Issue 38 Summer web 23 - Flipbook - Page 17
Repairs to historic Saracen's
Head hotel, Southwell, set to
begin amid residents concerns
Work to repair and preserve a hotel that once played host to a king is set to begin imminently.
The Saracen’s Head, Southwell, has a rich history including hosting notable visitors such as Oliver
Cromwell, King Charles I, Charles Dickens, Lord Byron
and D H Lawrence - but parts of the hotel have fallen
into disrepair.
The unoccupied 15th Century North Range has been
included on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register
for many years.
Historic England records it in a low priority category with
slow decay and a solution for repair and maintenance
agreed but not yet implemented.
The state of the building has caused concerns for a group
of Southwell residents who fear the hotel, once a “jewel
in the crown alongside the minster itself”, is insufficiently
protected and maintained.
In a statement calling for action, the group said: “This is
an iconic building of local and indeed national importance because of its distinctive history and architecture.
It has not fared well in recent years and we believe that
the neglect began long before the pandemic.
“The owner, Greene King, expresses pride in its rich
heritage of running pubs and hotels for over 200 years and
claims on its website: ‘At Greene King we are passionate
about delivering our purpose to pour happiness into lives.
That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our
suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate
and serve.’
“It seems, however, that the Saracens Head and
Southwell have experienced very little of this passionate
commitment. Indeed, the North Range outbuilding is
officially on Historic England’s At Risk register and in
need of serious care and investment if it is once again to
become a comfortable and attractive place for visitors to
stay, and for local people to meet and to enjoy a meal and
a drink.
“Some repair work on the external fabric of the building
is being undertaken but the Elizabethan wall paintings
inside are now very fragile and at high risk.”
Group member Vivien Scorer added: “It’s inexplicable
why the owner should let it fall into this state of apparent
disrepair.
Southwell Community Archaeology Group has
extensively studied Elizabethan wall paintings within the
hotel, which are claimed to be rare non-ecclesiastical
examples of such.
Concern has been expressed about damage to the
paintings potentially resulting from damp.
Now, Greene King has confirmed that work is set to begin
to repair the building.
A Greene King spokesman said: “We understand the
concerns of residents and have been working closely with
the leaseholders of The Saracen’s Head, local planning
officers, Historic England and specialist contractors to
organise repairs to the North Range building. Repairs will
be starting imminently and last for 12 weeks.
“We also recently arranged for experts to inspect the Elizabethan paintings in The Saracen’s Head, who took the
opinion that the paintings have not deteriorated in recent
times.”
The work will be funded by Greene King, but surveys and
plans needed prior to the work were funded with a grant
from Historic England paid to the leaseholder.
