Stoke Rochford Hall is a large house built in scenic grounds, with a nearby golf course, next to the A1 in south

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, England. The parkland and gardens of Stoke Rochford Hall are listed Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

History

The remains of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

villa and bath house were identified by William Stukeley in 1739 and again in 1824 and 1960. No substantive ruins are preserved. The

Neville family The Neville or Nevill family (originally FitzMaldred) is a noble house of early medieval origin, which was a leading force in English politics in the later Middle Ages. The family became one of the two major powers in northern England and played ...

had a house on the site in the 14th century. The estate passed to the Rochfords in the 15th century, whence comes the name of the estate, and to the Coneys in the 16th century. The estate was purchased by Sir Edmund Turnor around the time he was knighted in 1663. The grand house he began building in 1665 was demolished in 1774. In 1794 the Turnors built a smaller house at Stoke that was replaced by the current structure in the 1840s. The estate was occupied by Harry Wyndham Jefferson and his wife Gwendolen Mary Talbot at the beginning of the 20th century. The present building dating from 1843 was designed by architect

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival,often referred ...

, for Christopher Turnor. For the rest of the 19th century and early 20th century it was owned by the Turnor family. Christopher Turnor's grandson sold of the Wragby estate in 1917. He started holding summer conferences at the hall. In August 1940, the estate was taken over by his first cousin, Major Herbert Broke Turnor. In 1940 the house was requisitioned by the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

, and used for a variety of purposes. It became the headquarters of the Second Battalion, the Parachute Regiment. The ill-fated 1944

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

'drop' was planned in the library at Stoke Rochford. The house was purchased from the War Office by

Kesteven County Council Kesteven County Council was the county council of Parts of Kesteven in the east of England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1889 and was abolished on 1 April 1974. The county council was based at the County Offices in Sleaford. It was amalgama ...

in 1948 and became home to Kesteven College of Education, a teacher-training college that closed in 1978. It retained a connection with education, as the training and

conference centre A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

of the

National Union of Teachers The National Union of Teachers (NUT; ) was a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It was a member of the Trades Union Congress. In March 2017, NUT members endorsed a proposed merger with ...

. It was not solely used by the NUT, but also by national organisations and companies for conferences or seminars because of its situation close to the A1 and

Grantham railway station Grantham railway station is on the East Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom, serving the town of Grantham, Lincolnshire. It is down the line from and is situated on the main line between to the south and to the north. Two secondary lines ...

. On 25 January 2005 a fire gutted the interior of the hall. It was restored by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

over three years at a cost of £12m. The hall has banqueting facilities, a sports club and a restaurant, and is used for

wedding reception A wedding reception is a party usually held after the completion of a marriage ceremony as hospitality for those who have attended the wedding, hence the name reception: the couple ''receive'' society, in the form of family and friends, for t ...

s and parties. In 2016 it was sold to Talash Hotels Group. On 17 April 2018, Stoke Rochford Hall joined Best Western Hotels and Resorts in Great Britain as part of its BW Premier Collection.

Architectural style

The hall is built in a Jacobean style, with many chimneys. It was designed by William Burn, who also laid out the gardens in collaboration with

William Andrews Nesfield William Andrews Nesfield (1793–1881) was an English soldier, landscape architect and artist. After a career in the military which saw him serve under the Duke of Wellington, he developed a second profession as a landscape architect, designing so ...

. The gate lodge, also in a Jacobean style, was designed in 1834 by Cornelius Sherborne. The front elevation of the Elizabethan stables was re-erected and the stone frontispieces still stand in the park. This carries the dates 1676 and 1704, representing their original erection and re-building.

Golf

A golf course was laid out in 1924 by Christopher Turnor. It is still in use and is home to Stoke Rochford golf club.Stoke Rochford golf club
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References

External links

* {{Official, http://www.stokerochfordhall.co.uk/
Former Kesteven College

January 2009 ''Lincolnshire Life'' article about the Hall's restoration

Video links

On bridge overlooking lake video
Retrieved 18 December 2010

News items

''East Midlands Today'' September 2008

Fire in January 2005
Exhibition and conference centres in England Grade I listed buildings in Lincolnshire Grade I listed houses Grade II* listed parks and gardens in Lincolnshire Hotels in Lincolnshire Houses completed in the 19th century National Union of Teachers South Kesteven District