New lease of life for magnificent hall

Worden Old Hall, in Buckshaw Village, near Chorley, is the perfect example of a building that has been rescued from the ‘at risk’ register. The magnificent Grade II* listed property began life as the home of the Farrington family and by the mid 17th century was one of the most important homes in Lancashire and much larger than the structure that stands today.

But in the 18th century its size and status was reduced to that of a tenanted farmhouse and the family moved into the neighbouring hall as their main residence.

Many parts were demolished and by the early 20th century the building was in a poor condition.

In 1936 the government established Royal Ordnance Factory, Chorley, an ammunitions factory complex, which encompassed Worden Old Hall, and it appears that the building was used for storage during that period.

Over the years it gradually fell into a state of dereliction and in the 1970s it was listed as a Grade II* Listed Building and in need of protection.

When Barratt and Redrow Homes began to develop the 395-acre former ROF site, for a mixed-use urban village, Worden Old Hall was in a dangerous condition. A portion of the south west wall had collapsed, other walls were unstable, the roof was leaking and the floors were unsafe.

In 2002 the building was shored and propped up to allow safe access for surveying and an adjoining single-storey ROF building was removed to return the hall to a detached building.

Simon Malam of Donald Insall Associates, the specialist architects for the project, says: “Worden Old Hall, is a good example of how a derelict historic building can be given a new lease of life.

“Original features dating back to 1509 have been restored to their former glory in this spectacular old building which has now been given a new purpose as a modern family home. We have retained as much historic material as possible and the timber frame of the original hall survives.

“Repairs to the oak frame were carried out by skilled craftsmen using traditional techniques and traditional materials such as lime plaster and lime mortar were used throughout and discreet techniques were used throughout.”

The restoration work began in 2004 and was completed in February 2007 and now this magnificent five-bedroom property, set in a quarter of an acre, is on the market.

Visitors to Worden Old Hall, which would make a stunning family home, step into the grand entrance hall. To the left is a study and a large dining room, with original features.

A large kitchen nestles in the centre, with a magnificent Aga cooker and a large chimney breast – yet another spectacular original feature.

There is a large lounge, a small room, which could be a reading room or another office, a downstairs toilet and a utility room, plus a ‘mud’ room for dropping your boots when you have been in the garden.

Two of the five bedrooms have full en-suite bathrooms, and a third has an en-suite shower room. There is also a family bathroom on the first floor.

Fruit trees and large bushes are to be planted in the grounds to give privacy to the beautiful building.

Buckshaw Village, at Euxton, near Chorley, has something for people on all stages of the property ladder from affordable properties from Redrow’s Debut range and Barratt’s I-Pod collection, both created especially – though not exclusively – for first time buyers, to detached family homes.

The village features a combination of new homes, employment, shopping and leisure facilities.

Worden Old Hall is priced at £799,950. Part exchange will be considered.

For more information, visit Redrow.co.uk or Barratthomes.co.uk.