The Bank Hall Estate is the

demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...

of the Jacobean mansion house of

Bank Hall Bank Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Bretherton, Lancashire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building and is at the centre of a private estate, surrounded by parkland. The hall was built on the site of an older house in 1608 by the Banastres w ...

, including much of land around the village of

Bretherton Bretherton is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England, situated to the south west of Leyland and east of Tarleton. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 669. Its name suggests pre-c ...

, which is owned by the Lilford Trust.

History

The Estate began when the Banastre family moved to Lancashire from

Prestatyn Prestatyn (; ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085. Origin of name The name Prestatyn d ...

, North Wales in 1240. The estate covers many acres of land that surround a Jacobean hall constructed by the family in 1608 (on the site of a much older building), situated to the west of the village of

. The Banastre's Estate and wealth grew from farming and leasing land, which continues to this very day with the current management.

Management and ownership

The Estate is owned by the Lilford Trust and managed by Acland Bracewell Surveyors Limited who also manage properties in the villages of

Croston Croston is a village and civil parish near Chorley in Lancashire, England. The River Yarrow flows through the village. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 2,917. History Croston was founded in the 7th century whe ...

Hesketh Bank Hesketh Bank is a village in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is situated approximately north-east of Southport and south-west of Preston. The village is within the civil parish of Hesketh-with-Becconsall, which includ ...

Mere Brow Mere Brow is a small village in Lancashire, England, situated between Tarleton and Banks, just off the A565 road. It is 6 miles (9 km) east of Southport and 10 miles (15 km) south west of Preston. It is administered by the West Lanca ...

Much Hoole Much Hoole is a village and civil parish in the borough of South Ribble, Lancashire, England. The parish of Much Hoole had a population of 1,851 at the time of the 2001 census, increasing to 1,997 at the 2011 Census. History Hoole derives fro ...

, Rufford,

Sollom Sollom is a hamlet in the parish of Tarleton, in Lancashire, England. It lies south of Tarleton and north of Rufford on the A59 road, giving the village good links to Preston, Southport and Liverpool. Historically, the village was primarily a ...

and

Tarleton Tarleton is a village and civil parish in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is situated approximately north-east of Liverpool and south-west of Preston. The parish includes the village of Mere Brow and the hamlets of ...

, In summer 2009, the Bank Hall mansion and of gardens was signed in a 999-year lease from the Lilford Estates over to the

Heritage Trust for the North West Heritage Trust for the North West / Heritage Trust North West is a registered Building Preservation Trust, established in 1978 as a charity and company. Formerly known as the ''Lancashire Heritage Trust'', it has rescued and restored many buil ...

and

Bank Hall Action Group The Friends of Bank Hall is the new charitable name for the former Bank Hall Action Group who are a voluntary group which aims to raise public awareness and secure the future restoration of Bank Hall, a Jacobean mansion house and gardens, ne ...

, with plans for restoration.

Bretherton Village

The present Bretherton includes the ancient village of

Thorp ''Thorp'' is a Middle English word for a hamlet or small village. Etymology The name can either come from Old Norse ''þorp'' (also ''thorp''), or from Old English (Anglo-Saxon) ''þrop''. There are many place names in England with the suffi ...

, the position of which appears to have left no trace.

village for most of its existence was an almost self-supporting, self-contained 'subsistence

agrarian economy An agrarian society, or agricultural society, is any community whose economy is based on producing and maintaining crops and farmland. Another way to define an agrarian society is by seeing how much of a nation's total production is in agricultur ...

'. Major changes to the village have occurred within living memory; well-paid employment opportunities coupled with rationalisation of farming facilitated people to escape their low income agrarian lifestyle and move to local urban centres. Since then the village has become a dormitory village, with the majority of the residential properties now owned by their residents, but some are still leased from the estates. As the decline in British farming affected the village population and agricultural industry, many of the farms and barns have been converted into residential properties attracting wealth.

Key

Features

Features within the Bank Hall Estate range from listed buildings and gardens to natural geographic features.

Future development

In February 2011 planning permission was granted for Bank Hall Action Group and Urban Splash to restore the mansion house, and its surrounding 18 acres of gardens and walled garden/ greenhouse area into residential dwellings with a heritage garden, visitor centre and tearoom. To enable the project to succeed there is a need to build enabling development on the old orchard site next to the Bank Hall walled garden, therefore reducing the impact on the historic building and gardens.Urban Splash – Riches Hawley Mikhail Architects (2009) "Bank Hall Design and Access Statement", http://91.194.152.202/AnitePublicDocs/00060836.pdf The plans will include a refurbishment to the access road to Bank Hall, with traditional estate fencing and walls re-constructed and the re-planting of hedges and trees to prevent further visual impact to the local area and wildlife.

References

{{Borough of Chorley buildings Bank Hall Listed buildings in Lancashire Windmills in Lancashire Parks and open spaces in Lancashire Grade II listed buildings in Lancashire