"Winundersham" was the first mention in the Dooms Day Book of 1087 as belonging to "Dot", a Free Man. Howver, it soon passed into the hands of Gilbert de Venables following the Norman Conquest.

Gilbert de VENABLES (Venator, Veneur, Hunter,) was from Venables, Evreux in Normandy in the barony of Le Veneurs, so named because they were hereditary huntsmen to the Dukes of Normandy. Gilbert was a palatine Baron to Hugh Lupus, and held the barony of Kinderton in Cheshire. Many lines and surnames were descended, including the Butlers of Chester. Richard was also palatine Baron of HughLupus, and became Barons of Warrington. Another brother, Raoul, was baron of Chester, held in capite, and ancestor of the Grosvenors, Dukes of Westminster, Earls of Wilton and Lords of Elbury.

The Hunter family moved north into Scotland where William Venator witnessed a charter by Earl David, later King David in 1124 and this family generally assumed the surname of Hunter. Venables became a prominent Cheshire and Lancashire surname, but Hunter had already achieved a large foothold in Cheshire before the move north with the Domesday Book showing Gilbert Hunter holding Brereton, Davenport, Kinderton and Witton (Northwich suburb) and Ralph Hunter holding Stapleford in Cheshire and Soughton in Wales.

During the next 1,000 years the estate passed in and out of the Venables family's ownership through inheritance, married and sale, the main change coming in the 15th century when Frances Venables married Charles Lee whose direct descendants included Charles Lee, the American General in the War of Independence. His decedents also rebuilt the hall at the end of the 19th century.

Sadly, the glory years did not last long and the hall became a ladies college in 1910, which unusually for its day, attracted girls form all around the world including West Africa, Manchuria, India and Chile.

Worse was to come in 1944 when the buildings were used by American troops prior to the D-Day landings, and a general lack of interest following the war, which saw hundreds of stately houses raised to the ground, resulted in the demolition of all but a small part of Wincham Hall which now forms the centre pieces of the hotel.