Owners of county hotel invest £2 million in upgrade

A £2 million project to revamp a historic country house hotel on the outskirts of Shrewsbury has been unveiled.

The ambitious scheme to rejuvenate the Mercure Shrewsbury Albrighton Hall Hotel and Spa is expected to take several months and will include a full makeover of its spa facilities, bar, main entrance and public areas.

Peter Cashman, Chief Executive of Focus Hotels, who acquired the 18th Century manor house – once the home of Lord David Blunkett – last November with the dream of restoring it to its former glory, said: “I knew straight away when I saw the hotel that it had massive potential.

“It’s such a magnificent building and by all accounts a hidden gem in Shropshire.

“The capital programme represents significant investment and will fully transform the listed property into the luxurious hotel it deserves to be.”

Work started on phase one of the project a few months ago.

This included essential maintenance works such as roof repairs, replacing boilers and air conditioning.

Work to fully update the main function suite for weddings and events has also been completed and the hotel’s two bridal suites have also been fully refurbished.

The driveway has been relaid and the gardens landscaped and during the next couple of weeks the hotel exterior is due to get a complete makeover.

Hotel general manager, Jennifer Sibbald-Wall, said: “We are very pleased with progress so far and in late October early November we are expecting to move onto phase two of the scheme.

“This will see the spa and leisure area completely revamped into a luxury leisure complex, with new treatment rooms, relaxation areas, changing areas and bar.

“It’s extremely exciting and little by little as the project progresses and the building transforms we are seeing new life being breathed back into the property.”

Mrs Sibbald-Wall added that great care had been taken to schedule all works to minimise disruption for hotel guests and visitors and this would continue as the project moved forward.

“We are hoping work to upgrade the listed building will be complete by spring next year,” she said.

“But, as with all major projects and particularly when dealing with older properties you expect to come across a few stumbling blocks along the way.

“We have already had a few minor setbacks including the discovery of a protected bat colony in the roof timbers of one of the bedrooms and the presence of swallow nests.

“The bats were discovered by workmen. They were very cute and caused quite a stir with staff.

“Work was halted immediately and we called in experts to help remove them safely without causing too much disturbance.

“They’ve now been given a new home and we are back on schedule.

“It was a minor setback but I’m sure we will come across a few other unusual finds along the way – that’s part and parcel of what makes a restoration project so exciting.”

The four star hotel, which has 87 bedrooms and was originally built in 1630, is set in 15 acres of grounds, just outside Shrewsbury.