About Colwick Hall

 

Colwick Hall Hotel, having returned to its former glory, this Nottingham Hotel has a wealth of history and its story continues to unfold daily as we welcome visitors from across the world to our superb conference centre, wedding venue, hotel and restaurant.

 

The Hotel reception is the original entrance hall and still today displays the diamond cut slate flooring with circular black marble sections.

 

The new additions were built in 1776 by Samuel Stretton of Nottingham, from an architectural design of John Carr of York, and was originally enclosed with a deep moat, and had a draw bridge on the north side of the hall. There was a reed-grown lakelet in the grounds which was a remnant of an artificial water course, conducting the waters of the Trent to turn a mill. This had existed just below the hall since the Saxon period, and was the cause of constant disputes between the owners of Colwick and their neighbours concerning the amount of water that it was allowable to divert from the main river. At one time so much water was taken that the navigation of the river was impeded.

 

Colwick Hall dates back to 11th century and was recorded in the Domesday book. It was first owned by Sir Reginal DeColwick. On the death of William de Colwick in 1362, the estate passed by the marriage of his daughter Joan, into the Byron family which they inhabited for more than 150 years. They held it until about 1660, when it came into the possession of the Musters. All the older buildings disappeared when the present Hall was erected in 1775-6, soon after the coming-of-age of John Musters, (father of the husband of Byron’s ‘Mary.’) There is a famous painting by George Stubbs of John and Sophia Musters riding at Colwick showing the newly built hall in 1777. The house consisted of an elegant centre, crowned with a pediment, resting on four well proportioned Ionic pillars, and joined by two wings of one lofty storey with an entablature, supported by square pilasters, with plain capitols, and lightened much in its effect by a handsome balustraded parapet.

 

In 1805 Mary Chaworth, Byron’s childhood love-interest from Annesley Hall, married Jack Musters of Colwick, creating the name Chaworth-Musters by which the family is still known today.

History & Architecture

 

In 1831, during the Second Reform Bill riots, Colwick Hall was sacked by an excited mob. Mary Chaworth Musters spent the night shivering in pouring rain with her daughter Sophia, crouched beneath the shrubbery, while the Hall was looted and partially set on fire. She died a few months later from the shock at Wiverton Hall some four months after the riot. In 1896 the Hall was sold to the Nottingham Racecourse Company – the racecourse opened in 1892, the Hall became a public house and the rest of the building were used to accommodate grooms and jockeys. Nottingham Corporation acquired the Hall from the Racecourse Company in 1965. The house had magnificent Spanish mahogany doors, its moulded architraves, elegant staircase, and fireplaces carried out in multi-coloured marbles and enriched with decoration in the style of the Adam brothers.

 

Inherited by Byron’s ancestor Sir Richard Byron in 1362. The Byrons inhabited Colwick for more than 150 years before they moved to Newstead Abbey. Colwick was then bought by the Musters family.

 

The building then fell into disrepair in the last 50 years and was saved by a local builder who won a bid to restore the building. Much effort has gone into the restoration programme and we now have an elegant building restored at great cost.

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