Astley Hall works confirmed

Urgent repair work is set to be carried out to fix damage caused by rotting timber in Chorley’s Astley Hall.

A £282,000 project will see the renovation of the West Wing of the much-loved landmark, which turned 100 this year.

Chorley Council says it will ensure the hall remains open during the work “where possible”.  It is expected to take five months to complete and will likely start in March next year.

The site was shut for two years back in 2020 when another major refurbishment was undertaken.

The West Wing works are necessary in order to repair the timber frame and infill panels of the building’s west wall.

The panels have failed as a result of what a council report describes as “inappropriate material” used back in the 1950’s.  Poor surface water run-off from the roof has added to the problem, meaning that it, too, will have to be re-designed.

Rainwater currently flows directly off the panels onto the oak wall frame – and some of the panels themselves have started to fall out of position after timber rails shrank because of rot.

Repairs are now required to prevent “over-wetting”, secure the fabric of the hall and protect its “historic interiors and collections”, the report, which was presented to a meeting of the full council, states.

The work has been made possible after the borough authority secured a £100,000 grant from the Wolfson Foundation, a charity which provides support to sectors including the arts and humanities.  Chorley Council will stump up £177,000, while the Friends of Astley Hall have raised a £5,000 contribution.

It follows failed attempts to win funding from the Arts Council and the Museum Estate Development Fund, with bids to the latter being rejected because the structure is not on the ‘buildings at risk’ register.

The council says securing cash for the renovation of a building not deemed at risk shows Astley Hall is regarded as being of “significant culture and heritage”.

Opposition group leader Alan Platt welcomed the successful bid, but noted the propensity for refurbishment projects at the hall to “slip over the budget”

Deputy council leader Peter Wilson acknowledged repair costs “can always go up” when dealing with historic buildings, but said he was currently “satisfied” that the £282,000 budget and contingency would be sufficient.

The West Wing repairs will mark the fourth and final phase of a suite of repairs that began back eight years ago and which have so far cost more than £2m.