Rufford Old Hall

About the museum

Rufford Old Hall was the home of the Hesketh family, an ancient Lancashire family, for more than 600 years. Around 1530 Sir Robert Hesketh built a large H-plan house here. The two wings of that building have gone, but the Great Hall that joined them survives, with its carved hammerbeam roof and an unusually large movable screen.

The Heskeths held on to their Catholic faith through the Reformation and the 17th century, which meant living with the risk of fines and suspicion. Under Elizabeth I, Sir Thomas Hesketh served as High Sheriff and kept a company of actors and musicians at the hall, and two of his kinsmen were executed in the 1590s as Catholic conspirators. Later generations changed and added to the house.

The hall, its outbuildings, cottages, garden and about 69 acres of land are all that remain of an estate that once covered 10,000 acres. Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 1st Lord Hesketh, gave the property to the National Trust in 1936. Today visitors can see the Great Hall, rooms with weapons and armour, the Philip Ashcroft collection showing 1930s Lancashire life, and a garden and woodland beside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

Highlights

• Great Hall with a carved hammerbeam roof and a huge movable screen
• Tudor and Jacobean house with five centuries of Hesketh family history
• Philip Ashcroft collection showing everyday life in 1930s Lancashire
• Garden with squirrel-shaped topiary, an orchard and woodland by the canal
• Victorian tea-room and second-hand bookshop

Permanent exhibition

• Rufford Old Hall house – The Tudor and Jacobean house, with its Great Hall, weapons and armour, the Philip Ashcroft collection of 1930s Lancashire life and a 500-year-old screen.

Founded

1936

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

Standard prices from 13 February to 20 December, without Gift Aid. Admission covers the house, garden, woodland, tea-room and second-hand bookshop. From 1 January to 12 February reduced prices apply (adult £6.50, child £3.25, family £16.25). National Trust members enter free.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Wheelchair access inside the house is limited: self-propelled wheelchairs can use the ground floor and the Great Hall, electric wheelchairs and scooters only the Great Hall, and there are several stairs to the first floor with narrow corridors. Most garden paths are hard-surfaced and level, with some gentle slopes and a cobbled courtyard. Designated mobility parking is close to the entrance, there is an adapted toilet in the courtyard and a drop-off point. Induction loops, braille and large-print guides are available, and a visual story helps visitors prepare. Only assistance dogs are allowed in the house.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

The house offers dressing up, and families can borrow a balance bike and use the nature play area in the woodland. Pushchairs are not allowed in the house; they can be left in the Coach House at the owner’s risk, and hip carriers for toddlers can be borrowed. Baby changing is in the courtyard toilets. A sensory resource station and quiet space are available on request, and the tea-room offers children’s lunchboxes.

Getting there & parking

The hall is on the A59, reached from junction 27 of the M6 by following signs for Parbold and then Rufford. It is next to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and National Cycle Network Route 62 passes less than 2 miles away.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

A Victorian tea-room with indoor and outdoor seating serves hot food, sandwiches, snacks and cakes. A second-hand bookshop is in the Coach House. Picnic tables are in the courtyard and paddocks.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit