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Astley Hall fully reopens after £400k restoration

Ollie Samuels,Lancashireand
Haider Saleem,North West
BBC Exterior of Astley Hall. A large historic red-brick building with pale stone detailing around its numerous leaded windows. In front of the hall is a rain-soaked paved driveway. There are overcast grey sky, with green lawns. BBC
The Grade I-listed Astley Hall in Chorley has fully reopened following a £400,000 restoration project

A historic house in Lancashire has fully reopened following a £400,000 restoration.

Astley Hall, a Grade I-listed building in Chorley, welcomed visitors back into previously closed rooms after the final phase of a six-year restoration programme.

The work has allowed historic furniture and artwork to be back on display, while bedrooms have been furnished to reflect life at the hall more than 170 years ago.

Chorley MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle described Astley Hall as "one of Lancashire's best-kept secrets", admitting he was "totally biased".

The restoration focused on the West Wing, a section of the house built in about the 1570s for the local Charnock family.

A richly decorated historic bedroom at Astley Hall, with dark carved wooden wall. The bed has green curtains hanging from its carved wooden canopy, white pillows and patterned bedding. Museum rope barriers separating the exhibits from the open wooden floor.
The restoration has allowed historic furniture and collection items to be shown to visitors

The Stucco Bedroom and Cromwell Bedroom have been refreshed and furnished to reflect life in 1852, when Lady Susannah Hoghton lived at the hall, Chorley Council said.

Museum curator Amy Dearnaley said timber had begun to deteriorate before the restoration, with staff having to move furniture and other objects out of the way.

She also highlighted the Oak Bedroom, which contains an Elizabethan bed she described as one of the finest examples from its time.

A recreated historic kitchen at Astley Hall, featuring a large arched brick fireplace built into a thick stone surround. The fireplace is illuminated by a warm red-orange glow, with old cooking equipment.
The hall's kitchen display was recreated using historical photographs and records

She said the hall's kitchen display had previously been recreated using photographs from the early 1900s and historical inventories. Items had been sourced to match those pictured, down to a birdcage.

A Room of Reflection has also been newly arranged with artworks and objects from the Second World War.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the MP for Chorley, speaks inside an ornately decorated room at Astley Hall. He has short white hair and is wearing a dark suit jacket, white shirt and a diagonally striped tie.
Chorley MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle described Astley Hall as "one of Lancashire's best-kept secrets"

Sir Lindsay said the hall, set within Astley Park near Chorley town centre, was an important part of the town's history and praised the council's continued investment in preserving it.

"It's a beautiful building, wonderful place, great for exhibitions, great for bringing people together, but it's the history of this as well," he said.

A view across a lake in Astley Park, Chorley, with a large white fountain spraying several high arcs of water from the centre of the lake.
Astley Hall stands within Astley Park, close to Chorley town centre

Chorley Council said the £400,000 project was funded by its own investment alongside £100,000 from the Wolfson Foundation, £34,000 from the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund and £5,000 from the Friends of Astley Hall.

The council's deputy leader, Peter Wilson, said preserving the building was only part of the aim: it also needed to be open for people to enjoy and learn about its history.

Upcoming events include The Longest Yarn exhibition in November and Christmas activities at the hall.

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