Sutton Bonington Hall - a brief history

 

Sutton Bonington Hall is situated behind the high brick walls along the Main Street in Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire.  Through the large wrought iron gates the Hall can be seen in the surroundings of the superior landscaped gardens.  Most of the Hall was built by Beaumont Parkyns during the reign of Queen Anne.  The oldest part  of the Hall is the pantry with walls that are approximately 3 feet thick.   

In 1825 the Pagets, a Loughborough family of merchant hosiers and bankers, bought Sutton Bonington Hall.  Sir Ernest Paget, who was the Chairman of the Midland Central Railway from 1891-1911, further enlarged it in the 1870’s.  His father had also been the director of the M.C.R. in 1843 and so they built a private platform in the grounds of the Hall so that passing trains could be stopped at the Hall for them.

For over a hundred years the Pagets and their descendants let the field across the road from the Hall to the village Cricket Club.   This is why one of the bedrooms at the front of the house looking over the field is called the Cricket Room.   In 1982 the Parish Council purchased adjacent land to develop as a public playing field and the Hall field was returned to pasture which ensures the enchanting views from the front bedrooms.

To this day, the Hall remains in the ownership of descendants of the Paget family.  The present owner is The Lady Anne Elton who grew up in the Hall and resided here until January 2000. 

 

The gardens reflect the history of the Hall - The rose beds in the garden are designed to look like E's for Elton.  The are also topiary bottles and bells to reflect the local industry.

In the year 2000  Henry and Ali Weldon took over the lease of the Hall and began hosting weddings. They now manage the Hall through their company Maverick Venue Management. 

 

In the first year at Sutton Bonington Hall they arranged 4 weddings in addition to various lunches and conferences.  In 2001 the figure for weddings rose to 12 and the year that after we doubled it to 24.

We now host an average of 65-70 weddings each year, plus a variety of other events.

Maverick Venue Management also manage Prestwold Hall, Norwood Park and an Outside Catering business.