Astley Hall, Chorley Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Astley Hall
Astley Hall Museum and Art Gallery
Astley Hall in 2022, after restoration
Type	Manor house
Location	Chorley, Lancashire
Built	c.1570 onwards
Architectural style(s)	Elizabethan and Jacobean
Owner	Chorley Borough Council
Website	chorley.gov.uk/astleyhall

Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: 21 December 1966
Designated	Astley Hall
Reference no.	1362068


National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
Official name: Astley Hall
Designated	1 April 1986
Reference no.	1000943


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One of a pair of stone lions flanking the entrance.

The 17th-century stone entrance facade (before restoration to the original brickwork).

Astley Hall is a beautiful old country house in Chorley, Lancashire, England. Today, it's owned by the town and is known as the Astley Hall Museum and Art Gallery. The large, pretty gardens around it are now called Chorley's Astley Park. It's a great place to visit and learn about history!

A Look Back: Astley Hall's Story
Who Owned Astley Hall?
Astley Hall Today
- Restoration Work
Gallery
See also

A Look Back: Astley Hall's Story

Building a Grand Home

The land where Astley Hall stands was bought in the 1400s by the Charnock family. They built the first timber-framed house there around 1575-1600. Later, in 1665, Margaret Charnock married Richard Brooke. They added the grand front part of the house. This section is made of brick and has huge bay windows. The front door has unique columns, which were quite old-fashioned for the time.

Amazing Inside Details

The inside of Astley Hall is very special. The ceilings in the Great Hall and drawing room have incredible plasterwork from the mid-1600s. You can see heavy wreaths and playful cherubs (little angels) carved into the plaster. Some parts of the decorations are even made from lead and leather!

The staircase from the same time period is also impressive. It has detailed carvings of leaves and flowers.

Paintings of Famous People

The lower walls of the hall are covered with wooden panels. These panels have paintings of interesting historical figures. You'll see famous leaders like Elizabeth I and Philip II of Spain. There are also explorers like Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan. Even Muslim rulers like Bajazet and Mohammed II are shown. It's thought these paintings might be older than the rest of the house's decorations.

The Long Gallery and Shovelboard Table

On the top floor, the entire width of the house is taken up by a long room called the Long Gallery. This room holds a very rare and impressive shovelboard table. It's an amazing 23.5 feet (about 7 meters) long! Shovelboard was a popular game long ago, a bit like shuffleboard today.

Changes Over Time

Over the years, the house passed through different families. In 1825, Robert Townley Parker added a new south wing. He also covered the outside of the house with stucco, which is a type of plaster.

Becoming a Museum

In 1922, a man named Reginald Tatton gave Astley Hall and everything inside it to Chorley Corporation (now Chorley Council). He did this to remember the local men who died in World War I. Since then, Astley Hall has been a museum for everyone to enjoy. It has beautiful old oak furniture, tapestries from Flanders, and wooden panels.

Oliver Cromwell's Visit?

There's a fun rumour that Oliver Cromwell, a famous English leader, stayed at Astley Hall in the 1600s. This was during the Battle of Preston (1648). People say he even left his boots behind! While research suggests the boots might not be his, it doesn't mean he didn't visit the Hall.

The Park and Gardens

The grounds around Astley Hall are also beautiful. They were designed by John Webb and include a small lake. A pretty stream winds through a wooded area.

Recently, the park, coach house, and walled garden were renovated. This project brought back old features like a "ha-ha" (a hidden ditch that acts as a fence). The lake was cleaned, and the coach house was updated. The Coach House now has a new art gallery and a café and gift shop.

Hosting Important Meetings

In 2021, Astley Hall was chosen for a very important meeting: the G7 Speakers' Meeting. The Speaker of the UK House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, picked the Hall for this event. Important leaders from countries like the USA, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, and Japan attended. They discussed important topics like "Secure versus Open Parliaments?"

Who Owned Astley Hall?

Astley Hall has had many owners over the centuries. Here's a list of some of them:

Robert Charnock (died 1616)
Richard Charnock MP (died 1648–1653)
Margaret Charnock, wife of Richard Brooke (1648/53-1715)
Peter Brooke, son (1715–21)
Thomas Brooke, brother (1721–34)
Richard Brooke, son (1734–48)
Peter Brooke, brother (1748–86)
Peter Brooke, son (1786–87)
Susannah Brooke, sister, wife of Thomas Townley Parker (1787-?)
Robert Townley Parker, son (?-1879)
Thomas Townley Parker, son (1879–1906)
Reginald Arthur Tatton, nephew (1906–22)
Chorley Borough Council (1922–present)

Astley Hall Today

Today, Chorley Council owns and manages Astley Hall. It's open to the public as a museum on weekends. You can also rent it for special events. There's a small fee to enter, which helps keep the Hall running. It's cheaper for local children and adults from Chorley.

Restoration Work

In 2020, a big project began to restore Astley Hall to how it looked originally. This involved removing the plaster (render) that covered the building's outside. The restoration cost about £1.1 million and also included fixing up the inside. The Hall reopened on May 21, 2022, looking amazing after all the work!