Some time in the 1950s there was a fire at the hall which caused severe damage. A picture in Oakley's 1910 edition of "In Olden Days" shows it as a complete building. However, the text of a 1920s edition describes it as "a ruined hall", and in fact the hall was in such poor condition in the 1840s, when it was used as a public house, that it had its licence removed because of the dangerous condition and decay of the building. Sam Garside who was born in the hall in 1917 moved out in the 1939. It was left in ruins until its 20th-century restoration. A local resident remembers playing there in the 1950s, when the upper floors were still present, and a farmer Garside used the ground floor to house his chickens. Some time between the 1970s and 1999, the most impressive external feature – the portico from the front door – fell down and was removed.