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Bolton residents were thrilled to set foot inside a historic hall for the first time in a decade. Rock Hall sits prominently in Farnworth’s Moses Gate Country Park, but has been left semi-derelict since closing in 2014. The Grade II listed building is being brought back into public use following a more than five year campaign by the charity Banana Enterprise Network (BEN).
The public have been invited to explore the building in a series of open days this month, with the first taking place on Sunday, April 6. Rock Hall has been closed for more than a decade (Image: Newsquest) Janet Fitton, 57, a Farnworth local said that it will make a “massive difference” to have the building open again. She said: “We used to come in here when it was open, and it was brilliant.
“Usually in these two rooms they’d have things on – children could put their hands in the boxes and test things. “They used to have stuff on all the time. “They’d do displays – they’d do something in that room or in this room, you would bring the children round and it was really good.
” Plans for the restoration were on display inside the hall (Image: Newsquest) Plans for the restoration were on display inside the hall, with two rooms open to the public and cups of tea and coffee offered to thirsty visitors. The two front rooms, the oldest part of the building, will be left in place – but the back extension, added in the 1980s will have to be demolished. The Park Ranger service, which was based in the hall, was abolished after its closure.
Ms Fitton said: “My dad would work with the rangers and they were great, being around all the time and making sure everything was alright – we really need something like that again. “It’s good that it’s being used again. They really need it.
” The plan includes a cafe, community spaces and a rooftop garden. Rock Hall will also be enhanced with tall windows to give visitors the best view of the surrounding park. The restored hall will feature a cafe, community spaces and a roof garden (Image: Newsquest) Ms Fitton said: “This here will be a cafe so people can come down here and have a chat.
It will make a massive difference because there’s nothing here.” Maxine Whalley, 54, another Farnworth local, agreed that the cafe will make the park much more attractive for a day out. She said: “You could spend the day down here but you’d have to bring a picnic.
READ MORE: Rock Hall Bolton to open to public for first time in decade READ MORE: Easter at RHS Garden Bridgewater: Egg hunt and activities READ MORE: Bolton County Police Station will be filled with members of Para Inc “You can’t just call down for a few hours because there’s nowhere to go for a drink. “It’s difficult to go for a walk you know – it is possible – but to have somewhere to go for a coffee after will make such a difference.” Lina, 78, and Ann, 74, both live just up the hill from Moses Gate Country Park and are happy to see the hall finally coming back into use.
Lina said: “I’m very pleased to see this place coming up slowly, because it’s been abandoned – it’s so sad, it could be a beautiful place. “I live just up the road, I always come around, always – I love the place.” Ann said: “My daughter’s 50 and when she was a baby we would come in here and have a drink, and we would go on ranger walks.
“Being back in here is quite nostalgic, isn’t it?” Sunday (April 6) was the first of three open days which will welcome visitors into the historic hall (Image: Newsquest) The hall has already received £467,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. They will now consider the detailed proposals later this year for the second round of funding, where a final decision will be made on the full award of £3,573,042. However, the Banana Enterprise will not be involved after the council ended their contract.
The Hall will also be open April, 9 and 11. Rock Hall was built in 1807 by the famous paper-making Crompton industrial family. It closed to visitors in 2014.
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