VISITORS to East Riddlesden Hall can discover how it was rescued from demolition in the 1930s.

A new exhibition shows how the 17th-century manor house, near Keighley, was saved for the nation and became a National Trust property.

The display is the permanent centrepiece of a room that has been converted from a staff office to a visitor area.

There will also be historic photographs of life in the hall, ever-changing exhibitions, a second-hand bookstore, and seating where visitors can take drinks.

Carla Weatherall, visitor experience manager, said staff moved out of the room in 2011 and it had since been used for family activities such as Easter and Christmas crafts.

She said: “We wanted somewhere where we could tell stories about the history of the property and allow visitors to discover things at their leisure.”

Carla said regular multi-sensory displays would allow people to see, smell and touch items from the National Trust’s collections.

These will be themed around conservation messages, such as showing how the hall’s pewter collection had been cared for during the past 400 years.

Next year the room will also have a TV showing footage from the upstairs rooms, narrated by volunteer guides, so people with mobility problems can discover what is on the upper floor.