remained derelict until 1990, when the gardens were restored as Wolseley Garden Park but the financial recession prevented the its completion due to lack of funding from the banks.The site later became home to Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.
Prior to the demolition of the Hall. the staircase was removed and auctioned by Evans & Evans of Stafford. A 1975 correspondent with 'Country Life' magazine who queried its current whereabouts, stated it had been purchased by the owner of Bolham House, Tiverton but never erected and its present location was unknown.