Leyland's Grade 11-listed Worden Hall reopens after £2.8m transformation into wedding venue, community and retail space with Folly Coffee House and Deli

The stunning Grade II listed building, the jewel in the crown of the award-winning Worden Park, is now officially up and running.

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

South Ribble Council pledged to bring the much-loved building back into use in 2019, after over seven years of underuse where the building to fall into disrepair.

The refurbishment of the space saw the removal of the central conservatory to make way for a beautiful entrance area and courtyard, the replacement of damaged windows 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 now available for small weddings and other events and has new roof windows and lighting.

Meanwhile the Courtyard Hall now links to the old Derby Wing, the Barn, Folly Café and retail space which was 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.

Councillor Paul Foster, Leader of South Ribble Counci 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.

“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.”

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!”

Anyone interested in hiring the Hall for a wedding, other event, or to use the community spaces can contact [email protected] and bookings will be taken from Spring 2023.