New lease of life for derelict hall near Worksop with plans for luxury flats

The Grade II*-listed Ollerton Hall would be transformed into eight homes if plans are approved by Newark & Sherwood Council.

In 2017, Historic England conducted a survey which concluded the Ollerton Conservation area was at risk, due to the hall’s vacancy and neglect.

Talk of giving a new lease of life to the once-glamorous building has been ongoing for some time, but now a formal application to convert the property has been submitted to Newark and Sherwood District Council.

The building, on Main Street, was built in the 1700s and could now be given a new lease of life under plans by Severns Investments.

Two planning applications have been issued to the authority – one concerning the proposed interior lay-out of the building, the other to allow works to a grade listed property.

The Markham family were believed to have had the house constructed in the late 17th/early 18th Century.

The family were known recusants, meaning they rejected Church of England services at the time and remained loyal to the Catholic Church after the English Reformation.

Historians believe it is possible a chapel on the attic floor of the hall was constructed to allow the family to practice their faith in secret.

In 2008 the site was sold by Newark & Sherwood Council to a developer, which started to use 1990 planning permission to turn it into a care home.

However, the works were not completed and the council acquired the property back from the developer in 2016.

A design and access statement reads: "Ollerton Hall will be restored, its brickwork cleaned, windows repaired and details renewed in order to restore its original appearance.

“Both the garage and bin/bike store have been designed to match the appearance of Ollerton Hall.

"This includes matching brickwork with a brick plinth, and tiles to match.

“The new structures have been designed so that the features taken from the hall are reduced to a scale relative to the smaller size of the buildings in order to make them subservient to the main listed building.”

The application will be considered at a future date.