The county's greatest restoration project

Apley Hall - The county's greatest restoration project

Source:- Neil Avery. 20/08/01

The house has suffered badly from vandalism and general decay. One of the first things the new owners did was to set up a security presence and to provide ventilation to the building, as theft and dampness are the main enemies of historic buildings. Moisture and particularly stagnant air is the primary causes of rot in buildings so as well as repairing roves and gutters, It was quite important to achieve a draught of fresh air through the building.

In July 2001the hall was opened up for a house warming party which was attended by about 200 guests. Mainly adjoining neighbours and estate workers some of whom had not been back to the hall since the days of Colonel Fosters’ residence during the 1950’s. The hall was by no means as they remembered it but much work has been put into cleaning and restoration of the staterooms including refitting fireplaces that had been stolen during its period of dereliction.

One of the main areas in need of immediate attention was the bell tower, which had suffered a leaking roof for many years. Paint was peeling off and the roman cement stucco cracking up as Dampness and decay had set in. The building is currently under scaffold so that the stucco can be repaired and then lime-washed again in the original soft golden stone colour.

Some of the mews dwellings within the stable block have been sold to individuals as homes under the planning consent gained last year for the conversion of the stable block and ancillary buildings. The hall is still mainly empty but Mr Avery lives in part of the hall and the ground floor rooms are used for social gatherings and parties from time to time.

The ultimate destiny of the hall is a little unclear. Much work needs to be done or concluded with English heritage and Bridgnorth district council; finding a suitable viable alternative use for the hall which satisfies the needs of the twentieth century and preserves as much as possible of the existing beauty of the building. Although planning consent has been gained for the conversion of the hall to form 19 dwellings the design is [some people believe] far from satisfactory in the sense that much of the sequence of the ground floor rooms is lost.

Planning consent was refused twice in 2000 for the alteration and demolition of the former servants quarters to form one large grand residence for an American composer who wished dearly to live at Apley. The scheme involved taking down most of the later additions to the building to provide a new gothic façade to the removed areas. Planning consent was refused and a later appeal was upheld by the secretary of state. The present owners are currently seeking a use for the hall, which is compatible with both the planning strictures and practical usage. The trusts’ architects are currently working up a design, which will hopefully be more acceptable to the district council.