The on-off attempts to convert Cherkley Court in Surrey, the former home of Lord Beaverbrook, into a luxury hotel and golf course, are now back on again. This follows rejection of a second judicial review request.
If the development does finally go-ahead the hotel will include 48 bedrooms, two restaurants, a championship golf course, a health club and spa and a cookery school – all on a 380-acre estate near Leatherhead.

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Published: 09 October 2014

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The danger of viewing hotels is that once you have seen them that picture remains in your mind forever - no matter how much the hotel may change in the interim. Such thoughts went through my head after seeing Barton Grange Hotel in Preston. It was logged in my mind as an ordinary, inoffensive three star hotel - a bit ‘peas and carrots’ as my colleague classifies all boring hotels. It did the job. But it has certainly changed since I last saw it.

Barton Grange Garden Centre which was alongside the hotel for many years has now moved to an independent site a mile up the A6 and the space it occupied has been turned into a lawned courtyard-style garden with a smattering of trees and borders. It looks absolutely great, especially from the hotel’s Walled Garden Restaurant which overlooks it.

The old entrance and reception to the hotel has also changed. The reception is now a lot brighter, more open and very welcoming. It’s always best to get off to a good start in a hotel.

Barton Grange has 51 bedroom including six executive suites. All are modern, fresh and stylishly decorated – and very well equipped. Every room includes a flat-screen television with Sky Channels, free hi-speed wi-fi and Bluetooth speakers.  Superior and executive rooms also include a Nespresso coffee machine. Leisure facilities include an indoor heated swimming pool, sauna and mini-gym.

Barton Grange Hotel has a main conference suite – the Barton Room – on the ground floor with a balcony reception. The Barton Room will seat up to 300 delegates for a theatre style meeting and will split into three roughly equal-sized divisions. Natural daylight floods the room. In addition there are two smaller meeting rooms and three syndicates, all close to the Barton Room. The rooms are air-conditioned throughout and equipped with the latest technology including ceiling mounted screens, LCD projectors, a sound system and not forgetting the free wi-fi.

But I think it is the Walled Garden Bistro Bar and Grill which is Barton Grange’s USP. The meat, dairy and vegetables are all sourced locally - and my colleague is always telling me that Lancashire produces the best and greatest variety of cheeses in the world. Added to which it Is a lovely room in which to eat – which says it all.

Barton Grange has a good location - around two miles off the M6 junction 32/M55 junction 1, and slightly further to the centre of Preston. Turn right on to the A6 out of the free-of-charge car park and you will be in the Lake District before you know it.

I now need to refile Barton Grange Hotel in my memory bank under the four- star hotel section: good, stylish hotel with a switched-on and hands-on GM.

Details: www.bartongrangehotel.co.uk

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Published: 26 September 2014

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There are several jewels still remaining in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. Some are hidden amongst the new apartment blocks, the corporate offices, the clubs and the restaurants in this now very trendy part of Birmingham.

A rare jewel indeed is Newman Brothers factory which made a range of solid brass, stamped electro-brass, silver and nickel plated coffin handles plus shrouds and coffin linings until the factory closed down in 1999. This jewel of a factory, in Fleet Street, has been ‘re-polished and re-cut’. It is now the Coffin Works and the latest event venue to open in central Birmingham.

The Coffin Works does not open officially until the end of October 2014 but we went along for a preview.

The Coffin Works was built in 1894 and is a typical example of a late Victorian factory comprising a couple of three storey buildings built of red brick with lots of small-paned cast iron windows and separated by a courtyard. Its restoration has been the work of Birmingham Conservation Trust who rescued not just the building but also the old stock and machinery. This has now been reassembled on-site so visitors can view the processes involved and the products which left the factory gate until not that long ago.

What about the meeting facilities? The Green Room is a modern ground floor boardroom which will seat up to 15 delegates around a fixed table with a kitchenette in the room for refreshments and a projector and flip chart (plus free wi-fi). It is the only official meeting room in the Coffin Works. The Green Room leads straight on to the open courtyard and it is this which I think offers the most exciting event prospects. It is not that large but it is perfect for an evening reception, an outdoor theatre or film presentation or a drinks and canapé reception.

In the courtyard you could be excused for thinking you had wandered on to a Dickens film set.  A guided tour of the factory and its processes and sample products can also be combined with any event or meeting.

From a logistics point of view Fleet Street is a short walk to both Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Snow Hill stations. It is street parking outside the Coffin Works with a multi-storey car park close by. It is overlooked by the new Ibis Styles Birmingham Centre Hotel in Lionel Street which runs along the back of the Coffin Works and there is a range of hotels across the price spectrum within a five minute walk.

Take a look at their website and let your imagination roam. It could be the venue for a very interesting and different event.

Details: www.coffinworks.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Published: 07 October 2014

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My mother bought ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ thinking it was a book about cloud formations in Lancashire. I went to the International Anthony Burgess Foundation in Manchester expecting to find a library devoted to the works of the said author. I can’t speak for my mother’s reaction but I was delighted when I discovered the Foundation also has a very good conference facility. It just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover.

The International Anthony Burgess Foundation encourages interest in the life and works of Anthony Burgess, best known as the author of  ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and who was one of  Manchester’s finest novelists.

The International Anthony Burgess Foundation is located in a former mill building in the centre of Manchester. The mill has been fully modernised with the original architectural features retained. In addition, Burgess’s own furniture and musical instruments provide an authentic, atmospheric backdrop.

The Engine House is the main event and performance space and will seat up to 100 delegates theatre style in comfort. Facilities include a modular stage and stage lighting; a PA system, lectern and microphones plus a mixing desk and facility to record events. An 8ftx6ft fast-fold screen for front and back projection is available with a multi-media projector. Wi-fi is free of charge. There is a fully licensed bar and café in the building with really friendly staff – in short everything you need for a successful event.
The Engine Room together with a small lower-ground-floor breakout space, to seat around 15 delegates in comfort, is available daytime and evenings, seven days a week.
The Engine Room is a good comfortable working space with a high ceiling ensuring it is both bright and airy with direct access onto the street if required. The space has a full black-out facility.  It is a good location for all kinds of events from conferences and workshops to meetings, lectures, readings and film screenings.

You will find the International Anthony Burgess Foundation just behind Manchester Oxford Road station, at the junction of Hulme Street and Cambridge Street – a two minute walk from the station. Parking facilities are not brilliant but the site of the former BBC buildings on Oxford Road provides parking, at least temporarily.

Construction of the Number One First Street project is in full swing across the road from the Foundation. This will include, amongst other developments, an ‘Innside’ branded hotel - the first one in the UK from Spanish-based Melia Hotels and scheduled to open sometime in 2015. The Palace Hotel and Holiday Inn Express are also very close and most of the Manchester city centre hotels are within easy walking distance.

Details: www.anthonyburgess.org

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Published: 22 September 2014

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