From the late 14th century, it was owned by the Davenports, who built the present house and remained lords of the manor for about 500 years.

Following a local government reorganisation in 1974, Bramall Hall is now owned by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, which describes it as "the most prestigious and historically significant building in the Bramhall Park Conservation Area.

"[1] The name "Bramall" means "nook of land where broom grows" and is derived from the Old English noun brōm meaning broom, the yellow-flowered shrub common in the area, and the Old English noun halh, which has several meanings—including nook, secret place and valley—that could refer to Bramall.

With Cheadle and Norbury, Bramall was one of three places described in the Domesday Book that today lie within the modern-day Metropolitan Borough of Stockport.

[4] The Davenports were a family of significant landowners in the north-west of England whose antecedents can be traced back to the time of the Norman conquest.

Orm de Davenport lived close to what is now Marton in Cheshire, and his name derives from the Norman French Dauen-port meaning "the town on the trickling stream", referring to his home on the River Dane.

[9] It is possible that he was heavily involved in the final battle of the Wars of the Roses at Bosworth and thereby instrumental in gaining the crown for Henry VII,[10] who rewarded him with a pension of 20 marks per year payable for his lifetime.

[11] According to Dean, it was during this first William's tenure that Bramall may have been vandalised by a man named Randle Hassall, who destroyed all or part of nine houses and stole the timber.

[9] The third William Davenport, who succeeded his father of the same name in 1541, took part in what later became known as The Rough Wooing, a series of attacks against Scotland ordered by Henry VIII.

[14] On 22 April 1603, the fifth William Davenport was knighted by James I and VI at Newark (where the king was staying on his journey from Edinburgh to London) and later became the High Sheriff of Cheshire and a commissioner of the Hundred of Macclesfield.

[20] William Davenport was at one point charged with delinquency, and ordered to pay a fine of £750 (equivalent to £160,000 in 2025),[19][21] and soldiers continued to use Bramall Hall because of its convenience.

Many changes were made to the house during his tenure, including the dismantling of the gatehouse side of the courtyard and the long gallery, the latter of which may have been done because of their being considered unsafe.

[24] Humphreys, a naval captain, had married Maria Davenport in 1810, and lived at Bramall Hall long before he succeeded his father-in-law.

[24] He became widely respected in the Stockport area, but following his succession to the estate in 1829, there were disputes from other members of the Davenport family who claimed a right to the property.

Her eldest son, William Davenport, married firstly to Camilla Maria Gatt and then secondly to Diana Handley,[24] who he lived with at Bramall for four years before the estate was passed to him.

[34] John's whereabouts during Christy's seven-year tenure is unknown, though he was shown as a visitor at Bramall in 1871, and in 1874 became the first chairman of the Bramhall School Board.

The furniture was auctioned,[36] while the house itself and rest of the Bramall estate (totalling 1,918 acres (7.8 km2)) was sold to the Freeholders Company Limited, a Manchester property development firm, on 3 August 1877 for £200,000 (about £23.8 million in 2025).

[38] It remained empty until 1882 when it was purchased by Thomas Nevill, a local industrialist whose wealth came from calico printing, for his son, Charles.

[39] While living in the house, Charles Nevill commissioned substantial restoration and remodelling, making the interior more comfortable while retaining most of the building's external features,[40] under the direction of architect George Faulkner Armitage.

[41] The landscape of the grounds was redesigned,[42] and a new stable was built along with a west and east lodge, housing the coachman and head gardener respectively.

[45] Thomas Nevill, Charles' nephew and adopted son, inherited the estate in 1916,[39] but decided to sell it following financial difficulties after the First World War.

The house and grounds were used for various functions, such as the proclamation of George VI succeeding his brother King Edward VIII to the throne.

The estate is now the property of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC), which acquired it in 1974, following local government reorganisation.

[59] Events and club meetings are held in the house and grounds throughout the year,[59] and local schools often visit to experience life in a particular era.

[59] The house is licensed for wedding and civil partnership ceremonies,[60] and has been used as a background for television series and films, including Prank Patrol, Cash in the Attic, Coronation Street, The Making of a Lady and The Last Vampyre.

[3] According to Alfred Burton, who wrote about Bramhall in the late 19th century, the house has not always been in the present location, and was originally at Crow Holt Wood.

This theory was rejected by another historian, Frederick Moorhouse, who became convinced in 1909 that Crow Holt Wood was a place where animals would have been taken to be sorted.

The black and white appearance from the timber framing construction dates from the Tudor period, though some parts have been repaired in later years.

Its walls are panelled with oak, and the timbers that the ceiling is constructed of are decorated with cross and rose shapes dating from the Victorian era.

[3] It fell into disrepair after its closure between 1869 and 1890, and was restored by Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council, following its purchase of the property in 1935, and religious services began to be held there again.