March 18, 2016 - News
An exciting project to restore an Elizabethan country house in East Lancashire has just been completed. Extensive refurbishment has been carried out on Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham over the past eight months. Months of painstaking work has been carried out to repair decaying external stonework and windows at the Grade I-listed building as well as other internal and external remedial works to restore the building fabric to its original condition. The vital works, commissioned by Lancashire County Council Museum Service, were undertaken to restore the stunning façade on the hall’s south, north and west elevations. The hall, which is operated on behalf of the National Trust, remained closed to the public throughout the programme of works.
Gawthorpe Hall holds the North West’s largest collection of portraits, and collections of intricate lace, embroidery and needlework. The hall, described as “an Elizabethan gem in the heart of industrial Lancashire”, is situated on the banks of the River Calder. The hall is sometimes referred to as the “Downton of the North”, although not so grand, Gawthorpe was redesigned by Sir Charles Barry who also redesigned Highclere Castle, the filming location for ITV’s Downton Abbey.
Michael Conlon, Chairman said:
We have a lot of experience in heritage projects and understand the skill, materials and budgets required to deliver this project of this nature. Thanks to TV programmes such as Downton Abbey, there’s a renewed interest in stately homes, so we’re pleased to have delivered a programme of work that will further extend the life of the building.
County Councillor Marcus Johnstone said:
Gawthorpe Hall is a very special building that we operate on behalf of the National Trust. Due to its importance, we’ve invested a significant amount of money in the conservation project to preserve it for the future.