Upton Hall is the headquarters of the

British Horological Institute The British Horological Institute (BHI) is the representative body of the horology, horological industry in the United Kingdom. It was founded by a group of clockmakers in 1858, and has its current premises at Upton Hall, Nottinghamshire, Upton ...

(BHI) in

Upton, Newark and Sherwood Upton is a small village in Nottinghamshire, England, east of Southwell, Nottinghamshire, Southwell, west of Newark-on-Trent, Newark and south of Hockerton; it lies on the A612 Nottingham-Newark-on-Trent, Newark road. In 1889, the village wa ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

, England. It has been the headquarters since 1972. It also houses the Museum of Timekeeping consisting of a substantial collection of clocks, watches and also a library. The Museum is open to the public during seasonal summer opening hours, for special events and for pre-booked Group tours.

History

The Hall was built in 1828 by Thomas Wright (1773-1845), a banker of Nottinghamshire. It was designed by the architect

William Donthorne William John Donthorn (Donthorne in some sources) (1799 – 18 May 1859) was an English architect, and one of the founders of what became the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He was born in Swaffham, Norfolk. He was a pupil of Sir ...

. The hall was purchased in 1895 by John Warwick, a brewer of the firm 'Warwick & Richardson' based in Newark. He used it as a family home. He added a ballroom, a billiards room, and a further six bedrooms. In 1936 the property was bought by

Sir Albert Ball Sir Albert Ball (20 July 1863 – 27 March 1946) was Mayor of Nottingham and Lord Mayor of Nottingham, and the father of the famous Great War air ace Captain Albert Ball (1896–1917), a recipient of the Victoria Cross. Ball started life as a p ...

, though he never took up residence there. In 1952 the hall was declared a listed building. It is now a Grade II* listed building, making it one of the most treasured 5% of all buildings in the UK. The property is listed by Historic England on the

Heritage at Risk Register An annual ''Heritage at Risk Register'' is published by Historic England. The survey is used by national and local government, a wide range of individuals and heritage groups to establish the extent of risk and to help assess priorities for acti ...

. Roof coverings are in fair condition but rainwater disposal is poor, with corresponding internal dampness and signs of active dry rot. The adjacent stables and courtyard structures contribute to the setting of the hall and are now in very poor condition and all at significant risk of loss. The building was purchased by the BHI in 1972, where its headquarters have been ever since.

Owners

*Thomas and Frances Wright 1828 - 1845 *Revd. Joseph Banks Wright and Sophia Wright 1845 *Philip Richard Falkner and Alicia Falkner 1857 - 1888 *Mary Frances Falkner 1888 - 1894 *John Francis Warwick and Eliza Gertrude Warwick 1895 - 1935 *

1936 - 1939 *

Holy Ghost Fathers The Congregation of the Holy Spirit (officially the Congregation of the Holy Spirit under the protection of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary; ) is a religious congregation for men in the Catholic Church. Members are often known as Holy ...

(Roman Catholic College) 1939 - 1972 *

1972 - current

References

{{Reflist

External links

History of Upton Hall on the BHI's website

Country houses in Nottinghamshire Grade II* listed buildings in Nottinghamshire Upton, Newark and Sherwood Horology

History

Owners

See also

References

External links