A Brief History of Moor Hall
Moor Hall is a Grade II listed building, it is one of historic Lancashire's best kept secrets: sited in a secluded but convenient location close to the ancient market town of Ormskirk.
The hall first appears in records, though its origins are likely to be far older, possibly pre-dating the Norman Conquest in 1066. It belongs to Simon de Bickerstath and comprises 120 acres
After changing hands from one Lancashire gentry family to another, the estate is passed by the Ince family to the Bradshaw family, who owned the neighbouring manor of Uplitherland, which became part of Aughton in the late 14th century.
The Hall is acquired by Peter Stanley of Bickerstaffe, who is part of a powerful family whose main branch, as Earls of Derby, are virtual kings of Lancashire during the Tudor period.
Stanley modernizes the Hall’s original timber-framed structure, cladding it with stone and brick. Over the main door of Moor Hall can be seen a plaque bearing this date and Stanley’s initials.
The Stanley family dies out and the Hall passes to Sir William Stanley of Hooton.
Sir William Stanley’s estates are sold at auction, where the Hall is described as ‘an excellent Mansion House…suitable for the residence of a highly respectable family’. It is acquired by John Rosson, a barrister of relatively humble origins, who builds a new stable block. By 1848 the site comprises more than 138 acres.
Rosson’s sister sells the estate to Thomas Walmesley, a native of Bickerstaffe and later Mayor of Bolton.
By this time, Aughton was established as a commuter dormitory for wealthy Liverpool merchants, and the hall became the residence of several businessmen towards the end of the nineteenth century, including the notable architect and surveyor George Holme in the 1890s and the bookseller and stationer William Potter in the early 1900s.
For the next half-century or so, Moor Hall continues to change hands, eventually becoming the home of John Murphy.
John Murphy sells the property to Andy and Tracey Bell, who set about a multi-million-pound renovation of the 6-acre site, in partnership with Mark Birchall, with the vision of regenerating the property and creating a world-class restaurant and rooms.
The ambitious project of restoration, repair, replacement and rebuilding takes two years to complete. Every feature is kept and as many materials as possible are re-used: sandstone is turned into crockery, the barn beams become a pagoda. The result is an award-winning fusion of old and the contemporary that fulfils Mark, Andy and Tracey’s aim to bring the building back to life.
Moor Hall restaurant opened
The Barn restaurant opened
Moor Hall is awarded its first MICHELIN star, within six months of opening
Moor Hall awarded 3 AA Rosettes
Moor Hall named as Restaurant of the Year by Lancashire Life
Moor Hall awarded two MICHELIN stars
Moor Hall awarded 4 AA Rosettes in January, and then 5 AA Rosettes in September
The Barn at Moor Hall achieves a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand
The Barn at Moor Hall awarded 2 AA Rosettes
Mark Birchall wins Chef of the Year at the Lancashire Life Food & Drink Awards
Moor Hall named as Best Breakthrough Restaurant in the GQ Food and Drink Awards
The Barn at Moor Hall named Best Newcomer at Lancashire Life’s Food & Drink Awards
Moor Hall crowned as the UK’s Best Restaurant at The Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards
Moor Hall achieves a #5 ranking and cooking score of 9/10 in the Waitrose Good Food Guide
Moor Hall achieves a #5 ranking in Harden’s Best UK Restaurants
Moor Hall awarded Special Achievement of the Year at the Lancashire Life Food & Drink Awards
Moor Hall named as Square Meal’s ‘Best UK Restaurant’ and Best Restaurant; Best British Restaurant & Best Breakfast at the Book-a-Table Diner Awards
Moor Hall gets a 94/100 scoring on La Liste, based on the compilation of hundreds of guidebooks and millions of online reviews globally
The Barn at Moor Hall given a MICHELIN Plate accreditation
The Barn at Moor Hall awarded 3 AA Rosettes
Moor Hall retains title of the UK’s Best Restaurant at The Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards, from 2019 (no ceremony in 2020)
Moor Hall retains title of the UK’s Best Restaurant at The Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards
Moor Hall named ‘Restaurant of the Year’ at the Lancashire Tourism Awards
Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms one of just three restaurants in the country given a ‘World Class’ rating in The Good Food Guide: Top 20 Most Exciting Restaurants of 2022
Mark Birchall named as ‘Best Chef in the UK’ after winning the Chefs’ Chef of the Year award at the AA Hospitality Awards.
Moor Hall crowned ‘Best Restaurant in England’ at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards
The Barn at Moor Hall awarded its first MICHELIN star
Moor Hall awarded a MICHELIN Green Star for efforts in sustainability
Moor Hall crowned ‘Best Restaurant in England’ for a second consecutive year at The Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards.
Moor Hall wins Best Wine List in England and overall in the AA Awards 2024.
Moor Hall is awarded three MICHELIN Stars
Mark Birchall crowned ‘Chef of the Year’ at the National Restaurant Awards and gains the ‘Chef Award’ at The Cateys.
Mark Birchall added to judging panel at The National Chef of The Year
Mark Birchall named as an honorary judge for The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts
Mark Birchall is awarded a Two-knife status at The Best Chef Awards 2025
Moor Hall is awarded Two Michelin Keys in the Michelin Hotel Guide
Moor Hall ranks No:7 with a score of 96.5 in La Liste
Moor Hall ranks No:15 in Top 50 Boutique Hotels
Moor Hall ranks 1st place in the Hardens Top 100 best UK restaurants annual diners poll.
Moor Hall retains THREE MICHELIN Stars and a Green Star
The Barn retains One MICHELIN Star
Moor Hall is ranked No:10 in Squaremeal Top 100 Restaurants
The Barn is ranked No: 47 in Squaremeal Top 100 Restaurants
Moor Hall is ranked No: 5 in The National Restaurant Awards 2026.
"Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like?"…
"It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine…"
Field Notes
Lancashire is a land of abundance. Our gardens teem with fruit and vegetables and flowers and herbs. In season here you might eat peas straight out of the pod, so fresh all they need is a touch of salt and nasturtium oil. What we don’t grow we seek out from the amazing produce tended and nurtured by local farmers and artisans.
On site we’re also busy with charcuterie, bread-making and our own micro-dairy. There’s always something interesting to explore or a discovery to be made. And we like to share what we find.
We are delighted to share that Moor Hall has been named the No. 5 restaurant in the UK at the National Restaurant Awards 2026.
Mark joins the panel for the prestigious Roux Scholarship
Moor Hall retains 3 MICHELIN Stars and The Barn retains One MICHELIN Star.
Mark Birchall joins the judging panel.
Moor Hall and The Barn make the Squaremeal Top 100.
An exclusive dining experience in Atelier Hearth at Moor Hall.
Moor Hall has been voted the No. 1 restaurant in the UK in the prestigious Harden’s Top 100 Best UK Restaurants annual diners’ poll.
Sundays deserve more time.
More stillness. More space. More moments that feel like they belong entirely to you.
We are delighted to share that Moor Hall has been awarded Two MICHELIN Keys in the new MICHELIN Guide Hotel Selection.
