National Trust’s Grantham House in Lincolnshire opens to the public for the first time
The first visitors have been welcomed to a National Trust house which has been transformed into a community hub including a cafe.
Proposals to redevelop Grantham House were praised by planning officers at South Kesteven District Council, who this week approved turning the Grade I listed property into a community hub.
With volunteers and staff keen to show the community what’s on offer, the site opened today (April 30) - just days after the green light was given.
Dr Henry Cutten, local partnerships co-ordinator for the National Trust, has been leading the project and said it was amazing to finally see visitors coming through the gates.
He added: “The term hidden gem is often overused but it’s absolutely right in the case of Grantham House.
“Here in these grounds, you feel miles away from urban life but you’re actually right in the heart of it and within just a few minutes’ walk to the high street.”
The National Trust, in partnership with neighbouring St Wulfram’s Church, wants to turn the site into a ‘green oasis’ and a free community hub for Grantham’s cultural quarter’.
The 10-bedroom house was given to the trust in 1944 and has been let to various tenants over the years.
Until 2018 it was rented to private tenants as a home and in 2021 was let to clergy at the St Wulfram’s Church
The transformation includes a café, second-hand bookshop, and community rooms on the ground and first floors of Grantham House.
The first floor will also host office spaces for St Wulfram’s Church staff, while Grantham Arts Group will lease the nearby 44 Castlegate building as an arts studio, offering workshops in pottery, painting, and textiles.
The four-acre gardens will open year-round as free green space, and will be maintained with the help of volunteers and a dedicated gardener.
The National Trust will be working with local groups and organisations to host events.
The first of these will be the VE Day commemorations organised by South Kesteven District Council on Sunday, May 4.
The free event, taking place from 10am to 4pm, will feature memorabilia displays, Second World War jeeps and military re-enactors, teas on the lawn, Chapel House pizza, music and bookable military heritage talks in the morning and afternoon.
Grantham House is open every day from 10am to 5pm and more information can be found by following @GranthamHouseNT on Facebook or visiting nationaltrust.org.uk/Grantham.
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