New lease of life for Condover Hall
Condover Hall, near Shrewsbury, is about to be given a multi million pound refurbishment by new owners JCA. The leading school trips provider has purchased this property with the intention of bringing Condover Hall back to life by filling the halls with the voices of eager children. The revamp will transform and develop the site providing 500 school children each week a unique opportunity to explore this state-of- the- art residential and activity centre.
The multi million pound investment of JCA’s flagship property starts this week and will be in keeping with the elegant Grade I listed 4-storey Elizabethan sandstone building, dating from 1586.
Previously the hall was owned by the Priory Education Services and housed 40 young people with autism. Due to rising costs the property was put on the market in 2009. JCA submitted plans to Shropshire Council earlier this summer to convert the courtyard building to a refectory, change the use of existing classroom buildings to sleeping accommodation and demolish an elevated walkway. In addition JCA planned to conduct a programme of external works including outdoor games, activity areas and a bespoke purpose-built high ropes course. These plans have all been accepted.
JCA will offer courses at Condover Hall which focus on enjoyable outdoor learning for primary school children in year 4 (eight years old) and above covering many areas in the National Curriculum. The new Government supports that every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom and have some hands on experiences. The new centre will offer a multitude of activities including climbing, abseiling, football, swimming, archery and fencing as well as some new exciting themed rooms in the main building including the ‘Laser Room’, ‘the Wizard Room’ and ‘Dance Studios’ to name a few.
Janie Burt, Managing Director, JCA commented: “JCA is delighted to have purchased this incredible historic property and the team is very excited about the upcoming development. After many months of looking for an appropriate site, Condover Hall was chosen as it ticks all the right boxes. It offers space for outside learning activities, an amazing main house with opportunities for themed rooms and it is situated in a stunning part of the country where there are a plethora of primary schools looking for courses. Once completed, all the usual hallmarks of a JCA will be included: high safety standards, quality courses, Adventuremark qualified staff all at extremely competitive prices. Our intent is to give the building a meaningful purpose, allowing children to learn and have fun so that they leave with great memories and the confidence to continue to try new things in the future!”
This centre will appeal to primary school groups within a 100 mile reach of Condover Hall. This will include the cities and towns of Liverpool, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Coventry and Worcester. The planned opening of JCA’s new flagship site is in April 2011.
