Massive £1.3m renovation uncovers heritage beauty of Astley Hall

A renovation project to uncover the hidden beauty of a historic Lancashire landmark has scooped a prestigious Heritage award.

Following a four year scheme of conservation repairs, Astley Hall, in Chorley, has been awarded the Heritage Award from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

The £1.3m project, carried out by Maybank Buildings Conservation LLP included render removal to the front of the Grade 1 listed building revealing brickwork unseen for 200 years. Major window rebuilding and window renewal, roof repairs, internal decoration and more, added to earlier repairs to the first floor and Great Hall.

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The work has preserved the hall for future generations and complemented additional improvements to the visitor journey around the hall, interpretation and creation of a gift shop to enhance the visitor experience, which people have been enjoying since the hall reopened to the public in May 2022.

Caroline Wolfenden, Director of Change and Delivery at Chorley Council said “We’re delighted that Astley Hall has won this award and to have worked with the team at Maybank Buildings Conservation again on this once in a generation renovations project.

“Winning the heritage category at the awards is a testament to our commitment to preserving the region's cultural legacy and we feel our ambitious plans for this project achieved that as we see visitors enjoying its history and hopefully for many years to come.”

The RICS Awards showcase the most inspirational initiatives and developments in land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. They recognise outstanding achievement, teamwork and companies. Regional winners will go head-to-head at the National Awards finals in October.

Geoffrey Maybank of Maybank Buildings Conservation Llp. said: “We’re delighted that the conservation works carried out at Astley Hall have won the RICS (North West Region) Heritage Award. The work was extensive, including intricate structural work to both the interior and exterior of the hall and uncovering parts of history unseen for hundreds of years along the way.

"These repairs will help to extend the life of the hall so that generations to come can enjoy it – something we’re extremely proud to have been involved in.”

Astley Hall, which has recently celebrated 100 years since opening as a museum, is enjoyed by many as they discover the history of the building, those who live and worked there and its outstanding collections. Combined with its stunning walled garden, wider parkland, Coach House Gallery, gift shops, café and more, a visit to Astley Hall and Park makes for a great day out.

The hall also plays an integral part of some of Chorley’s events which are attended by thousands, such as Chorley Flower Show, Astley Illuminated, Picnic in the Park, and in 2021 it played host to some of the world's most powerful and influential politicians as the venue for the G7 Speakers’ Conference.