The £5 million repair of Heaton Hall is now complete – and you can book a tour
"This amazing heritage asset has been painstakingly worked on to protect and preserve its unique architectural features and restore it to its former glory."
The latest phase of £5 million repair works to the historic Heaton Hall have now officially been completed, and tours will begin next month.
Standing as one of a very few Grade I listed buildings nationally, and designed in 1772 by esteemed architect James Wyatt, Heaton Hall is undoubtedly one of the North West’s most important heritage assets, yet despite this, has remained on Historic England’s ‘At Risk’ list for many years.
To help preserve the building, Heaton Hall received key funding support from Historic England and Manchester City Council to ensure the building is protected in the future and to complete essential maintenance works.
It has since undergone five phases of essential maintenance works.
The previous four phases have consisted of work including repairs to the east and west wings, replacement of the windows and shutters, and fixing the roof of the Orangery to protect the Hall, and the most-recent phase has consisted of ongoing maintenance repair works including the replacement of recently-broken windows, rendering repairs, and internal repair work on the first floor.
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Maintenance and ongoing repairs were started over three years ago, and have now been completed to help protect the architectural gem for future generations, according to Manchester City Council.
The current works are now complete and further maintenance will take place in the future.
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The Grade I listed Heaton Hall dates back to the 18th century / Credit: Manchester City Council
Now that all the maintenance work has been complete for the time being, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the popular walking tours of the building and its impressive grounds will resume, so people can see the repairs in all their glory.
The Friends of Heaton Park will conduct free monthly guided tours for groups to enjoy throughout the year, with the 2022 dates being:
Sunday 10 April
Sunday 8 May
Sunday 19 June
Sunday 10 July
Sunday 14 August
Saturday 10 September
Sunday 11 September
And on top of those tours, there’s also the chance for people to book guided tours around the Hall conducted by the extremely-knowledgable Blue Badge Guide Jonathan Schofield, which take place on every second Sunday.
Heaton Hall isn’t the only thing to have received a bit of TLC either, as according to Manchester City Council, Manchester’s flagship Heaton Park has also benefited from “major improvement works” that will help maintain the much-loved green space and cultural attractions.
Over the past five years, the Council says it has been refashioning aspects of the park in a sustainable way to help ensure accessibility and to further enhance the setting of the Hall and make the Grade I building “a fitting focal point of the wider park landscape.”
Improvements include the planting of trees, the provision of new toilets in the park, creating wider entrances, the resurfacing of main paths, and installing 23 new benches.
Speaking on the £5 million repair works to Heaton Hall, Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar – Executive Member for Neighbourhoods at Manchester City Council – said: “As custodians of Heaton Hall, the Council takes its responsibility to ensure it is properly looked after very seriously, and we can’t wait to give the public the chance to see all the work that has been done inside this remarkable building.”
“This amazing heritage asset has been painstakingly worked on to protect and preserve its unique architectural features and restore it to its former glory,” he added.
“Heaton Hall, and its surrounding park, are really valued by people in Manchester and far beyond and these last couple of years have shown us all how valuable these spaces are to communities,” added Catherine Dewar, North West Regional Director at Historic England.
“The hall is one of a tiny proportion of buildings across England to be listed at Grade I, which is reserved for buildings of the highest significance.
“Working closely with Manchester City Council since 2015, Historic England has provided advice and £758,000 in grants to get to this point, and we’re thrilled that locals and visitors will soon be able to get inside this North Manchester heritage gem once again.”
Strangeways declared ‘threat to national security’ following drone deliveries of drugs, weapons and more
Danny Jones
A recent trend at HMP Manchester has been declared a “threat to national security” after it was learned that drones have been regularly delivering drugs, weapons and more into the facility formerly known as Strangewaysalong with other UK prisons.
It’s said there were roughly 220 drone sightings over the past year or so – more than any other prison in the country – and issues around contraband, violence, hygiene and more have been on the increase ever since. HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire was found to be similarly neglected.
A rife drug and rat problem was found following a surprise autumn inspection between September and October; it is now evident that the chronic issues have been exacerbated by a major security breach as His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, says police have “ceded airspace” over facilities.
The most recent report on conditions at HMP Manchester and Long Lartin was published on Tuesday, 14 January and, in short, it insists that huge investment is needed in order to curb the crisis.
Credit: HM Inspectorate of Prisons
Drones, corruption and a lack of investment have seen Strangeways maintain its reputation
A top-line assessment of Strangeways found that many of the sticking points came down not only to the advent of drones delivering items such as phones, drugs, weapons and other “large payloads” weighing up to as much as 7kg, but merely “poor physical security” and concerns regarding corruption.
Most notably, high-risk prisoners who Taylor described as “extremely dangerous” have been burning holes in cell windows in order to pick up drone deliveries. The ease with which these exchanges are able to take place comes down to what he simply calls “slow action”.
There has been a damning failure to spot, repair and/or replace these panels, as well as the torn netting over exercise yards, meaning that drone operators have an easier task when dropping their packages into the 158-year-old penitentiary.
According to the report, “a staggering 39% of prisoners had tested positive in mandatory drug tests at Manchester” (50% at Long Lartin) and a simple survey found that drugs and alcohol were “easy” to acquire inside Strangeways.
In addition to the rodent infestation, general hygiene looks to have plummeted to new lows in recent times too, with “widespread dirt, damp and litter” as well as vandalism in several areas. Inmates have also been tearing up mattresses to insulate windows from the cold.
Numbers relating to assault, self-harm, suicide and more have also risen since the last major inspection in 2021. By all accounts, it remains one of Britain’s most dangerous prisons for a whole host of reasons.
There has also been a significant drop-off when it comes to socialisation and rehabilitation efforts, as the work day, learning and general activities look to have dwindled too.
Taylor signed off by writing: “The safety of staff, prisoners and ultimately that of the public, is seriously compromised by the failure to tackle what has become a threat to national security.
“The prison service, the police and other security services must urgently confront organised gang activity and reduce the supply of drugs and other illicit items which so clearly undermine every aspect of prison life.” To put it simply, he says the situation is “highly alarming.”
It may not make for pleasant reading, but if you want a clearer picture of the current conditions inside Strangeways prison or to learn more about the growing advent of smuggling drones, you can read the extensive 67-page report in full HERE.
Broken cell windowDamage and dirtThe state of a kitchenette (Credit: HMIP)
Featured Images — Robert Wade (via Flickr)/HMIP (HM Inspectorate of Prisons)
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Murder investigation launched after man in his 50s found dead in Little Hulton
Emily Sergeant
A murder investigation has been launched after the body of a man in his 50s was found in Little Hulton this past weekend.
Shortly before 7:30am on Sunday 12 January, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) was called to an address on Hope Hey Lane, in the Little Hulton area of Salford, following reports of concern for the welfare of a man.
Once emergency services arrived on the scene, the body of a man in his 50s was sadly found dead.
According to GMP, following a post mortem taking place, officers believe the man’s injuries are “consistent with an assault”, and because of this, detectives have subsequently launched a murder investigation.
#ARREST | A murder investigation has been launched after a man was found deceased in Little Hulton yesterday.
A woman in her 40s has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
There will be an increase in police around the area while we investigate.
With the investigation ongoing, a woman in her 40s has already been arrested on suspicion of murder, and she remains in police custody for questioning.
Addressing the incident and speaking on the murder investigation as it progresses, Detective Chief Inspector Neil Higginson, from GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “Sadly, following the discovery of a body at a property in Little Hulton, we have now launched a murder investigation, and we have a team of detectives working around the clock to understand the circumstances.
“We do not believe there to be a threat to the wider public, but you will likely see an increased presence of police in your area whilst we conduct further enquiries.
Hope Hey Lane in Little Hulton, where the incident happened / Credit: Google Maps
“If you have any information which may assist our investigation, or any dashcam, CCTV, or doorbell footage from the area in the lats 24 hours, then please get in touch with us. No matter how small the information may seem, it could be crucial to our investigation.”
Can you help? Any information can be shared by calling police on 101 quoting log 650 of 12/01/25, or using the LiveChat function online at www.gmp.police.uk.
Emily Sergeant -
8th March 2022 
