Work complete on old Stamford Hotel as luxury homes put on market with King West

After a four year refurbishment project, work has finally been completed on the former Stamford Hotel.

Major work has been underway to convert the 19th Century building, in St Mary’s Street, from shops to seven luxury flats and a town house.

The Grade II* listed building has been owned by the Duce family for the past three decades. Keen to restore it to its former glory, Alex Duce, under the Abbey Group Development Company, invested £3 million to refurbish the building.

Planning permission was granted in 2020 and, after four years of renovation, work is finally complete.

Alex said: “Even gaining the initial planning permission to develop the building was a long process and required us to also carefully relocate the remaining retail tenants before work could begin.

“With the hotel being Grade II* listed, conservation of every artefact was tricky.

“Of course, we didn’t want to ruin the heritage of the building; our renovations have been designed to highlight those assets.”

The hotel was originally commissioned in the early 1800s by Sir Gerard Noel of Exton as part of his political campaign to win the Rutland seat in the House of Commons.

The neo-classical hotel was the place to be in the 1800s, attracting rich travellers and wealthy politicians and boasting a billiards room, ballroom and a banqueting hall with a balcony.

Artefacts and momentoes found during building work have uncovered a tantalising glimpse into the hotel’s history while old stonework and building techniques have kept workers fascinated.

It fetched just £4,450 - a fraction of its original cost - at auction in 1919 and has been used for retail space and offices for 40 years. The ballroom was recently home to the Welland School of Dancing, now based in Broad Street.

Residents will enter through the traditional wooden doors in St Mary’s Street and access their homes by travelling up a winding spiral staircase beneath the domed roof.

The homes inside pay tribute to the building’s heritage, with some original features retained.

Interior designer behind the project, Gemma Homer, of Beau Interiors, said: “It was a joy to see this project come to life and our work ensured that the old features take prominence against a tastefully modern background.”

The roof of the hotel is crowned by a statue of Lady Justice, an ancient symbol embodying principles of law and order dating back to ancient Greece.

After it was found she was sitting on 200-year-old rotten timbers, the statue was removed and restored at a cost of £160,000.

The statue and its plinth were lifted by crane in four parts back to the top of the building in August last year.

King West, which has an office on the same street as the hotel, was appointed as the agent for the property.

Tom Wilson, director of King West, said: “Through our efforts, five of the seven apartments were under offer prior to their market release. Having been part of the renovation project

for years now, we know the real value and history behind the building and are

delighted to find the perfect owner for each property.”

The apartments have sold at prices between £395,000 and £800,000, while the penthouse is still available at a cost of £825,000.

For more information visit https://kingwest.co.uk/.

There are also plans to turn the grade II-listed neighbouring building and former Black Bull pub, which has been used during building work as a meeting area, to be turned into one three-bed and three two-bed homes.

What memories do you have of this building? Let us know in the comments.