Parcevall Hall
A vision for a fresh welcome and sustainable future for this Grade II* Diocesan retreat house
Project Information
Project: Redevelopment of Parcevall Hall
Client: Diocese of Leeds
Location: Appletreewick, Yorkshire Dales
Scope: Feasibility, planning
Status: Ongoing
The brief
Parcevall Hall is a Grade II* listed hall (ref: 1157423), with parts of the building dating back to the sixteenth century. The land on which Parcevall Hall stands was once part of Bolton Priory's manor of Appletreewick. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the estate was owned by a number of local families until it was acquired in 1927 by Sir John William Milner Bt, a notable horticulturalist and co-founder of RHS Harlow Carr, who left it to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Today, Parcevall Hall is leased to the Diocese of Leeds as a retreat house, with its gardens administered separately.
Whilst the has long served as a place of reflection and connection, the Diocese recognises the need to enhance its accessibility and improve facilities to better meet the needs of its diverse visitors. Our work focuses on reimagining the historic space while ensuring that any interventions are sensitive to the building’s heritage. Our proposals include measures to make key areas of the building more inclusive without compromising its historic character by forming ground floor accessible and ambulant bedrooms. We also relocated the chapel from the first floor to a ground floor location at the heart of both the historic fabric as well as central to the communal areas.
Our Approach
Linked to both the welcome and the Diocese’s ‘Barnabas: Encouraging Confidence’ initiative, we have designed a ‘Barnabas Overlay’ that seeks to create places to pause and reflect. A principal part of this is through the introduction of a new cloister walk within the inner courtyard, with a central labyrinth within the garth, and a new chapel.
Another major aspect of the study is upgrading the accommodation to provide greater privacy and comfort. Many of the existing rooms currently rely on shared facilities, which can be a barrier for some visitors. Our proposals include integrating en-suite bathrooms into individual rooms, ensuring that guests have access to their own private facilities.
Working closely with the staff, Diocese of Leeds, Friends of Parcevall Hall, and the Trustees, we are developing a strategy that respects the Hall’s architectural significance while enhancing its functionality and long term sustainability, which has been warmly and enthusiastically received by the staff and Diocese.
