Visitors to Samlesbury can see much of its Tudor history. The Entrance Hall was built in 1530, and this would have been used to receive guests. The fireplace in this room has a possible priest hole, dating from Elizabethan times that could have led down to the sewer and moat. You can see the impressive staircase that features a double-tailed mermaid put in place by Joseph Harrison.

Originally the chapel was a separate building but joined the main hall in 1530. Here you can see one of the enormous windows taken from Whalley Abbey during the time of Thomas Southworth. The chapel would have had a carved wooden screen to separate the worshipers from the altar, but this was taken to Conishead Priory in 1821 and is still there today. The chapel features a gallery for the lord and his family to sit in, while the servants would have worshipped below. Today the room is used for civil weddings.

The Great Hall dates from the 1400s. Originally it would have been much less grand than we see today- perhaps an earth floor covered with rushes, a central fireplace, and a thatched roof would be the standard design. Improvements were made by Thomas Southworth, who added the large bay window in the 1500s and the grand fireplace. There would have been a large moveable wooden screen at the room’s north end. This can still be seen in the faux ‘minstrels gallery’ above the south end. This strange feature also incorporates parts of old furniture, including bedsteads, and is thought to have been created when the hall was converted to the Braddyll Arms inn.

The upstairs Long Gallery displays the case, vestments and equipment for a priest to come to the house and give a mass in secret. This is a fascinating and fitting display of artefacts, as such activity caused so many problems for John Southworth and his family.

Other rooms of interest include a recreated Victorian kitchen, a world war I room with lots of objects and stories from the conflict, and a timeline room showing the hall’s history laid out along with contemporary national events. Samlesbury Hall also offers an art gallery, cafe, restaurant, extensive shop and antiques to purchase. In the grounds are smallholdings containing goats, rabbits, hens and bees and two artist studios.