Historic, Iconic, For Everyone: The incredible Worden Hall is now open

The stunning Grade II listed building - the jewel in the crown of the award-winning Worden Park, was officially re-opened on 30 September following a £2.8 million investment.

The refurbished Hall will be home to stunning event and wedding spaces, community use spaces and a retail unit along with the Folly Coffee House and Deli.

South Ribble Borough Council - when the new administration came into power in May 2019 - pledged to bring the much-loved building back into use after over seven years of underuse, allowing the building to fall into disrepair.

Councillor Paul Foster, Leader of South Ribble Borough Council said, "This is a landmark day for South Ribble. Everyone knows Worden Hall; it's such an iconic place in the borough and generations of residents have a special connection to the building. Some have attended parties there, saw performances, taken part in community activities there, or even got married there.

"People have grown up with the Hall as a backdrop and that's why to see the once incredible building fall into decay was something we couldn't stand for.

"When we came into administration in 2019, bringing this iconic building back into the hands of the people of South Ribble is exactly what we wanted to do, and we've achieved it.

"To see the building like this, with a modern new look, yet respectful to the wealth of history it contains, is such a proud moment and I cannot wait to see local people and those from far and wide using this incredible space."

Anyone interested in hiring the Hall for a wedding, other event, or to use the community spaces can contact wordenhall@southribble.gov.uk and bookings will be taken from Spring 2023.

Worden Hall and Park can now be found on Facebook @wordenhallandpark where regular updates about what's on will be given along with how to continue to register your interest in using the spaces. A brand-new website will also be launched later in the Autumn.

Councillor Foster continued, "This is a new era for Worden Hall, and we hope that everyone can see that we have done the iconic building justice. While it has been modernised to fit the needs of the new generation, original elements have been retained and traditional building methods were used to make sure we were able to conserve its heritage.

"If you look closely on the grounds of the front of the Hall, you can even see the preservation of the old brick outline of the original building.

"I want to thank all of those who have been involved in bringing the Hall back into use, and of course our residents who got involved in our planning and told us exactly what they wanted to see from the new space. The building is yours, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it!"

The landmark refurbishment of the iconic space saw the removal of the central conservatory to make way for a beautiful entrance area and courtyard, damaged windows were replaced and a re-configuration of downstairs rooms has taken place to allow for two new kitchen areas; one which will serve the Folly Cafe and Deli in its new location as part of the Hall and one to serve the new multi-use event space in the iconic Barn.

The Barn is available for small weddings and other events and has new roof windows and lighting.

The Courtyard Hall now links beautifully to the old Derby Wing, the Barn, Folly Café and retail space - transformed from the old stables.

A construction of a new two-storey extension provides full accessibility to the first-floor facilities which include multi-use spaces for community, office and educational use.

03 October 2022