The Friends of Bank Hall is the new charitable name for the former Bank Hall Action Group who are a voluntary group which aims to raise public awareness and secure the future restoration of Bank Hall, a Jacobean mansion house and gardens, near the banks of the River Douglas, in Bretherton, Lancashire.

The group is affiliated to the Heritage Trust for the North West, which has assisted in raising awareness and will run a visitor centre at Bank Hall when the building is restored.^[1]

On Tuesday 26 September 1995, a conference was held in the council chamber at Chorley Town Hall, the first achievement of the campaign. The outcome was to carry out a feasibility study on the hall. In December 1995, the group's first chairman, Gordon Johnson, met Lord Lilford's agent, who gave the group permission to access to the grounds. Work started to clear the undergrowth to access the building. The group cleared the walled garden and the perimeter of the hall where a security fence was erected enabling public access to be granted to the grounds and trees were cut down creating an area for events. The hall was cleared of debris, bricks were stored and visitors taken on tours of the parts of the house that were accessible. A feasibility study carried out by Niall Philips of Bristol in 1996 reported that it was feasible, practical and desirable to save Bank Hall. On 14 February 2012, it was announced that the £1.69 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund had been awarded for the restoration project to commence. Work on the building is scheduled to begin in late 2012.^[5]

The house deteriorated dramatically since the group was formed, however the gardens have developed with paths constructed to access areas that have been cleared and reveal the lost snowdrop carpets. Specimen trees have been identified and named with new specimens planted for the future. The removal, storage and cataloguing of remaining artifacts continues, along with research and events. Tours are now limited to the exterior of the building as deterioration has made the building unsafe for visitor access.^[7] It is hoped that visitors will be able to access the building once the new visitor centre opens in the tower and connected rooms.

Bank Hall Action Group hosted many events ranging from family fun days and barbecues to theatre company productions ever since the first open day in 1999 following the erection of a security fence around the house. As of 1 January 2012 the Friends of Bank Hall took over the management of events which continue throughout the year. The most popular events are 'Snowdrop Sundays' which are held in February each year. The 'Easter Egg Trail' is popular with children with over 400 visitors on Easter Sunday 2010.^[11]

A 'Classic Car and Motor Show' has increased in popularity as the event has become established. Visitors come from all over the country to enter cars in the competition for 'Best Vehicle on Show' and view the display.^[12][13] As of 2011 the Action Group have put a ban of the admission of dogs (except guide dogs) into the grounds at their events due to health risks and considerations with the natural wildlife.^[14] The Friends of Bank Hall continued the dog ban for child friendly events and have adopted this into their policies. However, dogs are welcome to attend the events but must be kept on short leads.

In 2002 the group was approached by the producers of a television program which would feature 30 buildings in need of restoration in ten regional heats. Money raised from a telephone vote was added to a £3million prize fund. The group accepted and Bank Hall was entered into the competition.

Bank Hall was the first building to appear in the first season of Restoration in the North West of England but was knocked out by the eventual winner of the series, Victoria Baths, Manchester. The supporters of Bank Hall raised the second highest total of votes in the series. The plan was for Bank Hall to be restored and converted to a college for people with autism, but Autism Initiatives later withdrew from the plans.^[15]

Following the TV appearance, the group found a new developer, Urban Splash, to produce designs and an action plan for restoring Bank Hall and its 18 acres (7.3 ha) of leisure grounds. Urban Splash conducted a structural report in 2009 that enabled a plan of the building's restored interior to be developed.^[16] It was hoped that work would commence in 2010.^[17] However, delays with applications stalled the progress of the project. In February 2010 plans for the restoration were available at events for the public to view. The planning application was granted in February 2011, for the restoration of the house and gardens with enabling development in the old orchard site. Volunteers cleared the potting shed and greenhouse area ready for restoration in September, with further work carried out in November 2011, with the Heritage Trust for the North West builders dismantled the North wing porch as the gable was at risk of collapse. The planning application was granted in December 2011 for the restoration of the potting shed and greenhouse into the new visitor entrance.

The project was taken on by the developer Next Big Thing, who began work on the clearing of the property in July 2017. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project suffered delays, work was finally completed on the restoration of the house in 2020, with the residential area interiors and immediate (residents) gardens to the house completed in 2021.

The Friends of Bank Hall continue to work with the Heritage Trust North West to maintain the gardens and opened the visitor centre in the prospect tower in December 2022. The potting shed project is ongoing, but will enable visitors to enter the grounds at open days and buy refreshments and provide improvements to the visitor facilities.

In September 2023, a walled garden team was created and began to clear back the weeds that had developed since the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic and have recreated some of the borders, with the view to them being planted up with perennials in Spring 2024.

• Heritage Trust for the North West
• Lancashire Gardens Trust
• Heritage Lottery Fund
• Lilford Trust

• Bank Hall
• Bank Hall Estate
• Bank Hall Gardens
• List of Restoration candidates