A vacant Victorian manor house in Herefordshire, whose condition has been allowed to deteriorate, has been granted permission for a partial conversion to become the headquarters for a mysterious local company.
From Crumbling Manor to Corporate Base
The three-storey Eyton Hall, located near the village of Eyton to the northwest of Leominster, has been empty for the past two years. The property, which is not heritage-listed, belongs to the Dale family, who also own the Frank H Dale steelworks in Leominster.
A planning application submitted in May 2024 outlined proposals to transform part of the building. The plan involves reducing the existing 17 bedrooms down to nine. The freed-up space would then be converted into office facilities and areas for research and development work.
The application stated the business element was designed for an unnamed local firm that has outgrown its current premises within Herefordshire. It also proposed creating four bunk rooms and installing a new on-site sewage treatment system.
Secrecy Surrounds Future Tenant
The nature of the business set to occupy Eyton Hall remains shrouded in secrecy. In an email to planning officer Andrew Banks last year, the Dale family's representative, Matt Tompkins, explained the need for on-site accommodation.
He stated that overnight facilities were intended to allow staff, currently based in nearby Kimbolton, to rest while on call. "The requirement is to respond to matters immediately, and given the type of business, computers and data cannot be taken off site," the email read.
It added, "We would be very happy to meet to discuss in more detail but, owing to the nature of the prospective tenant's business, cannot be more forthcoming by email." The Dale family was approached for further comment on the building's new purpose.
Planning Approval Secured
Despite the mystery surrounding the future occupant, Herefordshire Council planners have given the project the green light. The planning report noted the hall's vacant state and that its condition had been allowed to decline.
The conversion is now set to proceed, breathing new life into the 19th-century manor house and providing a bespoke base for a local business expanding its operations within the county.
