Barlaston Hall enters new era of restoration and community access

A Grade I-listed Georgian country house is set for restoration and selected public openings to the grounds after being purchased by a Staffordshire-based entrepreneur.

Barlaston Hall, which was built between 1756 and 1758 and designed by leading Georgian architect Sir Robert Taylor, has been bought by former Waterworld owner Mo Chaudry who intends to use it as a family home but wants to open parts of the grounds to the public at certain times of the year.

The hall has a long association with the Barlaston-based Wedgwood and is set within nine acres, which includes the deconsecrated St John the Baptist Church.

Early plans are for charity events to be held there, while Mo wants the church to become a focal point of the community and to be hired out for events and workshops. Weddings already booked for 2026 will go ahead. 

Mo, who has pledged to restore the hall to its former glory including creating a Georgian garden, said: “We had no plans to move and were in the process of upgrading our current home, but the opportunity arose when a buyer for the Hall failed to proceed and the opportunity only knocks once. 

“I am absolutely thrilled to be able to call Barlaston Hall our family home – it feels like everything has come full circle. To own such an incredible piece of Staffordshire history, which has deep ties to Wedgwood, is genuinely special. It’s especially poignant because my former business, Waterworld, was also on Wedgwood land.  

 “This is a huge moment for me and our family but also an opportunity to preserve this beautiful building for the future. While it will be a private home for us, we also hope to allow people to enjoy the grounds and use the Church. The plans for how that will look are still at an early stage, but I am so excited for my family and to be able to preserve Barlaston Hall and the Church for generations to come.” 

The completion of the Barlaston Hall deal was finalised today. It has been purchased for an undisclosed sum after being marketed at around £3.5 million.

The hall was acquired by Wedgwood in 1937 for administrative use and was used by the War Office during the Second World War. From 1945 it became the Wedgwood Memorial College, a residential adult education centre. 

By the 1960s, mining subsidence had left both the hall and church in serious disrepair, with demolition considered before the estate was sold for £1 to Save Britain’s Heritage in 1981. 

Crispin Harris, director of estate agents Jackson-Stops Alderley Edge, said: “Barlaston Hall is one of those exceptionally rare estates that speaks not just to architectural beauty, but to the resilience of Britain’s country house heritage. From its 18th century Palladian origins, set at the heart of the Wedgwood estate, through to its remarkable restoration, it represents a truly important part of the UK’s historic landscape. 

“Opportunities to acquire a property of this calibre are extraordinarily rare, and we are delighted to have found a custodian who recognises its significance and is committed to preserving and enhancing it for the future. It’s very much a continuation of the Barlaston Hall’s story, now entering an exciting new chapter.”