The Alderley New Hall was constructed in brick with a stone facade for Baroness Maria and John, 7th Baronet (later 1st Baron) Stanley.

In 1931, the house was severely damaged by fire and left empty for nearly twenty years until converted in 1950 by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) to serve as the base for their new pharmaceutical division.

The adjacent manor of Nether Alderley had been confiscated by the crown in 1508 from the estate of Sir William Stanley after his conviction and execution for supporting Perkin Warbeck.

The sixth Lord's finances had suffered from the effects of two expensive divorces, gambling losses and death duties, and in 1938 he decided to sell the estate piecemeal, involving the disposal of 77 farms and 166 houses.

In 1950 the dilapidated hall and 350 acres (140 ha) of surrounding parkland were purchased, with planning permission to develop, by ICI Pharmaceuticals for £55,000.

It became a global lead centre for cancer research and a number of anti-cancer treatments were developed at the site including Nolvadex, Zoladex, Casodex, Arimidex and Iressa.

The original Tenants' Hall was used a hospital in the Great War and was once named the Sir James Black Conference Centre in honour of the Nobel Prize-winning discoverer of beta-blockers; as of 2022[update] it houses a pub called the Churchill Tree.

A total of 1,600 jobs were to be relocated over three years, mainly to Cambridge, but the company planned to continue non-R&D work at the site.

[11] As of 2017, over 150 companies are based at Alderley Park, including Royal London, the Medicines Discovery Catapult[12] and the AMR Centre.