Standon Hall Wedding Venue

Commissioned in 1910 by Sir Thomas Anderton Salt, the grade II listed hall was designed by influential Liverpool architect J. Francis Doyle as a private residence. In 1932, after purchasing the hall, Staffordshire County Council converted it into an orthopaedic hospital. In 1983, when the orthopaedic hospital closed, the hall was converted into a nursing home. Following the closure of the home in 2016 the hall fell into a state of disrepair.

The hall was purchased by our client with the intention of restoring the hall back to residential use and providing the facility to host events and weddings.

Tarpey Woodfine Architects successfully obtained planning permission for the change of use of the hall and for the listed building alterations to facilitate this.

New reception rooms, a dining room and ceremony/events rooms were created on the ground floor. A bar and dining area were also incorporated adjacent to the southern terrace overlooking the restored landscaped gardens. A new access door was also approved to provide access to the terrace from the dining and ceremony rooms, partly to improve access but also to improve the means of fire escape.

The north wing of the house contains a professional kitchen area with associated storage and preparation, office, and administration areas.

A new independent biomass boiler was created to provide a sustainable form of energy to heat the hall. Detailed meetings with the client and conservation officer were held to agree a new servicing strategy for the building without disturbing existing historically significant features such as cornices, original fireplaces, and wooden panelling.

Following the removal of the redundant mechanical and electrical services, the stonework was sensitivity repaired using traditional methods including a low abrasion cleaning system.

The buildings thermal envelope was improved using breathable sheep’s wool insulation and insulated lime plaster in conjunction with a new sympathetically integrated and hidden Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery (MVHR) ventilation system.