Like every business Brampton Manor has had some uncertainty to deal with of late, and not just due to the Coronavirus!
The gym (or squash club as some still refer to it) closed its doors in November last year after over 40 years, and for a while the future of the 16th Century Manor House was uncertain.
However, adversity has brought opportunity for Managing Director, Craig Lynch, and the time during lockdown has been spent refurbishing and re-opening the venue as a stand-alone meeting, socialising and relaxation venue open to local people and visitors heading to the Peak District National Park.
“Brampton Manor has seen a great deal over it's 400 years and is now back to where it was in the 1960s as a valuable Community Heritage Asset available to the public. It has been great to re-open and return the staff from furlough to their jobs, both on the bar & restaurant side and in our salon. Due to the well-received, successful re-opening we are creating even more positions as we gradually and safely re-open”.
“We have used the outdoor space to create a spacious environment for re-opening in a ‘Beach Club’ style for the Summer. There is still a family feel and the spaciously positioned tables, private rooms and booths mean the venue is ideally suited to safe distancing within a social environment.”
As well as measures you would expect such as sanitising stations, protective screens in the CND Shellac Nail Bar and disposable food condiments, there have been some unique innovations such as individual table ‘caddies’ with a full complement of sanitising equipment and even individual packs of complimentary Haribo!
The venue is back open seven days a week and the forthcoming ‘Sundown Sessions’ will see Brampton Manor supporting local musical artists and DJs getting back to plying their trade on the purpose-built outdoor stage. All safely and within the noise and non-dancing guidelines of course!
Craig also shared with me some of the exciting possibilities for future developments at the venue;
“This is the third ‘evolution’ of the venue during my 15-year tenure after the redevelopment of the whole venue in 2005/6 and the sale of the Sports Club and redevelopment and re-opening of the Manor House in 2014. The next few years will see more changes. We have made pre-application submissions to the Council for our plans to reinstate the original rooms at the first floor of the Manor House to turn the premises into a boutique hotel, with bar, restaurant and salon, including a Japanese style ‘Garden Spa’ that will be open to the public. We hope that our track-record of working with the Borough Council’s Conservation Officers over the years to sensitively restore the original features of the Manor House, and the employment opportunities we can create and retain with this project will be well received in the current environment.”
With all these new developments, Craig is keeping it in the family. The venue is now managed by his youngest daughter, Alex. Alex previously ran the salon and has now taken the reigns of the whole venue. Brampton Manor is once again back on the map!
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Words & Image: Paul Chapman