A 14th century Ribble Valley hall is to re-open to the public later this month following a £200,000 refurbishment.

Samlesbury Hall has undergone renovations to its chapel, parlour and entrance area thanks to £100,000 raised from visitor donations and a further £100,000 from national conservation group English Heritage.

David Hornby, from the Samlesbury Hall Trust, which owns the hall said: "Quite a bit of work has been carried out at the hall. We have had windows taken from Whalley Abbey and installed here, but they looked out of place as the wooden window frames had started to rot. We decided to make them safe and asked English Heritage to help out."

He added: "We have replaced new for old and oak has been flown in from the USA to replace some of the old supports, with carvings done by Lancaster carver Paul Cooke." It is expected that Samlesbury Hall, in Preston New Road, will be open to visitors in about two weeks.

The first hall was built by the D'Ewyas family in the early 1300s and was situated on the bank of the River Ribble, but was destroyed by Robert the Bruce, after the battle of Bannockburn, when the Scots ransacked and pillaged homes along the banks of the river, from Preston to Clitheroe. Gilbert de Southworth from Warrington married Alice D'Ewyas in the early 1320's, and five years later built the Great Hall, the oldest part of the building.

His greatgrandson Thomas de Southworth, who fought in the battle of Flodden, built the west wing of the house, the oriel bay and the screen.

John Southworth, his son and a fervent Catholic, worked for the cause of Mary Queen of Scots but was frequently arrested and heavily fined. The payment of these fines slowly ruined the estate and eventually Edward Southworth sold Samlesbury Hall to Thomas Braddyll in 1678.

John Copper then bought the Hall in 1850 and leased it as a boarding school for girls. In 1862 Joseph Harrison, a wealthy Blackburn man, bought it and carried out renovation and restoration until his death in 1878.

But after a local JP lived there until 1909, the hall, now looking shabby from lack of care, was left to be demolished.

Fortunately, in 1924, an appeal was launched and a group of trustees formed Samlesbury Hall Trust to rescue and preserve the hall for future generations. It now attracts 50,000 visitors each year.

Today it houses an extensive display of antiques and collectors items which are sold on behalf of individuals who then pay a commission to the hall, as well as craft, art and other exhibitions in many of the rooms.