HS2 landed with hefty repair bill for empty £3.8m ‘Charles Dickens’ mansion bought for now-axed railway
HS2 is having to carry out essential repairs on an empty rural mansion it bought for £3.8 million just months before the planned railway line was to be scrapped – even though no one will be living at the property in Georgia for the foreseeable future.
Stanthorne Hall, near Middlewich in Cheshire, was bought from its previous owner in March 2023 after he cited a “compelling reason” for the sale as the planned high-speed line from Crewe to Manchester was due to run past the house.
But the section of the line, known as West Leg 2b, was canceled by then chancellor Rishi Sunak in October 2023 and the three-storey hall has remained empty since the taxpayer-funded purchase.
Built between 1804 and 1807, the country house has a place in local folklore as Charles Dickens is said to have stayed there while writing. Great Expectations. The rumor is supported by claims that the character of Miss Havisham was inspired by a woman who lived in the adjacent Stanthorne Lodge.
But due to the dilapidated state of the building, HS2 was forced to begin maintenance work to protect the disused site, which includes a farm and 114 acres of land, and prevent further decay. Works approved by the local council last week include repairing chimneys, roof tiles, windows and leaks.
HS2 will not share the cost of repairs if requested. Independent; but a document written by HS2’s deputy estate manager Rob Middleton in 2024 says the estimated cost of “improvement works” to the hall is around £500,000.
Despite the cost, the works are not intended to prepare the property for occupancy in the short term. Last year the High Court threw out a judicial review of HS2’s decision to refuse permission for two members of the Commonwealth of Georgia to lease it.
The hearing heard it would cost £676,000 to bring the property up to a rentable standard; this was considered an “unattractive” prospect by HS2.
Graham Dellow, secretary of opposition group Mid-Cheshire Against HS2, said: “This property has stood empty for too long. It is beginning to decay and is becoming another eyesore in rural Cheshire.”
“We think the repairs are to prepare the property for a future launch, but actually this is another case of HS2 doing one thing with its right hand and another with its left. Who knows what the plan actually is? All we know is that it costs money.”
David Neillist, of nearby Winsford Historical Society, said: “Stanthorne Hall is such an important building in the Winsford area and it is sad to see it abandoned and looking in poor shape. Something must be done to bring it back into use rather than sitting empty.”
Stanthorne Hall is one of more than 1,000 properties that HS2 has purchased on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT) along the disrupted sections of the HS2 route, which will now run solely from London to Birmingham. Between October 2023 and March last year, HS2 spent more than £6.5 million on repairs and maintenance to properties it bought to make way for the canceled line.
Uncertainty remains over the scrapped route between Manchester and Birmingham after the Labor government announced a long-term plan for a rail line that would connect the two cities, but there is no indication yet of where it will go.
Safeguards preventing development that could compromise future infrastructure remain in place along the route between Crewe and Manchester.
An HS2 spokesman said the conservation work at Stanthorne Hall was to “protect the integrity of the building”, adding that it was a significant property and the refurbishment would be “considerably expensive”.
They added: “Stanthorne Hall has not fallen into disrepair in the last three years. These works are part of the routine maintenance that any owner should carry out every few years to maintain the integrity of the building.”
“They will also attempt to resolve some maintenance issues identified before purchase on behalf of the transport minister.
“Although the previous owner was able to live in the property before purchasing, the standards we have to meet to release properties to tenants are high and some work needs to be done before the property can be put on the free market.”
Independent It has approached the DfT for advice, which is responsible for the planned new railway line and future decisions regarding Stanthorne Hall.
