Caythorpe Court
Encyclopedia
Caythorpe Court
is a Grade II* listed former hunting lodge situated about one mile to the east of Caythorpe, Lincolnshire
. It was originally built in 1901 for Edgar Lubbock
, a brewer and banker, to the designs of Sir Reginald Blomfield
. In 1946, it became the base for the Kesteven
Agricultural College, later part of the University of Lincoln
, but was closed in 2002. After being sold to property developers, who proposed to use it to house asylum seekers, it was acquired by PGL
who now operate it as a centre for adventure based holidays
for both adults and children.
, who was a director of the Bank of England
and of Whitbread Brewery. In 1899, Lubbock instructed Sir Reginald Blomfield
to design a hunting lodge in the grounds of the farm; the lodge was built in 1901–1903. During the construction a stable for fifty horses was built: Lubbock was appointed Master of the Blankney Hunt
in 1904. Originally known as "Mansion House", by 1904 it had acquired the name "Caythorpe Court". The original gardens were also designed by Blomfield.
on the death of her father
in 1888. Mrs. Yerburgh owned several properties of which Caythorpe Court was the smallest, being referred to by her as "The Cottage". During Mrs. Yerburgh's ownership, the gardens were re-designed by Percy Cane.
During World War I
, the property was used as an Auxiliary Military Hospital; in the next war
, it became the headquarters for the 1st Airborne Division Signals. Mrs. Yerburgh died in December 1946; her will requested that the estate should be sold to become an Agricultural Education establishment. She also requested that the main buildings (the Court itself, together with the Lodge and Arnhem Court) should be maintained as near as possible in their original condition.
-based De Montfort University
.
In the 1960s student Halls of Residence were built in the grounds named after local towns: Stamford
, Grantham
, Lincoln and Sleaford
. Later, another complex consisting of Boston, Brownlow, Bourne and Louth Halls was added. As well as the three main buildings and the student Halls of Residence there were other properties including eight semi-detached houses used for estate workers together with a detached house formerly used by the Principal.
In October 2001, the Lincolnshire School of Agriculture was transferred to the University of Lincoln
, and in September 2002 the Caythorpe Campus was closed, with its courses being relocated to Riseholme College.
to house refugees and asylum seekers. The Angel Group initially acquired the property with plans to convert it into a private residential estate; when they were asked by NASS if they had any properties that could be used for short-term emergency accommodation for asylum-seekers, the company offered it as a potential emergency accommodation site.
Following the change of ownership of Caythorpe Court at the end of 2002 there was much conjecture that the property would be used as a permanent Asylum Centre. In December 2002, the Caythorpe Action Group was formed to fight the proposals and represent local concerns. Their concerns were shared by the local Member of Parliament
, Douglas Hogg, who advised the company that their planning application would be opposed by local people and suggesting that the firm should look elsewhere for a more appropriate site. Caythorpe Court was one of several properties which were being considered by the Home Office as suitable to house asylum seekers.
On 27 January 2003, Douglas Hogg asked the Secretary of State about the possible use of Caythorpe Court for the accommodation of asylum seekers and what plans the Home Department and its agencies had for the accommodation of asylum seekers there. In reply, Beverley Hughes
, the Minister of State for Immigration, Citizenship and Counter-Terrorism said: "The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) is considering the use of Caythorpe Court as emergency accommodation for asylum seekers while their application for support and dispersal elsewhere is considered. No decision has yet been made."
At the end of January, the Angel Group were advised by the Home Office that it had decided not to use Caythorpe Court as "short-term accommodation for asylum-seekers"; despite this, local residents remained concerned. It was subsequently revealed that, although the Home Office had decided not to use Caythorpe Court as short-term accommodation, Caythorpe Court remained on offer as a potential large-scale accommodation centre for asylum-seekers.
At the end of March, the Angel Group confirmed that there had been no approaches to use the complex as an asylum accommodation centre. Consequently, the company was intending to revert to its original long-term plan for the site, to establish a residential estate with properties sold to owner-occupiers, subject to planning consent. Despite this, the company said that it was not excluding use of Caythorpe Court as an asylum or refugee centre should this application be refused.
Subsequently, there were proposals that the former college could be used as a rehabilitation centre for recovering drug addicts or ex-prisoners.
Little further was heard of the Angel Group's plans over the next 18 months with the site being well-maintained but with little activity on the site other than security, until in early 2005 when the site was sold to the PGL Group
for an undisclosed sum.
New dining facilities, designed by Architects NBDA were opened in October 2007. In May 2008, Douglas Hogg opened the new lodge and campsite complex on which a sum in the region of £1.2 million had been spent. The complex would provide additional accommodation for 330 children.
At an "Investor Day" in September 2009, PGL's parent company, Holidaybreak
plc, announced that the total expenditure on Caythorpe Court was £13.8 million.
Caythorpe Court
Caythorpe Court is a Grade II* listed former hunting lodge situated about one mile to the east of Caythorpe, Lincolnshire. It was originally built in 1901 for Edgar Lubbock, a brewer and banker, to the designs of Sir Reginald Blomfield. In 1946, it became the base for the Kesteven Agricultural...
is a Grade II* listed former hunting lodge situated about one mile to the east of Caythorpe, Lincolnshire
Caythorpe, Lincolnshire
Caythorpe is a large village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the A607, 5 miles south from Leadenham and 8 miles north from Grantham. Caythorpe Heath stretches east of the village to Ermine Street and Byards Leap.-Village:Caythorpe Grade I listed...
. It was originally built in 1901 for Edgar Lubbock
Edgar Lubbock
Edgar Lubbock LLB was an English amateur footballer who twice won the FA Cup, and later became a partner in the Whitbread Brewery, a Director of the Bank of England and the Master of the Blankney Foxhounds....
, a brewer and banker, to the designs of Sir Reginald Blomfield
Reginald Blomfield
Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period.- Early life and career :...
. In 1946, it became the base for the Kesteven
Kesteven
The Parts of Kesteven are a traditional subdivision of Lincolnshire, England. This subdivision had long had a separate county administration , along with the other two parts, Lindsey and Holland.-Etymology:...
Agricultural College, later part of the University of Lincoln
University of Lincoln
The University of Lincoln is an English university founded in 1992, with origins tracing back to the foundation and association with the Hull School of Art 1861....
, but was closed in 2002. After being sold to property developers, who proposed to use it to house asylum seekers, it was acquired by PGL
PGL (company)
PGL Travel Ltd. is a company established in 1957 by Peter Gordon Lawrence and is a provider of school activity courses and summer camps for children in the United Kingdom. It is a part of the Holidaybreak group.- Overview :...
who now operate it as a centre for adventure based holidays
Outdoor recreation
Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity is leisure pursuits engaged in outside, especially in natural or semi-natural settings out of town...
for both adults and children.
Edgar Lubbock
The site was originally occupied by a farm which was owned by the local church, farmed by the parson. The farm was acquired in the 1890s by Edgar LubbockEdgar Lubbock
Edgar Lubbock LLB was an English amateur footballer who twice won the FA Cup, and later became a partner in the Whitbread Brewery, a Director of the Bank of England and the Master of the Blankney Foxhounds....
, who was a director of the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
and of Whitbread Brewery. In 1899, Lubbock instructed Sir Reginald Blomfield
Reginald Blomfield
Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period.- Early life and career :...
to design a hunting lodge in the grounds of the farm; the lodge was built in 1901–1903. During the construction a stable for fifty horses was built: Lubbock was appointed Master of the Blankney Hunt
Blankney Hunt
The Blankney Hunt is a United Kingdom fox hunt, based in the village of Blankney, Lincolnshire, with hunting country of around by within Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.-History and masters:...
in 1904. Originally known as "Mansion House", by 1904 it had acquired the name "Caythorpe Court". The original gardens were also designed by Blomfield.
Elma Yerburgh
Lubbock died in September 1907 and following his death the house was acquired by Mrs. Elma Yerburgh who had assumed control of the Blackburn-based Thwaites BreweryThwaites Brewery
Thwaites Brewery is a regional brewery founded in 1807 by Daniel Thwaites in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. The firm still operates from its original town centre site. A variety of cask ales, draught beers, lagers and ciders are produced in Blackburn or imported from Europe by Thwaites. In 1999,...
on the death of her father
Daniel Thwaites
Daniel Thwaites was an English brewer and a Liberal Party politician from Blackburn in Lancashire. He owned what is now Thwaites Brewery, and sat in the House of Commons from 1875 to 1880....
in 1888. Mrs. Yerburgh owned several properties of which Caythorpe Court was the smallest, being referred to by her as "The Cottage". During Mrs. Yerburgh's ownership, the gardens were re-designed by Percy Cane.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the property was used as an Auxiliary Military Hospital; in the next war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it became the headquarters for the 1st Airborne Division Signals. Mrs. Yerburgh died in December 1946; her will requested that the estate should be sold to become an Agricultural Education establishment. She also requested that the main buildings (the Court itself, together with the Lodge and Arnhem Court) should be maintained as near as possible in their original condition.
Kesteven Agricultural College
Lincolnshire County Council purchased the estate in 1948 together with additional agricultural land and Kesteven Farm Institute was opened. In the mid-1960s, the Institute became the Kesteven Agricultural College. In 1980, this amalgamated with two other agricultural colleges to become the Lincolnshire College of Agriculture and Horticulture, which in 1994 became part of the LeicesterLeicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
-based De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
.
In the 1960s student Halls of Residence were built in the grounds named after local towns: Stamford
Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
, Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
, Lincoln and Sleaford
Sleaford
Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time...
. Later, another complex consisting of Boston, Brownlow, Bourne and Louth Halls was added. As well as the three main buildings and the student Halls of Residence there were other properties including eight semi-detached houses used for estate workers together with a detached house formerly used by the Principal.
In October 2001, the Lincolnshire School of Agriculture was transferred to the University of Lincoln
University of Lincoln
The University of Lincoln is an English university founded in 1992, with origins tracing back to the foundation and association with the Hull School of Art 1861....
, and in September 2002 the Caythorpe Campus was closed, with its courses being relocated to Riseholme College.
Proposed used as Asylum Centre
Following the closure of the college, the property was put up for sale and was acquired by the Angel Group in October 2002 for £2.7 million. Angel Group Plc was a property company specialising in the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers. Their main centres were in Newcastle and Leeds where they were contracted by the National Asylum Support ServiceNational Asylum Support Service
The National Asylum Support Service is a section of the UK Border Agency , which is itself a part of the Home Office. It is responsible for supporting and accommodating people seeking asylum while their cases are being dealt with....
to house refugees and asylum seekers. The Angel Group initially acquired the property with plans to convert it into a private residential estate; when they were asked by NASS if they had any properties that could be used for short-term emergency accommodation for asylum-seekers, the company offered it as a potential emergency accommodation site.
Following the change of ownership of Caythorpe Court at the end of 2002 there was much conjecture that the property would be used as a permanent Asylum Centre. In December 2002, the Caythorpe Action Group was formed to fight the proposals and represent local concerns. Their concerns were shared by the local Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Douglas Hogg, who advised the company that their planning application would be opposed by local people and suggesting that the firm should look elsewhere for a more appropriate site. Caythorpe Court was one of several properties which were being considered by the Home Office as suitable to house asylum seekers.
On 27 January 2003, Douglas Hogg asked the Secretary of State about the possible use of Caythorpe Court for the accommodation of asylum seekers and what plans the Home Department and its agencies had for the accommodation of asylum seekers there. In reply, Beverley Hughes
Beverley Hughes
Beverley June Hughes, Baroness Hughes of Stretford is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Stretford and Urmston from 1997 to 2010. In 2004, she was appointed to the Privy Council...
, the Minister of State for Immigration, Citizenship and Counter-Terrorism said: "The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) is considering the use of Caythorpe Court as emergency accommodation for asylum seekers while their application for support and dispersal elsewhere is considered. No decision has yet been made."
At the end of January, the Angel Group were advised by the Home Office that it had decided not to use Caythorpe Court as "short-term accommodation for asylum-seekers"; despite this, local residents remained concerned. It was subsequently revealed that, although the Home Office had decided not to use Caythorpe Court as short-term accommodation, Caythorpe Court remained on offer as a potential large-scale accommodation centre for asylum-seekers.
At the end of March, the Angel Group confirmed that there had been no approaches to use the complex as an asylum accommodation centre. Consequently, the company was intending to revert to its original long-term plan for the site, to establish a residential estate with properties sold to owner-occupiers, subject to planning consent. Despite this, the company said that it was not excluding use of Caythorpe Court as an asylum or refugee centre should this application be refused.
Subsequently, there were proposals that the former college could be used as a rehabilitation centre for recovering drug addicts or ex-prisoners.
Little further was heard of the Angel Group's plans over the next 18 months with the site being well-maintained but with little activity on the site other than security, until in early 2005 when the site was sold to the PGL Group
PGL (company)
PGL Travel Ltd. is a company established in 1957 by Peter Gordon Lawrence and is a provider of school activity courses and summer camps for children in the United Kingdom. It is a part of the Holidaybreak group.- Overview :...
for an undisclosed sum.
PGL Group
Following its acquisition of the former college, PGL announced that it intended to spend an initial £2 million on the centre with a view to re-opening it in March 2006. The plans included a man-made lake, orienteering course and archery facilities with an all-weather pitch, theatre and bar, hedge maze, field study centre and rifle range. Caythorpe Court would be used as a residential activity centre for school groups during term time and as a centre for family activity breaks in school holidays. The site would accommodate 400 guests and 80 members of staff, with many being recruited locally. The centre was opened in the spring of 2006 after updating the accommodation blocks and provision of activities such as zip-wire, archery, trapeze, high ropes and kayaking. There were plans to a further £4 million over the following two years, including renovating the lodge building, providing new timber lodges for guests, renovating the sports barn to include a climbing wall and development of a walled garden and lake.New dining facilities, designed by Architects NBDA were opened in October 2007. In May 2008, Douglas Hogg opened the new lodge and campsite complex on which a sum in the region of £1.2 million had been spent. The complex would provide additional accommodation for 330 children.
At an "Investor Day" in September 2009, PGL's parent company, Holidaybreak
Holidaybreak
Holidaybreak PLC is a company based in Hartford, Cheshire which primarily serves customers in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands...
plc, announced that the total expenditure on Caythorpe Court was £13.8 million.
External links
- https://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_providers/full/%28urn%29/EY387600/%28type%29/1,2,3,4,5,30,31,32,33/%28typename%29/ChildcarePGL Caythorpe CourtOfstedOfstedThe Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
inspection report 15 April 2010] - Entry on British Listed Buildings website
- Caythorpe Court facilities for schools
- Caythorpe Court facilities for families