THE meticulous conservation work being undertaken at a centuries-old Jacobean hall has been revealed.

Gawthorpe Hall was given £500,000 from Lancashire County Council for vital restoration work that was needed on the south and west side of the house, which has deteriorated over time.

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The Lancashire Telegraph was given exclusive access to the hall in Padiham this week to photograph the interior as it has never been seen before.

The images show the meticulous and painstaking way the renovation team have protected the interior to preserve and protect its features during the work.

The building has been closed to the public from May to undergo major work done by the council’s museum service who operate the hall on behalf of the National Trust.

A county council spokesman said: “Essentially the building work will include the repointing of the south and west side of the hall, as it has deteriorated over time.

“Tests were previously made on smaller areas of the building to make sure everything is working and ready for the restoration to begin.

“It’s quite a significant building and the work we are doing will preserve it for many years to come.”

Redesigned in the 1850s by Sir Charles Barry, who designed the houses of Parliament, the stately home holds the North West’s largest collection of portraits and collections of intricate lace, embroidery and needle work.

It is hoped that all the work will be completed in time for it to reopen to the public on March 23 next year.

Town councillor Bob Clark said the work was necessary to improve the historic building.

He said: “It is a very special building that is part of the National Trust.

“It really needs restoration and preserving. It was owned by Lord Shuttleworth and the Shuttleworth family for generations.

Also being worked on is the Huntroyde Bedroom, which features a carved oak bed dating back to 1650.

It suffered some water ingress around 10 years ago.

The damage was repaired but left stain marks, which will also be dealt with.

Builders at the site said great progress was being made on the project, which includes re-pointing outside stonework and repairing windows.

Simon Brown, contracts manager at Conlon Construction, said: “Everything is going to plan.

“Since we started on site we have undertaken enabling works to provide the team with access to the areas that require attention and now the main body of works are under way.”