About
Astley Hall Museum and Art Gallery is one of Lancashire's most remarkable historic houses, a Grade I listed Elizabethan and Jacobean mansion set in the beautiful parkland of Astley Park on the outskirts of Chorley. The hall has served as Chorley's principal museum and gallery since 1924, when it was gifted to the borough by Reginald Tatton, and it combines the appeal of a superbly preserved historic house with the collections and exhibitions of a local authority museum.
The hall's greatest treasure is its extraordinary collection of plasterwork ceilings, widely regarded as among the finest and most exuberant examples of seventeenth-century decorative plasterwork in England. The ceilings in the principal rooms — particularly the Great Hall and the drawing room — feature deeply modelled allegorical figures, heraldic devices, fruit, flowers, and foliage executed with a boldness and three-dimensional quality that astonishes visitors encountering them for the first time. The sheer ambition and craftsmanship of these ceilings place Astley Hall in the first rank of English decorated interiors of the period.
The house has important connections to the English Civil War and Oliver Cromwell. Following the Battle of Preston in 1648 — one of the decisive engagements of the Second Civil War — Cromwell is traditionally believed to have rested at Astley Hall, and the Cromwell Bed displayed in the house is one of its most famous objects. The hall's Civil War connections are set within the broader context of Lancashire's turbulent role in the conflict between King and Parliament.
The period rooms have been furnished and presented to illustrate the domestic life and taste of the successive families who occupied the hall from the Elizabethan era to the early twentieth century. Oak furniture, tapestries, ceramics, and paintings create atmospheric interiors that bring the history of the house to life. The long gallery, a characteristic feature of Elizabethan great houses, is particularly fine and gives visitors a sense of the scale and grandeur of country house life in Tudor and Stuart England.
The art gallery hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions alongside the permanent fine art collection, which includes paintings, prints, and decorative arts acquired by the borough over the past century. The collection ranges from seventeenth-century portraits to twentieth-century landscapes and provides an accessible introduction to the visual arts within the setting of a historic house.
Astley Park itself — over one hundred acres of parkland, woodland, formal gardens, and a lake — provides a magnificent setting for the hall and offers extensive walks, a children's playground, and a walled garden. The combination of historic house, art gallery, and public park makes Astley Hall one of the most rewarding visitor attractions in Lancashire.
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Highlights
The Extraordinary Plasterwork Ceilings
Astley Hall's plasterwork ceilings are among the finest and most exuberant examples of seventeenth-century decorative plasterwork in England. The Great Hall ceiling features deeply modelled allegorical figures, heraldic devices, fruit, flowers, and foliage executed with astonishing three-dimensional quality.
The drawing room ceiling is equally remarkable, with bold relief work that projects dramatically from the surface.
These ceilings place Astley Hall in the first rank of English decorated interiors and are the single most compelling reason to visit — no photograph fully captures their extraordinary quality and presence.
The Cromwell Bed and Civil War Connections
Following the Battle of Preston in August 1648 — one of the decisive engagements of the Second English Civil War — Oliver Cromwell is traditionally believed to have stayed at Astley Hall, and the ornately carved oak bed in which he is said to have slept remains one of the house's most famous objects.
The hall's Civil War connections are set within the broader context of Lancashire's turbulent role in the conflict between King and Parliament, a county deeply divided in its loyalties. The displays explore the impact of the Civil War on Lancashire communities and the significance of the Battle of Preston.
The Long Gallery and Period Rooms
The long gallery — a characteristic architectural feature of Elizabethan great houses, designed for indoor exercise and display — is one of Astley Hall's most atmospheric spaces. Furnished with period oak furniture, tapestries, and paintings, the gallery gives visitors an immediate sense of the scale and rhythm of country house life in Tudor and Stuart England.
Other period rooms throughout the house have been presented to illustrate domestic life across several centuries, from the dark oak of the Elizabethan period to the lighter tastes of the Georgian and Victorian eras.
The Fine Art Collection
The art gallery at Astley Hall hosts a permanent collection of paintings, prints, and decorative arts built up over a century of civic collecting by Chorley Borough. The collection includes seventeenth-century portraits, eighteenth-century landscapes, Victorian narrative paintings, and twentieth-century works by Lancashire artists.
The setting of an art gallery within a historic house creates an unusually appealing context for viewing art, with paintings hung in rooms whose own decoration and furnishing provide a complementary aesthetic experience.
Temporary exhibitions supplement the permanent collection throughout the year.
Collections
The Historic House
Period rooms furnished and interpreted to illustrate the domestic life of the families who owned and occupied Astley Hall from the Elizabethan era to the early twentieth century. Features the celebrated plasterwork ceilings, the Cromwell Bed, the long gallery, and fine oak furniture.
Art Gallery
The permanent fine art collection including paintings, prints, and decorative arts from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries, displayed within the historic setting of the hall. Regular temporary exhibitions complement the permanent collection.
Chorley Borough History
Local history displays documenting the story of Chorley from market town to industrial centre, with photographs, documents, and objects from the borough's collections.
Current Exhibitions
Astley Hall hosts a regular programme of temporary exhibitions in the art gallery spaces, featuring local artists, touring exhibitions, and themed displays drawn from the museum's own collections. Check the website for current exhibitions.