Work is now underway in creating a luxury country house hotel, restaurant and wedding venue at Healing Manor, with plans for a spa and conference centre in the pipeline. Reporter Laura Stuart-Cook meets the people breathing life back into the historic venue...
IT WAS once a lovingly-maintained family home, but Healing Manor was in a tragic state of disrepair when it was bought by property guru Mark Brennan in February this year.
Unperturbed by the daunting task ahead, Mark teamed up with accountant Gill Wallace-Armstrong and solicitor Rodger McCracken to launch Healing Manor Hotel.
The trio have since forged ahead with an extensive programme of renovations and repairs in their quest to restore the venue to its former glory.
Having stood empty for the best part of three years and been ransacked by metal thieves, Mark describes the Manor as being in a "horrendous" condition when they received the keys.
But having secured planning permission from North East Lincolnshire Council to create a country house hotel, bar and restaurant at the Manor, there was no option but to knuckle down and start work.
Mark, who previously overhauled Bar Babylon and Sugar, Sugar, in Cleethorpes, explained: "The whole place was in an appalling state and it was very sad to see.
"The lead had been stolen from the roofs and a lot of the tiles were smashed so rainwater had been pouring in for three years and ruined pretty much everything inside.
"Thieves had stolen the radiators and cast iron gutters; smashed dozens of the glass panes; taken the copper; ripped out the wires and even removed most of the floorboards.
"There was a lot of damp, but there were also parts of the house that had been set on fire. It meant everything needed to be stripped back and rebuilding from scratch."
Dating back to the 1600s, Healing Manor has only had four owners during its lifetime, including Viscount Gerald Berkley Portman, of the renowned Portman family, after which London's Portman Square is name.
Other inhabitants over the years included Dowager Countess Yarborough, who married Victorian racehorse trainer John Maunsell Richardson.
In 1845, a thoroughbred called Cure-All was walked all the way from Healing to Aintree where he triumphed in the Grand National – before being led all the way home again.
The trio of Healing Manor Hotel directors hope to incorporate some of this rich history into their new country house hotel.
Gill explained: "We think it's incredibly important to commemorate the Manor's heritage in what we are doing here, so we will have the Cure-All lounge and the Portman restaurant.
"This is a beautiful country house surrounded by 38 acres of stunning parkland and we are determined to restore it all to its former glory.
"Mark has sourced antique furniture to use in every room and the whole place will be decorated in a traditional style befitting a building of its kind."
Mark looked at buying the Manor with his late wife Andrulla, when it came onto the market a few years ago and the function suite in the new hotel will be given her family name – the Cadogon Suite.
Phase one of the ambitious development, which is set to be completed by September, will see the bar, restaurant, lounge and function suite created, as well as a four-poster bridal suite and three other bedrooms.
The team is currently awaiting confirmation that its application to host civil ceremonies on an idyllic island in the centre of one of its lakes has been a success.
And Mark's son will be the first to tie the knot at the new venue at the end of August, with another big day already booked for September.
Once the hotel is up and running, a further ten bedrooms will be completed within the stable block as part of phase two.
The final phase, which is set to be completed by January 2015, will see the completion of a luxury spa, with swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and treatment rooms, as well as a conference centre.
In total, more than £2 million will be invested in bringing Healing Manor back to life – and Mark is confident that it will be a worthwhile investment.
He added: "It is a tragedy that the building has been allowed to fall into such a state of disrepair and we are willing to invest what is needed to create a high-quality, country house hotel.
"It is wonderful being able to restore the original doors and stained glass windows and we have also discovered a number of original features, such as beautiful fireplaces, that we can save.
"Sadly, much of the original house is gone forever, but we will do our upmost to source authentic decor, fixtures and furnishings to complete the renovations.
"Whether people want dinner, a business lunch, spa treatments or the perfect wedding day, we want to make Healing Manor Hotel the region's premier destination."
To follow the progress at Healing Manor, visit http://healingmanor.blogspot.co.uk
Editor's Comment Healing Manor is a fine, old building in the heart of North East Lincolnshire and it deserves to be restored and cared for. In the words of Mark Brennan, the whole place was in an 'appalling state and was very sad to see'. Thank goodness Mark, with the assistance of two other business people, has been brave enough to step in and take this building on. Over the years the Manor has been dogged by bad luck and failed business ventures, which has seen its decline. However it now has its best chance yet to rise again. Mark has masterminded the successful launch of a number of venues in the past and it would seem he has his heart and soul set on turning the fortunes of this building around. What it needs, and deserves, is quality in order that it can once again shine – not now as a home, but as a hotel and associated businesses that do it justice. This area has precious few hotels of any note and this addition will be most welcome. Follow the editor on Twitter @michellelalor
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