English Heritage
Nocton Hall is sadly no longer occupied and following a massive fire in October 2004 it has become almost a ruin. Somewhat fortuitously, this historic building has finally come to the attention of English Heritage who have placed it on the UK 'Buildings At Risk' register.
Negotiations are ongoing between North Kesteven District Council and English Heritage to provide funding to secure and preserve what is left of the old Hall, which is now looking very unstable. The formal gardens of Nocton Hall have also become overgrown with hundreds of sycamore saplings and laurel bushes, which are threatening to overwhelm the many specimen trees that were planted years ago.
A small number of residents who have an interest in preserving the heritage of Nocton, are working to recover the lost gardens. Slowly cutting down the undergrowth reveals the main structure of the original gardens, but it is an uphill battle. The aim is to tidy up this area of our village, which has become an eyesore and a target for illegal dumping.
The responsibility for maintaining the Hall and Gardens rests with owners, Leda Properties, but in their absence it is left to the local people to care for their immediate environment.
Geoff,
ReplyDeletecan you provide more details about the group recovering the lost gardens? I would be interested to get involved.
Philip
Hello Philip, Sadly... the work was unable to continue as the task was much too large for one person and occasional help. Furthermore, this is private land and there was no official permission for this work... and the owners have since tightened security of the site. The protection of Nocton Hall by NKDC and English Heritage has also faltered due to cutbacks in public funding and we are currently awaiting an update as to what will happen with the site. Thanks ever so much for your interest though.
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