Couple who have turned former Spalding court house into home and events business are embarking on a new chapter

The couple who turned a former court house into a home are now looking forward to embarking on their next adventure.

When Dorota and Oliver Sneath purchased The Sessions House in Spalding, it still retained the vestiges of its former life with no bedrooms, a 1970s kitchen which was falling apart and no working fire places.

But over the last seven years, they have transformed the former court to give it a new lease of life filled with laughter as a family home and a stunning backdrop for many important events such as weddings and parties.

Now they are passing on the baton of caring for the Grade II listed building - which could have faced a similar fate as the nearby Johnson Hospital - onto new owners along with a thriving events company business. The new owners will be honouring all of the previous bookings.

The couple will remain in the area but are moving to provide more space for their children to enjoy.

Dorota, who juggled a fulltime job with motherhood and the events company, said: “We have loved it and did our best to preserve the building as it deserved to be celebrated. It deserved to have people in and enjoy it.

“This is an amazing house to live in and full of character. What we have done, we are really proud of but we want our children to have a garden to run around in.”

Oliver, who has a long connection to the building as his birth was registered there, said: “Ever since we moved in, it has never been a morbid place with that overhanging character of oppression - it has always been a lovely building.

“It has been a house as much possible as we have made it a house.”

Since purchasing the building from the Ministry of Justice, the couple have lovingly restored it and set it up for its future life as a home.

The cells have been transformed into bedrooms while a stunning kitchen has been created on the ground floor while upstairs the former court room is now an idea venue for a wedding, parties along with events such as the makers market.

Oliver, who referred to their current living accommodation on the ground floor as being akin to a bungalow, said: “You go through a door and up the stairs and it becomes a venue. It has been a great divide in space for us.

“We have changed over the time but we bought this house as a couple and then we divided it as a venue and then we divided it as a family home.”

Upstairs, the couple have taken former working court room to make the most of its architectural features to create a stunning backdrop for weddings.

But the stunning library - which was used in many photoshoots - is something the couple are particularly proud of.

Dorota said: “We have had freedom to design and breath new life into the building.

“The library was a junkroom with boarded up fireplaces with a horrible carpet but now it is a beautiful space. There have been so many photoshoots there and we received so many inquires about it.”

Another area within the property which has been transformed is the creation of the courtyard, designed by Tythorne Garden Design, has proved important to the events business and the family.

Sadly there were no hidden treasures which the couple uncovered during the renovation but Dorota and Oliver have gained a wealth of skills while renovating this historical property.

Dorota said: “We have learned so much about historical buildings, renovation, DIY and running events.

“I have also done floristry courses - most of the decorations you see for the events, we did those ourselves and it has been great fun. I love floristry and have now have been sculpture flower arranging.

“We have never worked in hospitality before. Even with the last wedding we hosted, I was still emotional watching the brides - it is something special to be part of people’s lives. “

Other events which have sparked some reactions from visitors are popular House of Horrors which were the brainchild of Oliver. Within this interactive event, actors would scare visitors who would also wonder around some horror themed displays.

He said: “The memory I will always have is watching people get acted upon. The actors always gave it their all.”

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