Have you any old Georgian chairs?

FURNITURE PLEA. . . Friends of Foxdenton Hall are hoping to refurnish one of its rooms in style

A CHADDERTON heritage group is appealing to Oldhamers to help them realise their dream of restoring Foxdenton Hall.

The Friends of Foxdenton Hall have spent thousands improving the old hall over the years and now they are looking for antique furniture to renovate one of the rooms so they can recreate the look of its Georgian hey day.

Gillian Stephenson, secretary of the Friends of Foxdenton Hall group, said: “Foxdenton Hall is one of the few historical buildings we have left in the town, but we tend to get people visiting and they are surprised there isn’t more to see inside.

“The bulk of the hall was built in 1700 and the family left later that century, so Georgian furniture would be an ideal contribution, although we appreciate we might not be able to get furniture from exactly that period.”

Foxdenton Hall was first built in 1620 and an ambitious rebuild in 1700 added a further two floors to the grand house, which was owned by the Radclyffe family.

The family eventually moved down to Dorset in the late 18th century, but continued to own the house until the final owner, Charles Robert Eustace, died in 1953.

The-then Chadderton council became owners of the hall in 1961 and restored it soon afterwards.

The hall is still owned by the council and the Friends of Foxdenton Hall stepped in six years ago to help safeguard its future, with a series of fundraising initiatives aimed at making the most of the hall and improving its interiors.

It is not known what became of the original furniture and it is thought that it could have been divided between different family members who are now scattered across the UK.

Gillian said: “Although we have managed to keep the hall open and hold a number of classes and other events in some of the rooms, we think it would be really nice to be able to furnish one of them so that people can imagine what it would have been like when the Radclyffes lived in it.

“I think at the moment history lovers come to look at the hall and wonder what all the fuss is about.

“Getting some old furniture in a room would really bring the hall to life and help to restore it to its former glory.”

Anyone who has any old or antique furniture that they would like to donate is asked to contact Gill on 07952 526582.