Luxury 5* hotel and spa plans for historic manor house

Seighford Hall in Stafford is currently being restored after it was bought by First Blue Leisure Ltd in July 2020.

Plans are due to be submitted this summer, and if they are accepted the hotel and spa could open to customers in summer 2023, creating 150 jobs.

The hall was run as a family home until the early 20th Century, the owners said. The Elde family occupied it until the early 18th Century and then leased it out.

Just before the Second World War it was acquired by the Royal Air Force and was used as a hostel for off duty women who were in the Auxiliary Air Force. After the war it was bought by the police as a driving centre. It was then turned into a hotel and finally ended up as a care home.

The hall had been left vacant for a number of years before it was bought last year.

Managing director of Seighford Hall Hotel and Spa, Christopher Garrett, said: "When we first acquired the property back in July we brought in a historical architect who did a full analysis of the property.

"The land was gifted to the Elde family in 1574 who were working for the Crown at the time and they went about the development of Seighford Hall.

"The buildings to the right and left were added on at a much later date around the 19th Century.

"The Royal Air Force buying it is a key part of the heritage that we're keen to keep around in future.

"When we bought it there was a significant amount of water ingress into the timber structures so there were several areas at risk of degeneration.

"At this point it's all about the restoration of the building, we're currently going through the pre-planning stage.

"What we'd like to create at Seighford is a luxury 5* hotel and spa. We want to work alongside suppliers to create a sustainable hotel that not only brings people into the area and increases tourism but brings money into the local economy.

"We want the grounds to be visited and want to work with local artists to create installations within the grounds."