The Landmark Trust and Calverley Old Hall

A key part of the Landmark Trust’s work is to support, wherever possible, training in traditional building craft skills; the best opportunities to do so are often on major restoration projects, like at Calverley Old Hall near Leeds.

Calverley Old Hall is a Grade I-listed manor house which, before rescue and conversion work began, was considered amongst the most at-risk buildings in England.
The property is a several hundred year old medieval manor, the oldest section of which is believed to be of 14th-century origin; the great hall and chapel have been dated to 1485–1495.

Now, thanks to the great effort of the Landmark Trust’s team over the course of a two-year project funded by many generous supporters, not only has it returned to life as a fabulous place to book a holiday, but it also contains some dedicated free-to-visit public spaces and events for local communities, including a community garden.

Early into the project - in June 2022 - Landmark hosted a six-week Sector Based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) on site, thanks to a grant from FINHUMF, together with other supporters including the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This began with a series of ‘Taster Days’ to introduce participants to building conservation, meet the experts, watch demonstrations, and have a go at a variety of heritage crafts including stone carving, lime plastering and joinery.

Attendees came from a range of backgrounds and cultures and were mostly jobseekers who had no prior experience in heritage crafts, or construction trades. Those who were keen to learn more were then offered the opportunity to take part in a six-week training programme (the SWAP), with 11 trainees taking this opportunity. 

During the six weeks, trainees were involved in a range of activities on site at Calverley Old Hall, showcasing traditional craft skills, including stonemasonry and lime burning, joinery, lime plastering, leaded lights/stained glass and brickwork. At the end of the six-week programme, the trainees were then given the chance to interview for one of two, two-year paid apprenticeships which were on offer, hosted by the main contractor on the Calverley Old Hall project, Dobson Construction Ltd. Everyone who took part in the SWAP was able to leave with a portfolio of skills to take forward into future employment.

A TV programme, ‘Historic House Rescue’, detailing the efforts of the Landmark Trust to repair and renovate Calverley Old Hall, and other sites, like Fairburn Tower in the Scottish Highlands, is currently airing on More4. Find more information here, on the Landmark Trust’s web page about the series.