About Eaves Hall Country Hotel

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There have been 3 Eaves Halls since Tudor times, constructed on 2 different sites but within 600 yards of each other in the village of West Bradford. The original one had a checkered history of owners and it seems that none of them were particularly house proud as it was allowed to go to rack and ruin, being unoccupied between 1841 - 1891.

Evaes Hall Country Hotel

The second Eaves Hall was created by one John Burton in 1867, who bought 2 adjoining estates as well as the Eaves land and a new Eaves estate was created, with some 275 acres of land. A new Hall was constructed between 1867 and 1871. It was a double fronted mansion in Yorkshire stone with a 52 foot frontage and 12 bedrooms, outbuildings, stabling, coach house, potting house and an elegant conservatory. More land was purchased and by 1879 the estate comprised 1,169 acres.

Evaes Hall Country Hotel

A reservoir was constructed in the pasture north of the house. It gave a never-ending supply of water that was piped to the Hall and to most of the tenanted farms. The water came from springs and streams on the Bradford Fell, later forming the Greg Sike. This is the stream that flows through the small wood to the west of the Pitch and Putt course and eventually discharges into the River Ribble. The deep reservoir remains to this day and it is a haven for wildlife.

Evaes Hall Country Hotel

Sadly, when John Burton died, the Hall did not prosper under new owners until 1918 when Arthur Burton moved in with his family. Arthur loved the estate but found the Victorian living in the property not to his liking. In 1920, he purchased the Hall for £47,400 and began an ambitious modernization scheme, starting with the gardens. The ground has a fall of one in twelve and this enabled a series of terraces to be created. Spoil was removed to the western boundary to form a wild garden and wind break that is still there today. The result was a magnificent series of terrace gardens, starting with a Dutch one converging onto a central lily or bathing pool, stone steps leading to a lower garden with walks intersecting rose beds. At the bottom of the last terrace was a tennis lawn with space for 2 courts or a croquet lawn.

Evaes Hall Country Hotel

Once the gardens were complete, work was started on the building. The old entrance porch was taken down and the front of the Hall extended southwards. This enabled the creation of a ballroom and installation of a beautiful fireplace, of the Adam brother's style, which is older than the house itself. A two storey west wing was built on the site of the coachman's cottage. The ground floor provided an estate office, a walk-in strong room, a gun cupboard and a flower room.

Evaes Hall Country Hotel

Above was the Bachelor's wing comprising 5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Inside the Hall, the ground floor walls were paneled, a new main staircase installed and parquet or composition marble floors were laid. The work lasted over 2 years and cost £200,000. However, the creation of what was now considered to be a grand estate didn't improve the Hall's checkered history with occupants. In 1924 Arthur Burton left Eaves Hall and put it up for sale. It went through a period of short term ownerships and much of the original estate was divided up and sold off in parcels.

Evaes Hall Country Hotel

With the Second World War came the bombing of London and businesses began searching for safe office accommodation. In 1940, Brooke Bond Limited was on the point of opening a tea packing factory in a disused cotton mill in Burnley. Mr Gerald Brooke searched the area for suitable premises and bought Eaves Hall. The price paid – a mere £8,150 on August 6th, 1941 tto set up their Head Office and a home away from the Blitz for some of their staff.

Sadly, by 1947 Eaves Hall was out of a job. Brooke Bond staff, except for some who had married local people, returned to London. Mrs Brooke wanted to turn the Hall into a nursing home but the idea was dismissed and finally, a hotel was decided upon. Brooke Bond Limited had to turn a mansion into a hotel.. The Ministry of Works only allowed them to buy one washbasin a month and they needed 30 of them! In spite of post war restrictions Eaves Hall hotel was established and the Crown Bowling Green was also created. The hotel ran on a commercial basis until the resident managers retired in 1961.

Evaes Hall Country Hotel

Brooke Bond Limited decided to close the hotel and once again, Eaves Hall was put on the market. The CSMA (Civil Service Motoring Association) purchased Eaves Hall and its 15 acre estate, to use as a members’ country club and paid a whopping £22,800 for it. On September 2nd, 1961 it opened its doors as a private members’ club for the exclusive use of members and their guests. During its ownership the CSMA made some practical alterations to the building, created a hard court tennis court on the site of the earlier lawn court and added a miniature golf course and a pitch and putt course.

Eaves Hall was purchased by Richardson Hotels of Distinction in January 2007 (for considerably more than £22,800!!) and planning has already begun on further restoration and refurbishment of this magnificent building to establish firmly its credentials as one of Lancashire's top hotels.