Conlon lands ‘Downton of North’ project

CONLON Construction has been appointed to deliver a £543,000 conservation project at Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham, near Burnley.

Dubbed the ‘Downton of the North’ thanks to its redesign by Sir Charles Barry, designer of the Houses of Parliament and the ‘real’ Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle, in the 1850s, Gawthorpe Hall will be undergoing much needed maintenance to the fabric of the building.

Built between 1600 and 1605, the hall was home to the Shuttleworth family for more than 300 years. It also houses the North West’s largest collection of portraits on loan from the National Portrait Gallery.

In order to maintain its stunning façade, Preston-based heritage specialist Conlon Construction will repair stonework and windows at the Grade I-listed building, as well as internal and external remedial work.

The project was commissioned by Lancashire County Council Museum Service which operates the hall on behalf of the National Trust.

Work will start on site on Monday (June 29) and the project is expected to complete in February 2016. The hall will remain closed to the public throughout.

Conlon Construction chairman Michael Conlon said: “Gawthorpe Hall is an Elizabethan gem in the heart of industrial Lancashire, so to be the company which will give the building a new lease of life is an honour.

“Thanks to TV programmes like Downton Abbey, there’s a renewed interest in stately homes, so it’s wonderful that the work we will be undertaking will help retain the building for the future and enable more people to enjoy what it has to offer.”

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