Heaton Hall shares regeneration update ahead of public reopening

Specialist conservators have painstakingly renewed Heaton Hall’s chandeliers as the building undergoes a long-term refurbishment before reopening to the public.

The historic property has been undergoing work to safeguard the building for future generations, including the Orangery building, which has been closed for nearly 15 years

The programme to rewire Heaton Hall has been ongoing since November 2025, requiring a detailed room-by-room project plan to encase and protect the various priceless paintings, statues and furniture items, as well as doors and flooring, before any work could even begin.

A full renewal of the electrical systems has taken place to make sure modern fire detection and alarm systems are in place throughout the hall, while also improving security systems and electrical reliability – reducing the need for maintenance and future investment.

The Hall will be ‘future-proofed’ with improved Wi-Fi and data infrastructure, while exterior spotlights have been installed capable of active light projections to enliven the building for historical and cultural events.

The investment will also support further commercial filming and specialist cultural uses. For example, the Hall has been used as a location for recent productions The House of Guinness and A Gentleman in Moscow.

The heritage-led programme, undertaken by MC Construction Limited, has followed best practice guidance from Heritage England, and to respect the heritage interior, all cabling and services have been discreetly routed through existing voids and behind skirtings to avoid visible surface wiring wherever possible.

Specialist company Brotheridge Chandeliers was also appointed to refurbish and repair the historic chandeliers across the principal rooms throughout the Hall, including the Music Room, Saloon, Cupola Room, Library, Billiards Room, Dining Room, and various corridors and hallways.

Over several months, a total of five large ornate chandeliers, as well as seven smaller suspended light fittings, have been carefully removed, conserved, rewired and reinstalled, prioritising the retention and reuse of historic fittings – with the earliest chandelier dating back to the early nineteenth century.

New chandeliers or replica fittings were proposed only where existing fittings were missing, inappropriate in scale, or beyond repair, and all new introductions were subject to conservation approval.

Following the rewiring works, Heaton Hall will be prepared to welcome back visitors later this year with tours organised by the Friends of Heaton Hall.

The expert volunteers will take small groups through the property, providing visitors with fascinating historical insights about the hall and the various collections within the property – including furniture items, artworks and the priceless murals that adorn the ceiling of the famous Cupola Room.

More information about the tours, including how to book onto a session, will be made available in the coming months.

As part of the long-term investment into the estate, the Council also announced significant works to the Orangery building at Heaton Hall. The vision is to bring the building back into use as a high-quality events and dining venue after being vacant for more than a decade.   Works to repair the Orangery roof will start this month, lasting around 12 weeks.

Following the completion of the roof works, the internal refurbishment works will start. This will create a high-quality dining and events space in the Grade 1 Listed building. The main refurbishment works will take around 48 weeks, after which an operator will add the finishing touches, ready for reopening in late 2027-early 2028