A Short History
Ryelands House was built in 1836 as a private residence. It was bought by James Williamson II (later becoming Lord Ashton) in 1874 who extended the building in 1883, adding the tower and a separate stables block (Old Man’s Rest) on the north side. Ownership of the building and surrounding land transferred to the City Council after the death of Lord Ashton in 1930, and the grounds of the house became Ryelands Park.
Ryelands House was assigned Grade II listed status in 1970. The building has had various uses in the last ninety years, including accommodating the Auxiliary Fire Service during World War Two. For the last twenty years or so, the building has been occupied by the NHS who ran various services from there. They vacated the building in September 2023 and it has been boarded up since then.
The Old Man’s Rest currently accommodates sports changing rooms and a store room used by Lancashire County Council. The first floor rooms were used as a public library during World War Two, and have had occasional use since then. There are also rooms on the ground floor which were used by Nippers Children’s Nursery for eight years, but have been vacant since 2022.
• Learn more about the recent history of Ryelands House
The condition of the buildings
Ryelands House is in a sub-standard state of repair, as detailed in a condition report prepared by Ridge Associates earlier this year, and summarised here in Appendix 10. The report details the need to spend approximately £250,000 on urgent and essential repairs within the next two years, with a further £600,000 being required for repairs and routine maintenance within ten years. More money than this may in fact be required, as the surveyor did not investigate the roof space, where water has been penetrating for several years. Roof and also suspended floor timbers may therefore need work. Additionally, some settlement at foundation level is evident, which needs further investigation and possibly remedial work.
These costs would only bring the building back to a water-tight shell with reasonable internal decoration. We would only want to proceed with a scheme for the building if it could be brought up to an appropriate standard for the 21st Century. This would include the improvements to access and toilet facilities, internal wall insulation, secondary glazing, a ground or air-source heat pump, and PV solar panels. Additional fire protection would be installed, to improve detection and slow the spread of any fire. Depending on the occupancy, rooms will need fitting-out with appropriate equipment and finishes to a high standard.
The Old Man’s Rest is in a better state of repair, but suffers from both rising and penetrating water ingress. The sports changing rooms are quite dilapidated, as are the adjacent toilets.
By Simon Gershon on behalf of the North Lancashire Community Land Trust, drawing on the ‘Our Place’ vision prepared by Morecambe Bay Food Bank and Citizens Advice North Lancashire in 2020, and the Ethical Small Traders’ Association principles