Retiring Rooms @ The Judge's Lodging

You no longer have to be a judge to stay at The Judge’s Lodging museum in Presteigne, as over the weekend it welcomed stakeholders and local residents to the official opening of their latest major project -two new holiday apartments.  Over six years, the museum has been planning, fundraising and constructing The Retiring Rooms @ The Judge’s Lodging,  a pair of luxurious flats created on the first floor of the Grade 2* Georgian Shire Hall, an important heritage attraction and community resource in the border country of mid Wales. With generous funding from the UK Government Community Ownership Fund, the Welsh Government, the Architectural Heritage Fund and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, what was once the housekeeper’s apartments have been transformed into quirky and extremely comfortable holiday accommodation, retaining many of the original features of the building. At one stage, a wonderful wonky door was even made to allow original beams to remain in place,  creating a feature to really chuckle at.

The transformation work was led by specialist heritage builders, Reynolds Conservation Ltd, over the last year, who were joined by local craftsmen and businesses to create the interiors. Visitors will experience a gloriously rich colour scheme, original artworks, light fittings to match the well-known gas and oil lighting of the museum itself, stunning views over rooftops and Stapleton Castle, and will even be surrounded by original furnishings used by the visiting judges and housekeepers.

The response from the large number of guests at the opening was overwhelmingly positive and Diane Gwilt, Chair of The Judge’s Lodging Trustees said, “I am delighted to have been part of a team who have worked so hard to bring this exciting and innovative project to completion. We have used local contractors wherever possible and the finish of the work is excellent. The income from The Retiring Rooms will support the continued operation of our award-winning museum here in Presteigne and help secure the future of this wonderful place.”

And the project didn’t stop there – funding also allowed for a re-landscaped back garden area to accommodate a disabled parking bay for all visitors and a new disabled lift to allow those with mobility issues to get comfortably to the museum entrance.  There’s even a new back gate, designed especially to look like an old-fashioned cell door!

The Retiring Rooms will become available for bookings from late April through www.holidaycottages.co.uk/ and there will be a link to the site from the museum’s own website at www.judgeslodging.org.uk/