The 16th Century building in High Barnet was put up for sale in December 2023 by Barnet and Southgate College with a £1m guide price, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Tudor Hall is nearly 500 years old and sits in the centre of High Barnet

Barnet Museum has been successful in its bid to keep a historic building in High Barnet for community use following a £1million offer.

Tudor Hall – chartered by Queen Elizabeth I in 1573 – was put up for sale in December 2023 by the board of governors for Barnet and Southgate College with a £1m guide price.

Previously available to hire as an event space, Barnet Museum launched a campaign last year to keep the hall from being sold to a private owner.

In May 2024 the museum, along with several local heritage groups, was successful in registering the hall as an asset of community value (ACV), which allows for a six-month pause on sales to prioritise any community interest in the property.

In December the college accepted the museum’s bid to purchase the hall after a charity, The Hadley Trust, promised £1m in prospective funding, enabling the group to submit an offer.

Although the transaction remains subject to contract, the museum has been granted an exclusive right to buy the Grade 2-listed building.

The chair of Barnet Museum’s trustees, John Hall, said: “The museum is hoping to exchange contracts by mid-April, subject to satisfactory property and legal due diligence, and to commence occupation of the building in the summer.”

John explained a steering group, chaired by trustee Scott Harrison, was preparing plans for the hall’s future use and preservation, and identifying funds needed to achieve this.

Last year the museum’s curator, Mike Noronha, said there were potential plans to create a Wars of The Roses museum or centre in the hall.

John said: “The museum trustees are delighted to be involved in this exciting project which will secure it for the community, and are extremely grateful to The Hadley Trust and many local stakeholders for their unstinting encouragement and support.”

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