by Anne Akers
With the re-opening of Calverley’s historic old hall imminent, the Landmark Trust is giving children the chance to explore, design and rebuild the hall for themselves, in Minecraft!
The Trust, a charity which buys historic buildings for holiday lets, is hosting free educational workshops for local children aged between 7 –12 in August. The workshops will give them the opportunity to:
- Experience a guided tour: Discover the rich history and stunning architecture of Calverley Old Hall through an engaging guided tour.
- Take part in discussion & learning: Dive into discussions about historical materials, design elements, and architectural styles.
- Practice creative collaboration: Work together as a team to reimagine and construct Calverley Old Hall in Minecraft, blending creativity with historical accuracy.
Age 7-9: Tuesday 6 or Wednesday 7 August
Age 10–12: Thursday 8 or Friday 9 August
Booking is essential, follow this link. No prior Minecraft experience required. The workshops are provided by ComputerXplorers and are free thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Open for bookings this month!
After more than two years of work thanks to £1.6million funding from the Lottery, the Landmark Trust is starting to take bookings from holidaymakers keen to stay in the Hall. Bookings will open to Landmark Patrons on Tuesday 16 July, Landmark Friends on Tuesday 23 July and to everyone on Saturday 27 July. All online at 9am on the website.
The website gives a sneak preview of the interior of the hall, including the bedroom with rare Tudor wall painting, uncovered during the renovations. The accommodation will sleep eight with two twin and two double rooms. Prices start at £1375 for four nights.
Background
The hall, a Grade 1* listed building started out as a humble timber house in the 12th century. Successive owners made it a more substantial stone building, with the large halls, medieval windows and a chapel added over the centuries. It reached its heyday in Tudor times, with rare wall-paintings uncovered during the renovations.
The glory of the hall and its owners, the Calverley family, came to an abrupt halt in 1605 when Sir Walter Calverley murdered two of his sons there. He was pressed to death. While the family continued to live there, they eventually moved to Esholt and the hall was sold and divided into workers cottages. By 1861, 11 households lived on the site, including in the chapel. Over the next century or so it was converted into a farm, then back to homes. It was hit by fire, theft and vandalism, and was eventually bought by the Landmark Trust in 1982.
The Trust offered accommodation in the former cottages while the older, parts of the building fell into disrepair, putting the hall on Historic England’s At Risk register. The Lottery funding has helped return Calverley Old Hall to its former glory. As well as providing accommodation, the site will also offer a community room for hire and a garden designed with the help of local people.