Newark & Sherwood District Council

Kelham Hall, Newark and Sherwood District Council’s head office, is being opened up to the market for potential buyers to register their interest.

Below is information relating to the building, its history, location and grounds. You can request a printed or electronic marketing pack using the form below.

Potential buyers may register their interest until late October 2012. Two open days (strictly by appointment) will be held for interested parties.

History

Kelham Hall was completed in 1863 for the Manners-Sutton family as a country house in the Gothic Revival style. Designed by the eminent architect Sir George Gilbert Scott it incorporated the only surviving part of an earlier Hall - the Salvin Wing designed by English architect Antony Salvin. The grounds were designed by the prominent Victorian landscape architect William Andrews Nesfield in 1860, who worked at Kew Gardens and Regent’s Park, London.

The Manners-Sutton family moved to nearby Kelham House, and the Society of the Sacred Mission came to the Hall in 1903 adding an additional wing and the  domed chapel in 1928. The Society used Kelham Hall as a Theological College until 1972.

During both World Wars Kelham Hall was used by the military as a base for the Blues Cavalry  as well as Texas and Oklahoma oil men who developed the strategically important Eakring oil field which is nearby.

Newark and Sherwood District Council bought Kelham Hall in 1973 to serve as the Council’s head office. The Hall is also an established wedding and events venue, operated through a commercial contract.

Sir George Gilbert Scott

Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian age. He was one of the most prolific architects that Great Britain has produced. Scott was the architect of many iconic buildings, including  the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the main building of the University of Glasgow, St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh and  the Albert Memorial.

One of  the buildings he designed - The Midland Grand Hotel has recently undergone  restoration - now named St Pancras Renaissance Hotel it has been described as having not only been a journey of devotion, but also a commercial success and shows how Kelham Hall can be transformed to become a dazzling, beautiful and romantic Gothic treasure.

Kelham Hall

Kelham Hall is a Grade I listed former country house and enjoys a beautiful situation within 44 acres of grounds, leading down to the River Trent, with mixed woodland, paths and lawned areas.

The  Hall was built in the Gothic Revival style with red brick and stone facings. Constructed with an iron and concrete structure it also incorporates brick and ashlar facings and dressings, gabled hipped and pyramidal slated roofs. This iconic style has resulted in a grand building of striking proportions with a wealth of unique features giving the Hall a fairy tale feel.

The  additional wing and the domed chapel were added in 1925 and are both Grade II listed. The ‘new wing’ is of concrete frame construction with brick facings. The Byzantine-styled Great Chapel, now known as The Dome, has an impressive ‘flying archway’ and herringbone brickwork. The Dome is almost square with a great central dome and it is understood it was the largest unsupported concrete dome at that time.

Kelham Hall is a three storey building, plus attics and basements, with a net internal area that is 8430 m2 (90,740 sq ft), of which 4074m2 (43,853 sq ft) is on the ground floor, 2514 m2 (27,060 sq ft) on the first floor, 1324 m2 (14,251 sq ft) on the second floor and 518 m2 (5,575 sq ft) on the third floor.

Kelham Hall is an established wedding and events venue with three principle functions rooms  along with associated rooms and two commercial kitchens catering can be provided for around 1,100 people.

Also within the grounds of the Kelham Hall is The Lodge, the original gatehouse which is located adjacent to the former entrance to Kelham Hall, there is also a Grade 11* listed gazebo. Sitting within the grounds is St Wilfred’s Church which was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries although the Grade 1 listed church is not within the council's ownership.

Location

Kelham is a small village on the west bank of the River Trent, approximately two miles north west of Newark on Trent, which has an East Coast Mainline direct service to London and Edinburgh.

It is two miles from the A46 and three miles from the A1. Nottingham is approximately 23 miles and Lincoln 20 miles. The property bounds the River Trent to the east and lies on the A617.

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Kelham Hall - Property Interest Form