Fate of fire-wrecked listed Wigan hall hangs in the balance

Flames tore through the abandoned Westwood Hall Cottage on the evening of Saturday April 23 and initially firefighters were told by inspectors that the premises would have to be demolished because of their dangerous state.

But Wigan Council said this may not happen because the former home on Westwood Lane, Ince, was granted Grade II listed status by the Government in 2007.

In the years before that it was the subject of a dispute between the then tenant and the local authority – which took ownership of the cottage in 2003.

The town hall had wanted to knock it down to make way for industrial developments, but eventually it agreed to incorporate the place into plans which eventually didn’t need the land anyway.

And so there it has stood since and following research, the council has confirmed that it is still the owner.

It has been vacant for some time and has been a magnet for intruders.

And with most of the roof gone following the blaze and winter now approaching, only further damage can be caused by the elements.

As such there would be a race against time to shore up the building against the weather and further intruders, but there could also be assessments which conclude that the premises, which date back to at least 1841 but former tenant Carl Lillis thought were at least a century older than that, may have to be pulled down for safety reasons.

A council spokesperson said: “We are currently reviewing the findings of surveys carried out on the building in order to determine the best course of action in the interests of public safety. In the meantime, we continue to advise people not to enter or go near the property.”

Police at the time of the fire said that its cause was being treated as suspicious and have asked that anyone with details should ring 101 quoting incident 2651 of 23/04/2022 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.