ADULT-ONLY short-break operator Warner Holidays will be another step closer to achieving geographical coverage of the UK when it opens its latest historic country-house hotel in Sherwood Forest later this summer.
It will have spent £20m on restoring the Victorian, Grade I-listed Thoresby Hall at Newark in Nottinghamshire. This follows a similar amount spent on renovating and adding facilities to the Grade II-listed manor house Cricket St Thomas in Somerset, location for the TV series To the Manor Born.
After some tough battles, Warner has established an enviable reputation for working with English Heritage and local planning authorities in developing its portfolio of historic hotels with full resort facilities.
It has already transformed five magnificent period houses set in beautiful landscaped grounds into Warner hotels, complete with new adjoining guest rooms, leisure suites with indoor swimming pools, health and beauty centres, restaurants, bars and cabaret venues.
All this has been achieved in a steady programme of sympathetic restoration and development that has retained the charm and ambience of the existing houses and their artifacts.
Thoresby Hall will be no exception. After being unoccupied for some time, it fell into a state of disrepair and was registered by English Heritage as being “at risk”. Warner then bought the property.
Managing director George Rushton said: “We are renovating the Victorian building, which has some magnificent halls and lounges, and will be opening up to 60 bedrooms for guests.
“In addition, there will be a further 150 bedrooms in a new wing which will be added with our customary sympathy and style.
“Also included will be a leisure suite complete with pool, health spa and beautician rooms and cabaret room.”
He added: “Thoresby Hall is located within Sherwood Forest and set in magnificent parkland which guests can enjoy.”
Warner is negotiating to acquire another location to maintain a schedule of opening at least one new property every year for the foreseeable future.
As well as Nottinghamshire, it has historic hotels in Somerset, Berkshire, Hereford, north Yorkshire and North Wales, as well as character hotels in Cheshire and the Isle of Wight, and what it calls classic resorts in Hayling Island in Hampshire, Lowestoft in Suffolk and the Isle of Wight.