By Anne Akers
Animated images and sounds telling the story of Calverley’s historic Old Hall were projected on to the building in a film made by a Yorkshire-based artist – and visitors to September’s open day.
Workshops held by Dawn Feather, who runs Yorkshire Edit, took images inspired by the Hall created by visitors to the open day and put them together with audio made by Bradford College students.
The short animation was played on a loop for two evenings this week.
Despite the heavy rain, dozens of visitors stood to watch the show and then visit the Hall itself.
The show is one of many events held at the hall throughout the year. Future events include a wax ring carving workshop in March and open days in May.
Calverley Old Hall, which is owned by the Landmark Trust featured on More4’s Historic House Rescue in May 2025. The one-hour programme, which shows how the hall was transformed, is still available on More4’s view again site.
Background
Calverley Old Hall dates back to the 1300s. The site now includes a 14th-century Solar Block, a late 15th-early 16th century Great Hall and Chapel (both also featuring 17th-century alterations), plus a 16th-century Parlour Block and Lodging Block. The Old Hall was acquired by the Landmark Trust’s founder in 1981 with several long-term tenants still in occupation, meaning Landmark could only restore a small portion of the site (which itself operated as a holiday let between 1984 and 2021) and weatherproof the rest.
In 2017 Landmark launched an international architectural competition to find a forward-looking and environmentally sustainable solution for the entire site, and works began in 2021. The Hall was re-opened in 2025 and is available as a a holiday let for up to 10 people. There is also a community room which can be hired, with discount rates for local organisations. The total project cost was £5.1m.
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