Astley Hall
Free Grade I listed country house in Chorley's Astley Park, with ornate 17th-century plaster ceilings, period rooms and furniture from four owning families.
Alleen afzonderlijke secties laten voorlezen
Over het museum
Astley Hall dates from the late 16th century, when the Charnock family built a timber-framed house around a courtyard on land acquired in the 15th century. The Hall seen today dates mainly from the 1570s, with major additions in the 1600s and 1820s. In 1665 Margaret Charnock married Richard Brooke, who added the grand brick front range, and Robert Townley Parker added a south wing in 1825. The interior is known for its mid-17th-century plaster ceilings, painted panelling and fine oak furniture.
The four families who lived at the Hall were the Charnocks, the Brookes, the Townley-Parkers and the Tattons. In 1922 Reginald Tatton gave the house and its contents to Chorley Corporation as a memorial to local men killed in the First World War, and it has been run as a museum since. Most of the furniture, paintings and furnishings came with the house.
The Hall stands in Astley Park, the town's landscaped park, together with the restored Coach House, which holds a free gallery and a cafe, and a walled garden. In 2026 Chorley Council began the final phase of a multi-year conservation programme on the west wing, which includes the Tudor Kitchen and the Cromwell and Stucco bedrooms. While this work continues, only parts of the ground floor in the east wing are open to visitors, and entry is free.
Hoogtepunten
- Mid-17th-century plaster ceilings in the Great Hall and drawing room
- Rare painted panelling and fine English oak furniture
- Portraits of the Charnock, Brooke, Townley-Parker and Tatton families
- Elizabethan internal courtyard
- Free Coach House Gallery
- Astley Park with walled garden, lake and play areas
Vaste collectie
- Astley Hall and its collections – Period rooms with plaster ceilings, painted panelling, oak furniture and family portraits; during restoration only parts of the ground floor in the east wing are shown.
- Opgericht
- 1922
- Beheerder
- Chorley Council
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
De toegang is gratis.
| Groepen | £ 10 p.p.Coach trip package with coach parking, a guided tour of the hall and driver refreshments, £10 per person; self-guided group visits are free during general opening hours. |
|---|
Admission to the hall and the Coach House Gallery is free.
Toegankelijkheid
- Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
- Lift: niet aanwezig
- Aangepast toilet
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
- Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
- Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
- Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
- Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
- Audiodescriptie: geen informatie
The ground floor of the hall is accessible to wheelchair users, with flagged, wooden and carpeted floors. There is no lift in the hall, so the first and second floors cannot be reached by those unable to climb stairs; additional information materials are available on request, and there is no hearing loop. Video elements are subtitled and background music can be turned off on request. The Coach House has a lift to the first-floor gallery and a RADAR key toilet on the ground floor (key from Cafe Ambio). Paths from the car park to the hall and Coach House are level gravel or tarmac, and main paths in the park are accessible. Public toilets in the Farm House and Coach House are open 8:00 to 16:30 daily.
Kinderen & gezin
Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen
- Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
- Speeltuin / speelhoek
Astley Park has play areas including the Royalists' Retreat and toddler play areas, with a pavilion cafe nearby, and a free Coach House Gallery. Schools sessions linked to the National Curriculum are offered.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met het openbaar vervoer
Chancery Road bus stop
Regular buses from surrounding areas serve Chorley, and buses run regularly from Chorley bus station to Chancery Road. Chorley railway station (Blackpool, Preston and Manchester line) is about 20 minutes' walk away through the Park Road entrance, and Euxton Balshaw Lane station is about 30 minutes' walk.
Met de auto
Parkeerplaats aanwezig · 300 m naar de ingang
Hallgate car park, about 300 m from the front of the hall, and Ackhurst Lodge car park off Southport Road; tariffs are on the Chorley Council website. Chorley town centre car parks are an alternative, some free after 13:00 on Saturdays and all day Sunday.
Sat nav postcode PR7 1XA. From junction 8 of the M61, follow tourist signs through Astley Village to the Hallgate entrance off Chancery Road, which is closest to the hall, the Coach House and the cafe. The park can also be entered on foot from Park Road, from Queens Road car park or via Ackhurst Lodge on Southport Road.
Route plannenService & horeca
- Café
- Restaurant: niet aanwezig
- Museumwinkel
Cafe Ambio in the Coach House serves breakfast, lunch, cakes and afternoon tea, and Barrica in the Park in the Farm House offers local food and drink, wines and crafts. The Astley Hall Museum gift shop and information centre also displays burial urns about 3,000 years old found at the site. Public toilets are by the Coach House and Farm House.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
- Ruimtes te huur
- Bruiloften / trouwceremonies
Weddings are offered at Astley Hall, Coach House and Park.
Aanvragen & detailsJe bezoek plannen
| Rondleidingen | ja |
|---|---|
| Aanbod voor scholen | ja |
| Goed om te weten | Group and coach visits can be self-guided during opening hours or guided on days when the hall is closed to the public; coach visits must be booked in advance. Sessions linked to the National Curriculum are offered to primary and secondary schools. A virtual tour of the hall is available online. Researchers can ask to see items in storage by appointment. |
