Red House Museum in Gomersal to be sold at auction

Tuesday, December 3, will see the Georgian mansion - dating back to the 17th century - go under the hammer with Pugh Auctions, with a guide price of £650,000 plus.

Bought by Spenborough Council in 1969, the building served as a museum from 1974 until it was closed to the public in 2016.

The building operated as a museum until 2016 (Image: Pugh) It was built by wealthy local farming and textiles family the Taylors in 1660 and was owned by their descendants for the next 250 years.

In the 18th century, Methodist leaders John and Charles Wesley were close friends of the Taylor family and visited the house regularly.

A century later, Charlotte Bronte, a school friend of Mary Taylor, immortalised both the family and the house in her 1849 novel Shirley.

The museum was earmarked for a wedding venue and holiday accommodation after it closed, but this plan fell through.

Kirklees Council announced it was looking to dispose of several assets last year when it was facing an eyewatering £47m deficit, and was hoping to bring in a minimum of £4m from the sales.

The museum has Bronte connections (Image: Pugh) Auctioneers say the historic property is likely to be suitable for redevelopment or change of use and could potentially be returned to its original use as a large private residence.

The property’s many original features include an 18th-century wooden staircase leading to a galleried landing, as well as several fireplaces, and striking stained glass windows featuring portraits of William Shakespeare and John Milton.

Other options for some of the properties included Community Asset Transfers – where a site is handed over to be owned and managed by the community - though in the case of Red House, the Council is pushing ahead with an auction.

Red House Museum is being sold at auction (Image: Pugh) Will Thompson, a director at auction house Pugh, said: “In keeping with its four decades as a museum, the Red House is a fascinating treasure trove that is drenched in the history of this part of West Yorkshire.

"It would make an outstanding family home, as it must have been for generations of the Taylor family, and contains some really exceptional original features, including some stained glass windows in the dining room that are described by Charlotte Bronte in Shirley.”

An example of the interior (Image: Pugh)

He added: “The house is also in the highly sought-after village of Gomersal and not surprisingly we have had a great deal of interest from would-be buyers.”

Charitable organisation Red House Yorkshire Heritage Trust has commented on the news.

The group was formed in November 2019 in the hopes of saving the Red House sites and its buildings so they could benefit the local community.

The interior of the museum (Image: Pugh) A statement on their Facebook page says: “Communities Together and Red House Yorkshire Heritage Trust collaboratively put forward a bid to purchase the house and gardens with a view to restoring community access.

"Kirklees Council did not accept this bid. As a result, Red House will now be sold by auction.

“We are profoundly saddened by this outcome and fully understand and share the community’s strong disapproval of the Council’s decision.”

Councillor Graham Turner, cabinet member for finance and regeneration at Kirklees Council, said: “Next month we’ll be auctioning off Red House in Gomersal.

"As this building is now surplus to the council’s requirements, it could generate crucial capital funding to help us deliver a better future for Kirklees.”