More than 500 people came to Calverley to see the £1.75million transformation of the Old Hall after it was officially opened by local MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves.
There was a steady stream of visitors on Sunday (6 October), many of them locals, keen to see the result of the three years of work on the Grade 1* listed building. The works were all made possible by £1.5million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The rest has come from other supporters of the Landmark Trust, the charity which owns the building.
The result is barely recognisable from the dilapidated hotch-potch of ancient and newer structures put on English Heritage’s At Risk register. The main hall, which had been divided and subdivided into smaller rooms over the years is now a magnificent kitchen and dining area for up to ten people. The Solar, one of the hall’s oldest rooms, supported internally by scaffolding for years because of safety concerns, is now divided into a comfortable and cosy upper floor lounge, with luxury bedrooms underneath. And there is one special bedroom, which, when the 20th century plaster and boards were removed, revealed rare Tudor wall paintings. These have been restored for 21st century guests to enjoy.
Landmark buys and renovates historic buildings to rent out for holiday lets, while also ensuring local communities can benefit from the works. As well as accommodation for up to ten people, including a fully accessible ensuite bedroom and lift, Landmark has created a community room, which is available to rent, with reduced rates for local groups and charities. The community garden, designed with the help of ideas from the community (although unfortunately not with including the chocolate fountain suggested by one schoolboy!) is open for anyone to use.
While the work has been going on, Landmark has involved the local community by sharing traditional craft skills with volunteers, trainees and apprentices. Masonry and timber were repaired by the collective skill of experts and those altogether new to heritage. Examples can be seen throughout the hall and around the grounds.
The hall will soon be welcoming paying guests, with costs and costs from £1,375 for a four-night midweek break. However, events for the local community will continue. The chapel will also be open to the public regularly.
Background
There has been a building on the Woodhall Road site since the 1300s. Calverley Old Hall 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. Calverley 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 total project cost has been £5.1m.
Read about Sir Walter Calverley and the Calverley Old Hall’s murderous past here.