Ledston Hall

Rescuing a stately home

Introduction

Ledston Hall is a Grade I-listed country house set within a Grade II*-listed park and gardens in Yorkshire. Vacant for decades and on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, the hall was facing an uncertain future.

A charitable trust, The Wheler Foundation, was established in 1992 by the last descendant of the hall, Granville Wheler, with the aim of preserving historic buildings and landscapes. In 2004, the ownership of the Ledston estate passed to the trust and in 2011 it commissioned Purcell to develop a strategic plan that would bring this early 13th-century building back to life.

Over the next decade, as lead architects and heritage consultants, we led a phased programme of conservation, design and refurbishment, culminating in the hall’s full reopening in 2023. The revived estate combines ten luxury residential properties with flexible private function rooms, ensuring long-term financial sustainability while safeguarding the building’s architectural and historical significance.

An ambitious vision

Ledston Hall’s decline began in the early 20th century, accelerated by the rising cost of maintenance. Our initial brief was to explore viable uses that could support ongoing maintenance and stewardship. A comprehensive strategic plan identified residential conversion as the most sustainable solution. We worked closely with the Wheler Foundation, consultants, conservation officers, and Historic England to realise this ambitious vision.

Our design was rooted in conservation but driven by innovation and sustainability. Our heritage consultancy team informed every stage of the design, ensuring that interventions were sensitive, considered, and reversible where possible. We retained significant historic features including decorative panelling, original fireplaces, and carved stonework.

A new benchmark

Ledston Hall became one of the first Grade I-listed buildings in the UK to gain Listed Building Consent to replace metal-framed leaded windows with slimline double-glazed alternatives. An in-depth analysis of the windows, conducted with specialists Touchstone Glazing Solutions, and an extensive condition survey helped inform the selection of windows for replacement. The most historically significant windows were retained and fully refurbished.

This bold step, supported by rigorous analysis and testing, achieved a 65.5% reduction in heat loss through the new windows, setting a new benchmark for upgrading energy efficiency in heritage buildings.

Repairs to the lead and York Stone roofs, combined with breathable natural insulation, contribute to a more thermally efficient envelope while retaining historic integrity. Alongside this, a new energy centre within the walled kitchen garden delivers sustainable combined heat and power to the estate, reducing CO2 emissions.

Craftmanship and community

Repairs to the building fabric included extensive stone replacement, lime mortar repointing, bespoke joinery, and traditional leadwork. Skilled local craftspeople were central to the project’s delivery, with apprentices from nearby towns and villages trained in heritage techniques working on the project: many reported a deep sense of pride in contributing to the rescue of a local landmark.

By championing traditional craftsmanship alongside progressive conservation practice, the project has secured not just the future of Ledston Hall, but also the skills and knowledge essential for the protection of other historic buildings.

While the exterior of the house has remained faithful to its historical style, the interiors are anything but old-fashioned. The residences all have state-of-the-art facilities, including fibre broadband and access to an electric vehicle charging point. The visitor car park also has electric charging points

Inclusivity in a heritage setting

The project also improved the estate’s wider infrastructure. A sensitively designed landscape scheme reintroduces the hall’s original North Park driveway, enhances access with new footpaths and planting, and provides discreet resident and visitor parking. Estate-wide improvements included stabilisation of boundary walls, repairs to Grade II-listed garden steps, and the integration of MEP upgrades.

We installed eight lifts to ensure level access across the residential units and function spaces, with additional features including accessible parking, garden pathways, and induction loops, showing how inclusivity and heritage can co-exist.

Sustainable heritage development

Completed in 2023, the Ledston Hall project has been transformative. It has removed the building from the Heritage at Risk Register, created high-quality homes within a historic context, and established new spaces for community and private events.

It stands as a model for sustainable heritage development, balancing preservation, innovation and financial viability in a way that secures the long-term stewardship of a historic Yorkshire estate.