Kesgrave Hall
Encyclopedia
Kesgrave Hall is a country house located in woodlands north of the suburban village of Kesgrave
, which itself is on the eastern outskirts of Ipswich
, in Suffolk
. It was constructed in 1812 by William Cunliffe-Shawe, and has been extended since, notably by the addition of a northern extension. The building has five large rooms downstairs, with another two in the northern extension, with another seven upstairs. The building is set in 38 acres (153,780.7 m²) of grounds, which includes woodlands, marsh and fields; a stream, which rises on Playford Heath, north of Kesgrave village, and joins the River Fynn, itself a tributary of the Deben, at Martlesham, runs west to east through the grounds.
The Hall has had several uses during its life, including housing five different boarding schools. Since late April 2008, the building has been used as a restaurant and hotel and owned by the Hills Building Group and the Milsom Hotel Group,.
The building has been used for five boarding schools in its history, two in the 19th century and three in the 20th and 21st. Of the first two, little is known; the National Archives has records of a diary by one Francis Aldous Kent, headmaster resident in the nearby village of Little Bealings, from 1860 with "accounts of Kesgrave Hall School", which is deposited in the Suffolk Record Office (Ipswich branch). In the 1920s, the hall was inhabited by a Colonel Barnes, whose daughter Mary, later Mary Goodman, formed the Kesgrave Guide Group; Goodman Grove, in Kesgrave, is named after her.
, who were involved in aerial operations over France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Central Europe out of the nearby RAF Martlesham Heath
.
during World War II. At the end of the war, the school returned to Ipswich and moved to Kesgrave Hall in 1946 after outgrowing its original premises. The school was founded by the Marshall family, and was under a headmaster by the name of McClintock in the 1950s. The school was taken over by the Mills family in 1958 and took on many improvements, including its own swimming pool (now filled in) and the draining of the marsh at the front of the main building for playing fields. Major John Mills was headmaster until the school closed in 1975.
. The teachers found that boys from that school were ill-served by their secondary schools.
As with Heanton, Kesgrave Hall School was established for boys with a strong academic ability but with perceived emotional or behavioural problems. It had a strong academic focus, but also taught vocational subjects such as woodwork.
The school closed in 1993, at a time when a number of similar establishments in the UK were closing.
The headmaster, most of the staff and most of the pupils from Kesgrave Hall School transferred to the new school. According to one ex-pupil of both schools, Shawe Manor was run along the same lines as it predecessor. The school remained open less than a year before itself closed.
It is sometimes mistakenly asserted that the school was known as Grange Farm (headmaster John Williams even said, at the summer prize-giving in 1993, that he had received mail so addressed, and the error is repeated on some websites), but this is in fact the name of a nearby housing development.
, near Stowmarket, was the subject of objections from locals who feared that they would have nothing to do outside school times.
reported on 16 October 2007 that Milsom was investing 4 million GBP in a new "restaurant with rooms" called Milsoms at Kesgrave Hall, along similar lines to the milsoms establishment in Dedham, Essex
. Among the favourable conditions was the location between Ipswich and the picturesque riverside town of Woodbridge, Suffolk
.
On 28 November 2007, the East Anglian Daily Times reported that Milsom's had received planning permission from Suffolk Coastal District Council for their change of use and for their alterations. The new restaurant and hotel, 'Milsoms at Kesgrave Hall', opened in April 2008. In the first phase of works the hotel had 15 rooms, sports hall and a 100 seater restaurant. The second stage included the construction of eight extra rooms, both in the main Hall and in the outbuildings, and two further meeting rooms and they were opened in July 2009.
Kesgrave
Kesgrave is a small town in the English county of Suffolk on the northern edge of Ipswich.-Early history:The town was recorded as Gressgrava in the Domesday Book, by the late 15th century its name had become Kesgrave...
, which itself is on the eastern outskirts of Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. It was constructed in 1812 by William Cunliffe-Shawe, and has been extended since, notably by the addition of a northern extension. The building has five large rooms downstairs, with another two in the northern extension, with another seven upstairs. The building is set in 38 acres (153,780.7 m²) of grounds, which includes woodlands, marsh and fields; a stream, which rises on Playford Heath, north of Kesgrave village, and joins the River Fynn, itself a tributary of the Deben, at Martlesham, runs west to east through the grounds.
The Hall has had several uses during its life, including housing five different boarding schools. Since late April 2008, the building has been used as a restaurant and hotel and owned by the Hills Building Group and the Milsom Hotel Group,.
Kesgrave Hall until 1939
According to British Isles Genealogy, the hall was purchased around 1814 by William Cunliffe Shawe, and by 1844 was inhabited by his son, Robert Newton Shawe, a magistrate and joint Chairman of the Woodbridge quarter sessions, who at one point represented Suffolk in Parliament; the Shawes were descended from "an eminent merchant of Liverpool" according to the British Gazetteer. According to a report published in 1846 by the Committee of Council on Education Robert Shawe funded the local school, which educated 238 pupils between ages 7 and 14 (11 in the case of boys), where discipline was said to be good but not as strict as was usual in "good national schools", and that the pupils' knowledge of "Holy Scripture" was particularly notable.The building has been used for five boarding schools in its history, two in the 19th century and three in the 20th and 21st. Of the first two, little is known; the National Archives has records of a diary by one Francis Aldous Kent, headmaster resident in the nearby village of Little Bealings, from 1860 with "accounts of Kesgrave Hall School", which is deposited in the Suffolk Record Office (Ipswich branch). In the 1920s, the hall was inhabited by a Colonel Barnes, whose daughter Mary, later Mary Goodman, formed the Kesgrave Guide Group; Goodman Grove, in Kesgrave, is named after her.
Second World War (1939-1945)
During the war the Hall was used by the RAF, and by the pilots of the USAF 359th Fighter Squadron, part of the 356th Fighter Group356th Fighter Group
The 356th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Army Service Forces, being stationed at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. It was inactivated on 10 November 1945....
, who were involved in aerial operations over France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Central Europe out of the nearby RAF Martlesham Heath
RAF Martlesham Heath
RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force airfield in England. The field is located 1½ miles SW of Woodbridge, Suffolk.- RFC/RAF prewar use:Martlesham Heath was first used as a Royal Flying Corps airfield during World War I...
.
St. Edmund's School (1946-1975)
The third school to use the Hall was St. Edmund's School, a boys' preparatory boarding school. This school was originally founded in 1936 in a large house on the corner of St. Edmunds Road and Henley Road (No.57) in Ipswich, hence the name, but was evacuated to DursleyDursley
Dursley is a market town in Gloucestershire, England. It is under the North East flank of Stinchcombe Hill , and about 6 km South East of the River Severn. The town is adjacent with Cam which, though a village, is a community of double the size...
during World War II. At the end of the war, the school returned to Ipswich and moved to Kesgrave Hall in 1946 after outgrowing its original premises. The school was founded by the Marshall family, and was under a headmaster by the name of McClintock in the 1950s. The school was taken over by the Mills family in 1958 and took on many improvements, including its own swimming pool (now filled in) and the draining of the marsh at the front of the main building for playing fields. Major John Mills was headmaster until the school closed in 1975.
Kesgrave Hall School (1976 - 1993)
The fourth school at the Hall, known as Kesgrave Hall School opened in 1976. This was also a boys' boarding school and was founded by teachers from a boys' junior boarding school, Heanton in DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. The teachers found that boys from that school were ill-served by their secondary schools.
As with Heanton, Kesgrave Hall School was established for boys with a strong academic ability but with perceived emotional or behavioural problems. It had a strong academic focus, but also taught vocational subjects such as woodwork.
The school closed in 1993, at a time when a number of similar establishments in the UK were closing.
Shawe Manor (1993)
Immediately after Kesgrave Hall School closed a new school opened; the fifth school based at the Hall was run by different owners, they purchased the fixtures and fittings from the old school and continued to lease the building from the founder of Kesgrave Hall School.The headmaster, most of the staff and most of the pupils from Kesgrave Hall School transferred to the new school. According to one ex-pupil of both schools, Shawe Manor was run along the same lines as it predecessor. The school remained open less than a year before itself closed.
It is sometimes mistakenly asserted that the school was known as Grange Farm (headmaster John Williams even said, at the summer prize-giving in 1993, that he had received mail so addressed, and the error is repeated on some websites), but this is in fact the name of a nearby housing development.
KDM (1995-2004)
In 1995, the timber trading company KDM moved into the building. According to their history page, they converted the dining hall into "the first hi-tech timber trading room of its kind in the UK". KDM also developed an internet business, COUNTYWeb, which it sold in 2003, and also launched BT Global WoodTrader, a joint venture with BT, to trade timber over the Internet. KDM moved out of the building in 2004 into a purpose-built building at Ransomes Europark, on the southern outskirts of Ipswich.Ryes School (2004-2007)
After KDM left, the Ryes School organisation moved into the building. The Ryes is a special residential school for children with behavioural problems and other complex needs, based near Sudbury, Suffolk. Kesgrave Hall was used to house senior pupils. However, in 2007, local educational authorities decided that the site was too big and obliged the school to move the youths to smaller premises. As of 2 October 2007, a plan to house them in PettaughPettaugh
Pettaugh is a village located within the district council area of Mid Suffolk, England.Pettaugh is a small village of a little over 200 inhabitants in 85 households, 10 miles north of Ipswich and 2½ miles south of Debenham, in the beautiful county of Suffolk...
, near Stowmarket, was the subject of objections from locals who feared that they would have nothing to do outside school times.
Milsoms Restaurant and Hotel (2007-present)
Hills Building Group and the Milsom Hotel Group bought the building in autumn 2007, and the East Anglian Daily TimesEast Anglian Daily Times
The East Anglian Daily Times is a British local newspaper for Suffolk and Essex, based in Ipswich.It started publication on 13 October 1874, incorporating the Ipswich Express, which had been published since 13 August 1839...
reported on 16 October 2007 that Milsom was investing 4 million GBP in a new "restaurant with rooms" called Milsoms at Kesgrave Hall, along similar lines to the milsoms establishment in Dedham, Essex
Dedham, Essex
Dedham is a village within the borough of Colchester in northeast Essex, England, situated on the River Stour and on the border of Essex and Suffolk...
. Among the favourable conditions was the location between Ipswich and the picturesque riverside town of Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
.
On 28 November 2007, the East Anglian Daily Times reported that Milsom's had received planning permission from Suffolk Coastal District Council for their change of use and for their alterations. The new restaurant and hotel, 'Milsoms at Kesgrave Hall', opened in April 2008. In the first phase of works the hotel had 15 rooms, sports hall and a 100 seater restaurant. The second stage included the construction of eight extra rooms, both in the main Hall and in the outbuildings, and two further meeting rooms and they were opened in July 2009.