It is one of the oldest buildings in Manchester. A piece of it could be lost forever

A new planning application has been submitted which proposes the partial demolition of one of Manchester’s oldest buildings to secure its future. Tucked behind a primary school in Moston, Hough Hall is believed to be over 500 years old.

The ramshackle timber-framed farmhouse is Grade II listed and dates from the early 16th century. Believed to have been built in 1502 for a Moston merchant called Hugh Sherlock, Hough Hall has a rich history.

It was purchased by Sir William Radcliffe of Ordsall Hall in 1568 and passed through his family for 200 years before being bought by Moston landowner Colonel Samuel Taylor in 1775 and kept in that family for for over a hundred years, variously occupied by tenant farmers. In 1899 some of its land was sold to the council for the development of Moston Lane Primary School, which still stands next to it today.

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In modern times, Hough Hall has been used as a butcher’s shop, a doctor’s surgery and a lipstick manufacturer. The hall was sold again in 2005, but remained vacant, falling victim to vandalism and the weather, becoming increasingly dilapidated and ending up on the council’s buildings at risk register.

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Land Registry records show the hall was sold in 2020 to its current owners, property developers Francoms Global Ltd, for £165,000. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News in 2021, local historian Alan Hampson, said of the building: “Hough Hall is by far the oldest building in Moston and is a remarkable survival.

“I believe it is worthy of restoration and preservation because of its age, its survival through the English Civil War and two world wars, and its relatively unspoilt condition despite many changes of use.

“It is a good example of the rather modest Tudor mansions that would once have been common in small villages and hamlets across Britain. The aristocracy and nobility had their stately homes, many of them preserved, though mostly of a later era.

“However, such halls, with their surrounding farmland, were the real centers of rural life and economy in medieval England, but are much less well represented today. It represents a snapshot of life in a north Manchester village as it was 400 to 500 years ago and it would be a great shame if, having lasted all this time, it was now lost.”

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In 2021, part of Moston Manor was demolished after it was deemed a “danger to the public”. Sections of the gable end and chimney of the 500-year-old building were torn down.

Now a new planning application has been submitted to Manchester City Council. The May 21 application seeks permission for the partial demolition of the southern area of ​​the listed building, amounting to more than a quarter of its total volume.

The section of the application that asks why the owners believe it is necessary to demolish part of the structure states: “The hall is in a very poor condition and in a state of partial collapse. It is not weather tight nor is it considered safe to enter.

“Work is required to stabilize and secure the remaining elements of the structure, remove or support unstable elements and record the fabric at risk of loss. This will protect the remaining structure either by repair or restoration in place, or by recording and documenting it in the Historic Environment Register.

“The building continues to deteriorate with the loss of elements. It is essential that repairs are implemented to make the area safe, to secure the building for health and safety reasons and to preserve the historic structure for the future.”

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A heritage impact statement submitted as part of the application by Storah Architecture, the architects appointed to the project, concludes: “Given the condition of the building. inheritance.

“This will enable historical material to be recorded, preserved where possible and stabilised. This will allow the hall to be secured and returned to a stable condition while proposals for its (sic) future are considered.”

The application also states that the neighbors and the local community were not consulted on the last proposed work on the said building. Recently, a Manchester Evening News photographer visited Hough Hall and found the historic building to be in much worse shape than it was in March 2021.

The building’s owners, Francoms Global Ltd, have been contacted for comment on the latest planning application and asked what the plans are for the hall’s future. Manchester Council said they could not comment because a real planning application is ongoing and they have limited powers over private property.