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Nunsmere Honey and a new Vegetable Garden at Nunsmere Hall, near Chester

The exclusive Nunsmere Hall Hotel in Oakmere near Chester has embraced the nationwide Landshare scheme launched by celebrity chef  Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall where,  in conjunction with USA born local garden enthusiast,  Melissa Buzzard, they are breathing new life back into the hotel’s extensive kitchen gardens.

Come rain or shine Melissa can be found tending the large site at least once  – and often two or three times-  every day,  frequently on weekdays after school with her own two young children  Elijah, aged six and four-year-old Nathan and Hotel Manager, Mark Huntley’s own children, eight year old Charlotte and five year old Felicity who live within the grounds of the hotel.  

“when it comes to gardening I am still very much the enthusiastic amateur with a lot of learn but I know that the garden has wonderful potential and I feel very privileged to be the custodian of it. I have plans for a whole range of vegetables, soft fruits and even some flower and shrubs, sharing the produce with the Hotel.”

Soon after taking over the garden, with its greenhouses and polytunnels, Melissa also rescued a dozen battery hens that now peck and cluck freely around their enclosure in the garden producing a regular supply of eggs for hotel guests  – even in winter. 

This latest venture sits well with the introduction last year, of  Beehives to the Nunsmere grounds which resulted in a very commendable 53 kilos of honey being harvested.  The Nunsmere honey is served at the breakfast to guests and is also available to purchase.

The extensive grounds at Nunsmere Hall, have always proved popular with conference delegates for on site land based team building events and with its 60 acre lake increasingly used for water based corporate days including water ski-ing and water boarding proves the ideal location.   Should all this sound rather too active for some guests  – they are invited to let the resident Labrador guide them around the beautiful grounds.

For further information on Nunsmere Hall please call 01606 889100 or visit the website www.nunsmere.co.uk

For further information on the Landshare scheme visit   www.landshare.net.

Sunday 8th January – Open Day  &  Sunday 19th February – Wedding Fair

The 4 star Quorn Country Hotel in the beautiful village of Quorn in Leicestershire are holding a Wedding Open Day on Sunday 8th January, from 11am – 4pm.  and a Wedding Fair on Sunday 19th February from 11am-4pm.

Come and look round the hotel, meet our wedding co-ordinators and at in February at the Wedding Fair you can meet with local suppliers. 

“All in One Winter Wedding Package” starting from £2.950 * is available in January, February and March 2012

* Special package based on 50 day and evening guests – for full details about this package or for a tailor made Spring / Summer 2012 or 2013 wedding quote please call 01509 415061 and ask for the wedding co-ordinator.

For the perfect wedding venue - The Quorn Country Hotel, Leicestershire

The Stanneylands Hotel, Wilmslow has been nominated for Cheshire Life Hotel of the Year

This 4 star hotel has 2 AA rosettes and General Manager Sarah Richmond and her team were thrilled to be nominated for Cheshire Life Hotel of the Year 2011.

If you wish to dine or stay in one of the best hotels in Cheshire then call 01625 525225 or email sales@stanneylandshotel.co.uk 

The Stanneylands 2 AA Rosette Restaurant

Nunsmere are looking for your help with news about the History of Nunsmere Hall Hotel, Cheshire ….

“What do you know about Nunsmere Hall?   We are looking for help with filling in the gaps in our tree of history

Nunsmere was originally  built around 1900 by an eminent gentleman called Sir Aubrey Brocklebank. Sir Aubrey was clearly a gentleman of ‘means’ to be able to purchase the 100 acre estate that is Nunsmere.    With no dwelling at all on the site he set about designing the hall and oversaw the complete construction.  Not satisfied with designing a beautiful country house Sir Aubrey then set about tackling the grounds.    Where most of us may decide to have an ornamental pond in the garden Sir Aubrey clearly saw the bigger picture and designed the 60 acre lake which surrounds the beautiful gardens and makes Nunsmere almost an island location.   Sir Aubreys’ design was so good that many guests do not believe that it is not a natural mere!

In his professional capacity Sir Aubrey was Chairman of the family shipping line – The Brocklebank Line, which played a vital role in  maintaining food supplies during the first world war.    The family, in 1925,  purchased the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway which has originally been a 3’ gauge line opened to serve a group of iron mines in Eskdale, whilst carrying some passengers too. 

At the end of September 1939 passenger traffic ceased for the duration of the war with a service restarted in 1946. The Brocklebank family eventually decided to sell the quarry and railway.   

On the shipping front – The Brocklebank Line merged with  Cunard Line and Sir Aubrey set about designing a magnificent new liner – the much loved Queen Mary 1.   It is reputed that he designed the Queen Mary in what is now the Drawing Room at Nunsmere.  Sadly Sir Aubrey did not live to see the Queen Marys maiden voyage in 1934    

 Not many of us have a train line and a shipping line to ‘play’ with and Sir Aubreys commercial interests were very much reflected in his personal life too – he even installed a railway line around the grounds at Nunsmere – sadly this is no longer here – however this picture shows him playing trains in the grounds – every school boys dream!   (Picture)

We have  no idea at all what the family used the lake for – perhaps they spent lazy Sunday afternoons messing about in a rowing boat, in true gentile Edwardian fashion?  Certainly they would not have used the lake in the way it is now currently used as a popular venue for corporate team building events!

Our knowledge of Nunsmere after this period is, unfortunately, somewhat sketchy – although we do understand that during the second world war it was used as a convalescent home for officers.   After which it  is reputed to have been a family home/B & B and at some point many of the rooms were let as apartments.

If anyone has any more information or documentation relating to the history of Nunsmere, post second world war –we would love to hear more from you.       Please call us on 01606 889100 or email : ann@nunsmere.co.uk

Last week saw the official launch of Matfen Outdoors an exciting new project featuring one of the widest ranges of outdoor activities in the North East. Located in the grounds of country house hotel, Matfen Hall, the venture comprises Matfen’s existing Go Ape high wire adventure course, the hotel’s driving range & par 3 course, a new bird of prey centre and activity providers Turboventure.

Visitors at the official launch including local residents, hotel staff, clients and business owners tried the many activities now on offer including falconry displays, archery, golf lessons and high wire assault courses for themselves. They also had chance to use the Matfen Hall Golf Club’s driving range and pitch & putt and enjoy a BBQ.

Matfen Hall’s Business Development Manager Tim Hardie explains how Matfen Outdoors came about; “The last six months have been very exciting for us. Our golf offering is already very well established and the Go Ape high wire course is now entering its third full year. Now, with the creation of the bird of prey centre and the relationship we have recently built with activity providers Turboventure, who are also based on the estate, we can offer an extensive range of outdoor activities. With falconry displays, paintball, golf lessons, blind folded driving, a high wire adventure course and numerous other activities all available onsite we can create fantastic events for day visitors, hotel guests, group and corporate bookings. Matfen Outdoors has enormous potential and we’re all very excited!”

The Falconry Days’ bird of prey centre, Go Ape high wire adventure course are open daily. Matfen Hall’s driving range and pitch and putt are both open from 9am to 8pm and are ideal for younger golfers and those looking to improve their game. Golf lessons and activities booked through activity provider Turboventure are by appointment.

Privately owned by Sir Hugh and Lady Blackett and operated by the Prima Hotel Group, Matfen Hall offers the best of four star country house comfort combined with twenty first century facilities.   Its extensive business and leisure facilities include 53 guest bedrooms, conference and banqueting facilities for up to 120 guests, state of the art leisure and spa facilities, a two AA rosette Restaurant and two golf courses.

The hotel is a much sought after venue for conferences, outdoor activities, golfing events, short breaks and weddings.  For further details further details on Matfen Outdoors at  Matfen Hall, please contact Tim Hardie the hotel on Tel. 01661 855717 or visit http://www.primahotels.co.uk/matfen

Ends

Further details about Prima Hotels can be found at – www.primahotels.co.uk

Editor’s Notes

For further information on individual activities please contact:

Falconry Days bird of prey centre – http://www.falconrydays.com – 01434-689681

Matfen Hall – www.matfenhall.com – 01661 886500

Matfen Hall Golf Club – 01661 886400

Go Ape – http://goape.co.uk/sites/matfen – 0845 643 9156

Turboventure –www.turboventures.co.uk – 0191 232 5872

We have recently refurbished bedrooms 1 – 16, see attached photo of room 6. These rooms, all in the hotel’s East Wing are individually designed by Lady Blackett.