Best Day Ever Venues has acquired the Grade II* Listed Bestwood Pumping Station in Arnold, Nottinghamshire.
Best Day Ever Venues currently operates six wedding venues across the Midlands, including listed and historic buildings.
Formerly operated as a restaurant and events venue under the name Lakeside Nottingham, the Grade II* Listed building has been acquired by Best Day Ever Venues with the intention of establishing it as a world-class wedding venue.
The group has named the site Hawksley Tower in tribute to Thomas Hawksley, the celebrated Victorian civil engineer who designed and built it.
Completed in 1873, the building is a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture. Its soaring Venetian-style tower, grand hall, Grade II Listed ornamental lake, and nearly six acres of parkland within a Grade II Registered Park and Garden make it unlike anything else in the East Midlands and a fitting addition to the Best Day Ever Venues family.
Ben Reeves, Owner, Best Day Ever Venues, Ensarb Estates and The Tawny Hotel said:
“We have been aware of this building for some time, and we are in no doubt about what it means to this community. It is a building of national significance, and we intend to be custodians worthy of that.”
The group is fully aware of the historical planning and listed building matters that have affected the site in recent years.
The group’s specialist heritage architects and planning consultants, CTD Architects have been appointed, and a pre-application submission to Gedling Borough Council is imminent. Best Day Ever Venues looks forward to engaging with Gedling Borough Council’s Conservation and Heritage Team and anticipates a constructive and collaborative working relationship with the Council.
Knights, the legal and professional services group, advised Best Day Ever Venues on the acquisition.
“This incredible building has waited long enough to be given a new lease of life. We want to do it right, and that means working openly and transparently with Gedling Borough Council, Historic England, and everyone who cares about this site.”
Ben added:
‘The group’s intention is to breathe life back into this sensational site and welcome couples to the newly reimagined Hawksley Tower, a stunning wedding venue that values the character and significance of the building and its remarkable setting.
‘Further details on the development programme will be shared in due course as planning and listed building consent processes progress.’
The local community is warmly invited to follow the journey of Hawksley Tower.
