Pictured above: Carriage Court
An ambitious development to provide a dynamic commercial future
to one of the most important groups of heritage properties in the
East Midlands has been unveiled to the public.
Carriage Court, one of the extraordinary model estate buildings
built by the fifth and sixth Dukes of Portland in around 1860 on
the historic Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire, has been
redeveloped into unique office accommodation.
The stunning 19th century former carriage store, which has
retained many of its original features, is part of the Welbeck
Estates Company Limited's determined plans to redevelop the
buildings on one of England's finest country estates.
Business leaders, developers, agents and representatives from
across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire gathered at a launch
event to mark a new chapter in the building's history.
The refurbishment, which offers 9,222 sq ft of net letting space
as one or up to seven suites, is viewed as a catalyst to attract
key creative industries including digital publishing, design,
architecture, advertising, software and games development to
Welbeck.
Occupiers will benefit from state of the art office space and
facilities including superfast broadband, in an outstanding
environment of historic listed buildings, well maintained open
spaces and ample parking. An inspiring mix of other occupiers form
the exciting Welbeck Project nearby including the Harley Gallery,
Welbeck Farm Shop, the School of Artisan Food and the Welbeck
Bakehouse.
Robin Brown, managing director at the Welbeck Estates Company
Limited, said: "The redevelopment project as a whole represents one
of the largest and most important rural heritage property
redevelopment schemes undertaken in the UK in recent years.
"Part of this initiative is to put the heart back into a village
of remarkable buildings by developing a mixed use community where
people may work, live, learn and create. The office space is an
important part of this wider plan for Welbeck."
The Welbeck project follows four pillars - rural
diversification, education, creative industries and the arts and
aims to deliver genuine social and economic benefits to the local
community and wider region.
The Harley Gallery is built on the site of the estate's
Victorian Gasworks while the Welbeck Farm Shop and the creation of
Stichelton cheese in 2006 has brought national and international
recognition. The School of Artisan Food offers courses in artisan
food production skills and processes, as well as an impressive
research centre. The Welbeck Bakehouse, which opened last year, is
already producing the very best in artisan products.
Tim Bottrill, partner at Knight Frank's Sheffield office, which
is acting as agent for Carriage Court, said: "The building has been
sympathetically restored and updated to incorporate the features a
modern office needs to thrive.
"Great care has been taken to preserve the original features and
the quality of the work is extremely impressive. One unique feature
is the historic carriage doors, which open fully onto the large
cobbled courtyard, entirely relaid by hand, at its heart."
The Welbeck Estate covers more than 15,000 acres of rural North
Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. At its heart stands the historic
Welbeck Abbey and Welbeck Village, the site of the Welbeck
Project.
Welbeck is midway between Sheffield and Nottingham off the A60.
It is located seven miles from the junction 30 of the M1 and ten
miles from the A1.