Bank Hall
Bretherton Online
"Working To Save
Bank Hall Bretherton"
To access the Bank Hall Archives - Record Book Click Here
This Book contains all the Bank Hall Action Group activities, press releases, events, visitor numbers and the work that has been done since the formation of the Action Group in 1995.
It was a lovely Spring evening when we took our occasional walk down a lane we knew in Bretherton, fresh leaves were bursting out on the tall trees at either side of us and a black bird went through its usual repertoire reminding us that all nature was renewing itself. MY eyes lifted from the rustling brown leaves underfoot to the new green above - the green that only Spring produces. A pheasant silently slid into the bushes like a flash of jewels, a south wind ruffled the upper branches of the trees and the blackbird flew away giving its alarm call. How beautiful and peaceful it was... but now we had come to the usual spot where we always turned back again I was reluctant however as something was pulling and urging me to go on, so I walked on. As I turned the corner a magnificent sight came into view... Bank Hall. It left me stupefied and I stared at the building in disbelief thinking of how many times I had walked down the carriageway and never turned that corer. Patricia Curren Many people before them had taken that same walk, seen the same sad scene and witnessed the magnificent old house dying beneath a tangle of uncontrolled time. The group first gained access to the grounds of Bank Hall in December 1995. There followed 3 solid years of physical work, stripping ivy, removing trees which grew out of the foundations, and clearing the jungle that had once been the gardens. The past ten years has transformed Bank Hall from a tragic lost cause into a beautiful vibrant place, it has been a transitional period which has brought the hall back from the brink of extinction to the point where it is now ready for it's re-birth and a new life. Please View the Bank Hall Time Line Click Here
One day in 1995 a couple, Jack and Pat Curren, were taking a walk through the village of Bretherton in the north of England. They walked gingerly up a long avenue marked "Private" that was obviously the approach to the place of some importance. Reaching the end of the drive they found themselves in a place overhung by yews, wooded, close to the river.
Looking over a locked gate bristling with barbed wire they saw long grass, tall weeds, brambles, nettles, ivy and somewhere, encased in this leafy cage a forlorn palace, a scene from Sleeping Beauty.
Here is Pat's account of the moment that she saw Bank Hall.
Sometime later we returned with our family and they immediately fell under it's spell just had done in spite of the fact that it was badly neglected and in need of urgent repair. My eldest daughter began to make contacts............
They had all walked away, saddened, but resigned. Patricia though could not forget the place. She told her family and friends about the place she had seen. Pat's description was inspiring. Her daughter Diana, sharing her mother's enthusiasm and curiosity contacted the local council and local press, determined to find out more about the mysterious overgrown mansion.
John Quirk, a journalist on the Chorley Guardian took up the baton, running the award-winning "Save Bank Hall" Campaign, raising public awareness, prompting the council to organise an emergency conference to discuss the plight of the building and inspiring like-minded people to form the Bank Hall Action Group.
The first meeting of the group was help in June 1995 and will continue to meet every month until it's work is completed. The group has a committee of officers, a formal constitution and charitable status, being affiliated to the Heritage Trust for the North West.
Since then the grounds have been opened to the public, a visitor centre / museum created, a wide variety of events organised, and continuous conservation work goes on until full reconstruction occurs. The Continuous work done by the Action Group is Gardening, caring for the specimen trees and thinning of the woods, caring for the lawns and flowers, holding Events and sharing the History and the 18 acres of Gardens with the visitors, with the many other jobs and conservation of some of the few remaining artefacts in the building.
The preparation has been long but very rewarding, the work is far from over but this may be the end of the beginning.
