Kelmarsh Hall £1.2m Lottery Grant for ‘Below Stairs’ Restoration Project

Visitors to Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire will soon be able to experience life ‘below stairs’ in a country house thanks to a £1.2m Lottery grant to restore and re-develop its basement areas. The award from the Heritage Lottery Fund - the largest ever received by Kelmarsh Hall – will help to create an exciting and interactive educational experience. Underground areas formerly used by those who worked in the Hall will be preserved and re-developed, including a butler’s pantry, bake house and footman’s room in the basement of the main house and a wash room and ironing rooms in a separate laundry block.

Currently, visitors who are given guided tours of the Grade I listed Hall learn about its residents throughout history but this unique project will mean that, for the fi rst time, the voices will be heard of those who worked at Kelmarsh Hall and remained hidden. The project, entitled Tunnelling Through the Past, will offer visitors a full sensory experience through modern technology as the lives of those who worked ‘below stairs’ are brought to life, from the evocative smells of the wash room to the sound of servants’ chatter and footsteps as they deliver the laundry. The use of tablet devices will help visitors to interpret the rooms in detail, while augmented reality will bring the spaces to life with period characters appearing to tell their story.

It is the biggest ever restoration project undertaken at Kelmarsh Hall and there is much excitement about what it will offer the local community. For example, part of the programme involves the repair and conversion of an old carriage store into a dedicated learning area, enabling the Kelmarsh Trust to provide more educational opportunities. The two-year project will see the restoration of each room’s original features where they exist or the creation of replicas. Staff are keen to involve the local community and interested parties throughout the build phase and once work is complete. While work is going on, it is intended that volunteers will be given the opportunity to undertake lime washing, joinery and pointing, while visitors will be able to view the restoration work via observation points and site tours.

Construction students from Moulton College in Northampton will be offered ‘hard hat’ sessions and local people or those who worked at Kelmarsh Hall will be invited to ‘memory’ and oral history days at Kelmarsh so stories, objects, photographs and oral histories can be collected. Once the work is complete, Kelmarsh Hall intends to offer historic lectures, outreach and community talks; traditional upholstery courses and traditional craft workshops e.g. soap/candle making; historical tours and after-dark tours; family activity days such as storytelling, twilight stories, history detectives; and new school group sessions including object loan boxes and outreach to schools.

Kelmarsh Hall already attracts hundreds of children each year through its school visits programme, which gives children the opportunity to learn about where their food comes from in the setting of the historic walled kitchen garden. Tunnelling Through the Past marks another exciting chapter for Kelmarsh Hall - restoration work has recently been completed on the 18th Century Orangery so this unique building can be used by the public once again.

As a charitable trust, all income generated from grant funding, events and private functions enables the charity to subsidise and support an education programme, family days, special events and visitor opening times, while conserving the Hall, surrounding buildings and the Grade II* gardens. The total cost of the project is just over £1.5m so fundraising will continue – anyone who is interested in supporting the project or would like more details can call Fundraiser Carla Cooper on 01604 686543 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Storytelling in the Garden

Professional storytellers will keep children enthralled during two storytelling sessions at Kelmarsh Hall this summer. Storytelling in the Garden returns on Wednesday 19th August and Wednesday 26th August, when families are invited to spend a magical day in the walled kitchen garden.

On August 19th, Tom the Tale Teller will be accompanied by the magical Story Stick, which is full of pictures and stories to go with them. There will be some true stories, some fantastical, some set in far-away lands and some from just around the corner - featuring animals, kings, queens and heroes.

On August 26th, the Infl atable Theatre will take children on a journey through enchanted castles where they will meet fair maidens and hideous monsters and hear of daring deeds and amazing magic. Four 30-minute sessions will run at 11.30am to 12noon, 12.30-1pm, 2-2.30pm and 3-3.30pm, with children’s craft activities also running through the day. Standard admission prices apply plus a £1.50 surcharge for under-5s. For more details visit www.kelmarsh.com or call 01604 686543.

Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens is now open on set
days until 30th September 2015. Please visit www.
kelmarsh.com or call 01604 686543 for full details
of opening times. Please note that the Hall is now
open from 2pm to 5pm on Tuesdays (formerly
Thursdays), the fi rst Sunday of every month
(except May 24th) and Bank Holiday Mondays.

For further information please visit www.kelmarsh.com

Christmas at Kelmarsh

 

Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens

Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens