Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Ashton Court Mansion is one of Bristol’s architectural and historic gems, but did you know that half of the mansion is internally derelict ?

Bristol City Council with the assistance of English Heritage has appointed a consultant team to work with it and potential stakeholders to find new and sustainable uses for Ashton Court Mansion. Over the coming six months we will be exploring what these new uses might be.

We aim to find a way to conserve and enhance the fabric of the Mansion and its immediate gardens whilst maximising public access and enjoyment.

This exhibition sets out the questions we are considering and we hope you will join in the process by giving us your comments and opinions.

Thank you! Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

What Is Our Objective?

Our objective is to identify a combination of new uses for the Mansion that;

• Conserve its fabric to an exemplary standard • Create maximum access and economic and community benefit for the people of Bristol and its surrounding region • Maximise access to the grants and capital funding necessary for the project • Achieve long term financial viability • Work in harmony with the wider estate at Ashton Court • Help in the in the regeneration of Bristol and its future prosperity Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Our Future Tasks

With your help we need to identify the preferred options for the Mansion. Having done this we then need to commence the following tasks;

1. Undertake a detailed appraisal of the preferred options 2. Make certain of the costs 3. Consult with you on the developing scheme 4. Prepare a business plan 5. Reach detailed agreement with partners and stakeholders in the project 6. Determine the development structure for taking the project forward which reflects the city’s needs and the community’s aspirations 7. Prepare a project implementation plan and timetable 8. Agree the funding strategy and prepare the major grant applications Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

What are the Challenges?

Historic Sensitivity Ashton Court Mansion is Grade 1 listed as being of national historic and architectural importance. This will have a significant impact on how we can change it to meet the requirements of the new uses identified.

Archaeology The Mansion has potential significant below ground and standing archaeology which needs to be understood before we can make decisions about its alteration and development.

Access The Mansion has reasonably good vehicle and pedestrian access and links with public transport at the entrances to the estate. The environs of the Mansion are important and sensitive and so the provision of parking needs to be carefully considered and options explored which minimise parking near the Mansion and on the estate. Providing proper access to the Mansion for all users which meets the requirements of the Equality Act will be difficult and expensive and will have to be achieved with a minimum of impact on the Mansion’s historic fabric. At present there are no restrictions of public movement and access around the Mansion, its gardens and courtyards except to the service yard.

Years of under investment Parts of the mansion have been successfully brought back into use for weddings, functions, conferences and meetings. However, many areas have been little used for many years and considerable repairs, improvements and upgrading will be necessary to bring them back into use. Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

What are the Challenges?

Difficult to Re-Use The Mansion is very complex with over 160 rooms ranging from vast state rooms to tiny attic stores! Changing floor levels, stairs and narrow corridors make circulation and fire escape difficult. The historic importance of many of the rooms and their fine interiors make changes sensitive and expensive. However, many of the Mansion’s spaces are generous, well lit and ventilated and most have an exceptional aspect and views across the landscape of the estate.

Exceptional Costs There are considerable costs in bringing the Mansion back into good repair, reinstating its fine interior spaces providing new facilities and upgrading and renewing its services. All of which make Ashton Court Mansion a very expensive project relative to the financial returns. Our preliminary estimate is that at todays prices the costs may be in the region of £15-20m.

Paying for the Future Maintenance of the fabric of the Mansion once it is back in good condition will need an expenditure in the region of perhaps £120-150,000 each year if future deterioration is to be avoided. In addition some potential uses may require public funding to support them or may need to be cross-funded from commercial activities.

Finding the Money Many sources of external funding are being squeezed due to the economic constraints we are living with today and many more projects are competing for the same resources. To successfully attract available grants and sponsorship, the project needs to demonstrate full public support, local commitment, future financial sustainability, and the engagement of stakeholders. Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Historic Development

C14 1800-10

C15/16 Early C19th

C16th 1884-85

Late C16th / Early C17th 1984

1632-1633 Late C20th

The Mansion & Its Historic Importance

Ashton Court Mansion is a Grade I listed building with a history dating back hundreds of years. The earliest surviving part of the house dates from the 14th century, though major extensions and alterations were made throughout the 16th to 20th centuries. For 400 years the house was owned by the Smyth family but it was acquired by Bristol City Council in the 1950s who gradually converted the eastern end into rooms for hospitality events, estate offices and a café for visitors to the park. These functions still continue today, though much of the building remains unused and in a very poor condition.

Ground Floor Plan Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Historic Significance How Much Can We Adapt the Mansion?

High - very limited change 1. High significance - Medium - some controlled change

Low - sensitive change Very limited change possible Neutral - possible demolition – change must not have any Intrusive - Removal Benefical visual impact

2. Medium Significance - Some controlled change possible – change must have limited visual impact

3. Low significance - Significant change possible – change may have a visual impact.

Ground Floor Plan Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Potential Access for All Users

First Floor Plan First Floor Plan

Ground Floor Plan Ground Floor Plan KEY

Disabled access possible without significant alteration Existing entrance with level access

Disabled access with alteration Possible entrance with level access

Disabled access with major alteration Passenger lift

Platform Lift Second Floor Plan Second Floor Plan Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Outside the Mansion – Its Gardens & Courtyard Spaces Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Emerging Use Options Advantages Disadvantages ––Compatibility with the Mansion –– The Mansion is not ideal for modern history museum curatorial standards – only A Place for Enjoying Heritage & Culture ––Attractive to a number of grant some spaces are suitable Ashton Court Mansion and its estate and their importance in Bristol’s agencies if viable –– Will be likely to need annual revenue history offer an outstanding story. The Mansion is an excellent place to ––Could improve the city’s visitor support tell these stories and has great potential to become a focus for community profile –– Would need considerable heritage activities, helping to attract visitors to the city and wider region. ––Could be used and marketed in improvement Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery has items in its collection which come conjunction with the wider estate –– Needs to raise significant capital from Ashton Court and could be returned. There are a number of other and other venues in the city such as funding as grants collections held locally which could be presented at Ashton Court either Blaise Castle as a formal museum, or a ‘living history’ centre or as a more broadly based ––Compatible with other emerging ‘heritage asset’ where visitors access the Mansion alongside other users. options ––Meets the aspiration for community A ‘heritage based’ visitor attraction would need to include education spaces, access and enjoyment and is retail spaces and a refreshment space or café, each of which could be shared attractive to volunteers with other uses.

Similarly, the Mansion could offer facilities for both the visual and preforming arts.

Tudor House Museum Blakesley Hall Museum Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Emerging Use Options Advantages Disadvantages –– Strong identifiable demand and –– Public access restricted market –– Would have preference for better A Place for Holidays and Accommodation for Visitors & Users –– High levels of income after costs spaces –– Established and interested operators –– Require some area of private garden Bristol and its region have much to offer visitors and are accessible –– Some public access possible to a number of major tourist centres and destinations. The Mansion’s –– Supports other Mansion uses architecture, gardens and heritage interest could provide an excellent –– Significant contributions to long term backdrop to high quality holiday and visitor residential use. Our initial maintenance costs research has suggested that the Mansion has potential to provide a small –– Year-round market potential number of high value self-catering holiday apartments and that there is both –– Could involve organisations who a strong market and a significant potential demand from other compatible have established relationship to grant uses for the Mansion such as conference delegate accommodation. Incoming agencies and the ability to provide visitors spend locally supporting both the economy and employment. external match funding Conference organisers, leisure learning participants and holidaymakers are increasingly discerning and to sustain high levels of income the accommodation needs to have character and interest. The Mansion can offer both.

Any accommodation would need to have privacy and if at all possible some private allocated external space or garden.

Vivat Holiday Cottages Vivat Holiday Cottages Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Emerging Use Options Advantages Disadvantages –– Relatively low on-going management –– Residential use may conflict with and regular income – possibly other users A Place for Living and Working significant –– More difficult to attract grant aid Much of Ashton Court Mansion could be used for attractive residential –– Residential use could help improve funds accommodation or as interesting places to work. security –– 24 hr access required and must –– Residential use could be located on be maintained during events in the There is a good local demand for interesting residential property to rent. less accessible upper floors estate –– Workspace use could be located in –– May require high levels of building There is also good location demand for a wide range of workspaces from the peripheral buildings and upper alteration, fire proofing, escape and commercial offices to design studios, craft/artist studios and workspaces, floors serving possibly in association with Bristol’s universities and local colleges. Some of –– Some workspace uses, such as artists these uses as well as being working spaces could attract visitors in their own or crafts studios, could be part of the right – crafts studios for example. visitor interest to the Mansion. –– Some workspace use such as These uses might be important as they could provide users for parts of the incubator units would be part of Mansion not suitable for public access and could provide important and training, educational or conference regular core income. focus for the Mansion.

New Mills Wotten-Under Edge Kingsweston Brewhouse Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Emerging Use Options Advantages Disadvantages –– Major asset to the city –– Needs active and energetic –– Wonderful setting management, marketing and A Place for Relaxation, Leisure and Amenity –– Potential to attract visitors promotion by a dedicated team Ashton Court Mansion, its gardens and the wider estate are a wonderful –– Higher potential for outdoor events –– Costs might have to include location and environment. Close to the heart of the city they are easily and activities significant works in the wider accessible both locally and from the wider region. The Mansion and estate –– Will enhance other uses in the grounds and park as well as to could significantly improve their role as the ‘show piece’ of the city and Mansion boundary and access roads countryside around. –– Will attract a wide range of people –– Traffic management would be from all parts of the community essential The Mansion’s gardens maintained and enhanced with the wider estate –– Potential for direct and indirect –– Would have to be compatible with beyond are already an attraction but could be even better as well as being employment generation the Council’s wider management and a stunning venue for events and functions; weddings; open air theatre and –– Provides training opportunities plans for the estate concerts, sculpture exhibitions and much more. –– Could generate significant revenue –– High levels of public accessibility will The estate already offers the opportunity for holding major festivals and assist in attracting grants events such as concerts, county fairs, and balloon festivals supporting events, jamborees and many more and the Mansion could both support these events and draw income from them.

These activities will share the same requirements for refreshments, sanitary facilities and parking which can be accommodated in and around the Mansion and its buildings.

Highcliffe Castle, Dorset Compton Verney, Warwickshire Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Emerging Use Options Advantages Disadvantages –– Demonstrable need and demand –– Requires organisational, marketing –– Compatible with the building and managers A Place for Learning, Training, Conference and Meetings –– Provides public access –– Higher operating costs and risks Ashton Court Mansion offers a wide range of spaces ideal for learning, –– Strong links with the cultural and training, conferences and meetings. These could range from leisure learning educational life of City programmes to professional development training courses or business and –– Could provide substantial income special interest conferences. The same spaces could also be shared with the through room rentals and charges University of the West of England, particularly the Bower Ashton campus –– Use reinforces viability of other uses immediately next door. There is strong market for these activities through a wide range of providers. The Mansion’s historic interest, its attractive architecture and environment, its gardens and park combined with easy access and parking gives it the potential to be a very popular venue.

Learning, training and meeting facilities would fit well with the heritage, event and functions and catering opportunities the Mansion offer.

The activity could be backed up with good quality bedroom facilities on the Mansion’s upper floors and outbuildings to provide a residential conference centre.

Cardiff Castle Dillington House Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Emerging Use Options Advantages Disadvantages –– Good employment opportunities –– Convincing funders to assist towards A Place to Enjoy Eating and Refreshment –– Strengthens local visitor service conservation deficit The Ashton Court Mansion and the wider estate provide a market for industry –– Major impact on site a wide range of opportunities for eating and refreshment. They already –– Brings in external funding –– Restriction of public access to service include: –– Creates destination market yard - Ice Cream and Cold Drinks –– Year round activities –– Impact on historic fabric - Picnic Boxes –– External investors provide matched - Sandwiches and Snacks funding - Tea Room or Café –– Existing infrastructure to allow easy - Fine Dining development - Banquets and Celebrations - Conference Catering

These opportunities can be offered from a range of locations on the site, perhaps: - A picnic centre in The Stable - A banqueting facility in the Music Room - A formal restaurant in the North West Wing - A country food market in the Stable Yard

Whichever opportunities are taken they will need to be carefully coordinated, managed and marketed. High quality will be essential. Imaginatively, skilfully and professionally managed, the opportunity for food and refreshments should make the Mansion a destination in its own right.

Ludlow Food Centre Shropshire Mills Discovery Centre Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Precedents During initial stages of the appraisal for Ashton Court Mansion we have studied a number of completed projects involving similar buildings, problems and uses to learn from their success and mistakes. Some of these projects are illustrated below.

Wollaton Hall Nottinghamshire Wentworth Castle Yorkshire

Wollaton Hall and Park have been open to the public The Hall’s State Rooms can be visited but are also Wentworth Castle and gardens were opened to the partnership with the local authority. It has attracted since their acquisition by Nottingham City Council in extensively used for functions and events for which public for the first time in 2007 after a £17 million visitor numbers 20% higher than anticipated and the 1930’s. Entrance to the Hall which houses a large charges are made. Open air concerts and theatrical project to restore them. Particularly impressive is the has had a significant beneficial impact on the local Museum is free but there is a charge for car parking performances are held in the Park using the Hall as a New Visitor Centre located in a converted range of economy. Visitors to the gardens pay entrance charges which generates significant revenue. Guided tours to the back drop – even the most recent Batman film was set old barns, which provides refreshment, sanitary and whilst those just visiting the Estate as an amenity pay Hall are also charged for. there! The adjacent stable block and estate buildings retail facilities and is also linked to a converted chapel a small car parking charge. Other income is generated house a large refreshment facility, a shop, an Art Gallery to provide a venue for functions and events, including from events and functions and from the shop and and an Industrial Museum. Although the Hall’s income weddings. The project was undertaken by a Trust in restaurant run by the Trust. is substantial it has to be heavily subsidized by the City Council to allow free access. Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

©lloydi Brewery Arts Gloucestershire Lydiard Park Wiltshire

Brewery Arts is an Arts and Fine Crafts Centre house in Trust; enough to allow the gallery to be open at no Lydiard Park is on the outskirts of Swindon but provides Lydiard Park has recently had a major investment of a converted C19 brewery building. Although operating charge. Also an important revenue generating activity an important leisure amenity for the Town. The over £6 million to provide new educational and visitor for over 20 years it has recently undergone a major is the popular arts and crafts focused leisure learning Mansion itself has a Museum and the State Rooms are facilities, to improve the wider estates use for sporting, £2.5 million upgrade to create a new gallery, much classes. The Café specialises in good quality home- also used for conference and functions, supported by a leisure activities and a children’s play area. The Park is improved café and shop and to facilitate full access for made food with locally sourced organic ingredients. privately operated modern conference and residential run by the local authority but charges for entrance disabled users. Of particular interest are the Centre’s Brewery Arts is run by a small project specific wing. sixteen craft studios/workshops which are let to local Charitable Trust with very little revenue subsidy. artists and craftsmen and, as well as providing a focus for visitor interest, provide substantial income for the Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Dillington House Somerset Highcliffe Castle Dorset

Dillington House near Ilminster about 12 miles from The standards of provision including catering are Highcliffe Castle is a Grade 1 listed C18 country for weddings. When the Council was able to consider Taunton is run as a residential leisure learning and maintained at a high level with quality of offer being house set in 14 acres of gardens on the cliffs above starting on the interior its brief required the architects conference centre by Somerset County Council. Its part of its appeal. The County Council has achieved a Christchurch Bay. It was ravaged by fire in the 1960’s to retain its ‘derelict’ character which feedback from gardens are open to the public and the main house is high quality result without the taint of ‘municipality’ that and then spent several decades falling into complete users had indicated was a strong part of its interest available to visitors when not in use or by arrangement. can limit the success of local authority run venues and dereliction before being acquired by the Borough and attraction. So the interior spaces completed to The leisure learning uses are predominantly at activities. Council in the mid-1980’s. With limited resources date still have the fire damaged panelling, exposed weekends and in the summer months whilst the the Council brought the main external fabric of the brickwork and masonry, no restored plasterwork ceilings conferencing and training uses are predominantly Castle back into good repair through a programme of just fragments and are undecorated but now have during the week and in the autumn and winter periods, restoration works over a fifteen year period but the discreet heating and services and sanitary and catering meaning Dillington achieves high levels of occupancy interior of the Castle remained derelict. facilities. The Castle has become the most popular and hence is sustainable and supported by a diverse wedding venue in Dorset doing over 400 weddings in market. Despite this some limited uses began, including the 2012 with nearly 50 receptions and functions! establishment of a seasonal temporary exhibition venue and a function venue which became popular Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

Towards A Strategy

No single user capable of taking on the Mansion and meeting the • Formal Learning – bringing young people in education to the objectives has been identified in our search to date. Mansion • Leisure Learning – also highly specified to attract a wide Our consultations are however beginning to identify a range of market potential users and uses for parts of the Mansion that could form • Holiday & Residential Accommodation – spaces for people to the nucleus of an exciting mixed use scheme for the Mansion stay when they are using the Mansion for work or leisure reinforcing its strengths through focusing on its assets and sharing • Heritage Attraction – creating opportunities for the public to common facilities to build sustainability. enjoy the heritage of the Mansion alongside its other uses • Refreshments – provided for the full range of uses as well as One of our tasks will be to see how these uses could work visitors to the estate together, identifying and comparing the options for how they • Secondary Revenue Generators – using surplus space for might fit to create the optimum solution. They might combine workspace and offices things we already do, but better, with new uses; Each of these may involve partner organisations and we will need • Public Rooms – as a venue for special events, functions and to create a development structure in which they can all work celebrations together to achieve the objectives we have for the Mansion. • Training and Conferences – highly specified spaces to attract a wide market Ashton Court ‘Reviving the Mansion’

The Next Steps

In exploring the options for the future of Ashton Court Mansion, we would very much like your views. We want to give the Mansion a future that everyone supports and create the maximum benefit given the constraints on resources.

Please let us have your completed questionnaires and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to speak to us.

Above all if there are opportunities you think we have missed please note them on your questionnaire and let us know.

As our work progresses we will be updating this exhibition - so come back again to see how the future of the Mansion is shaping up!

For more information visit www.bristol.gov.uk/acmfuture

Thank you!