Auction house plans to rejuvenate Staffordshire's Bishton Hall
Historic Bishton Hall is set to be brought back into use as an auction house.
Auction days have been held at the 18th-century country house previously, but Hanson’s Auctioneers has now lodged an application to change the use of the building permanently.
They have proposed to change the use of the Grade II listed building in Bellamour Lane, Wolseley Bridge from a former school to an auction house.
Plans show that if approved, the chapel and the gymnasium will be used as the auction rooms, while the grand rooms within the house will be used to exhibit the antiques and furniture.
The layout of Bishton Hall will remain unchanged.
A report to Stafford Borough Council states: “The proposal is to use the existing building in a sympathetic way and will not require alterations to either the structure or current layout of the building and adjacent buildings.
“Bishton Hall itself and the surrounding stables, currently the chapel, and the gymnasium, formerly a World War Two mess hut moved from Cannock Chase, will remain unaltered in appearance and scale.”
Charles Hanson said: “This building is the jewel in Staffordshire’s crown and it’s important to maintain the heritage.
“To let people admire this building, it will be a place of education and for people to visit, and hopefully bring investment to the county. If those four walls could speak they would tell us so much. Preserving that heritage is so important, it’s beautiful. History is what counts, it’s my job, with respect to the building, not to alter it at all.”
Bishton Hall was built by John Sparrow, a banker, in the late eighteenth century. The building was bought in 1946 by the Northcote family who turned it into St Bede’s Preparatory and Nursery School.
It was in use for more than 70 years until the school was forced to close in August last year.
