Over 100 people came to visit the historic Stank Hall Barn, near the White Rose Centre, when it was “revealed” by the Friends group on Sunday (14th July 2013).
Stank Hall and its barn date from the fifteenth century when England was embroiled in the Wars of the Roses (as currently portrayed in BBC’s The White Queen) and is one of the oldest buildings in Leeds. Stank Hall and the later New Hall have been badly damaged and are not safe to explore, but the barn was open to members of the public. Three guided tours were organised, but nine were held to cope with the demand.
The day was organised by the Friends of Stank Hall Barn which aims to protect the site, renovate the buildings and find a long term, sustainable use for the site. As well as being shown round, visitors were asked for their ideas about how the site could be used in the short term, before renovations can take place, and in the long term.
Friends’ Secretary Suzanne Grace said:
“Wow we’ve had a fantastic day. Thank you to everyone who came today and shared ideas for the future as well as past memories of the site. We’ve lots to consider at our next meeting on Monday 22 July, 7.30 at Hillside. Our meetings are open to everyone so please join us again there.
Hand crafted ancient timbers support the roof
“We’ve had a great range of people here today, lots of local residents, plus people from other parts of the city and as far afield as Sheffield. This shows that people do care about these buildings and are interested in their history.”
The site is owned by Leeds City Council who have recently carried out repairs to roof of the barn and added security after a long period of thefts of roof tiles. The council have identified the Grade II* Listed Stank Hall Barn as a ‘building at risk’ and securing its future is now a top priority. Council officers are working with the Friends group to identify a future use and funding for renovations.
2 Replies to “Visitors flock to view historic Stank Hall Barn”
Glad it went so well, be interested to hear people’s ideas about what can be done . Will try and get to one of your meetings, Good luck
I spend hours down there every summer. its a great little place to go and escape all the problems that life has to throw at you from time to time.
I have that they can find a solution to the problems that the barn has. I hope too that they can track down the people responsible for trying to destroy it for monetary gain and deal with them accordingly.
Glad it went so well, be interested to hear people’s ideas about what can be done . Will try and get to one of your meetings, Good luck
I spend hours down there every summer. its a great little place to go and escape all the problems that life has to throw at you from time to time.
I have that they can find a solution to the problems that the barn has. I hope too that they can track down the people responsible for trying to destroy it for monetary gain and deal with them accordingly.