WINSTANLEY HALL – WIGAN
Winstanley Hall is a Grade II listed house that was built in the 1560 for the Winstanley family – the building is one of only three Tudor buildings in the local borough. The Winstanleys owned the hall until 1596, when the estate was sold to James Bankes, a London goldsmith & banker. Winstanley Hall has three storeys & extra blocks were added in the 17th & 18th centuries. Further alterations were made in 1811-19 by Lewis Wyatt in a Jacobean style, the final additions to the hall were made in 1843 when an extra wing was added. To the south, on lands belonging to the hall, is a small stone building which was used to house bears that provided entertainment for the hall’s guests.
The Bankes family retained ownership of the hall until the 21st century when it was sold for private development. The hall had been kept in good condition until the 1960s when the family moved out, it was last occupied in the 1980s. As the building decayed & the cost of maintaining Winstanley Hall was too much for the family. In 2000 the hall was sold with 10 acres of land – the interior is now in some disrepair with Historic England having the hall on the Heritage at Risk register listing in the highest category of risk of further deterioration. The building is currently owned by Dorbcrest Homes, Save Britains Heritage set up an appeal for £50,000 to help prevent demolition of the 415 year old Elizabethan mansion but to this day is left unused despite several proposals for flats & homes.
In this video by a local photographer take only 2 years ago you can just how much this building has deteriorated:
The Explore…
Nestled away in woodlands & taken over by pheasants this is a relatively relaxing explore where site access is not an issue along as you can navigate the residents private road. These buildings are still absolutely stunning but the level of disrepair is easy to see. The grounds are really massive so theres plenty to explore but the main building is very well sealed now – which is possibly a good thing as it is not safe at all to enter. The site is very over grown in places so they nettles are out in full force.. you will witness beams of wood literally holding the walls of the main mansion up all around the perimeter.
The Photography…
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