Steeped in history...

In February 2010 the magnificent Clevedon Hall was, for the first time in its 150-year history, opened for private events. Now it will be enjoyed by businesses for conferences and seminars and its upper floors as supported office accommodation. It has also been opened up to private parties for weddings and celebrations, and is considered among the top venues in the south west region.

History

Conrad called his mansion Frankfurt Hall, after the town near his birthplace. It was designed by Foster and Wood, a firm of Bristol architects who later designed other city landmarks including the Grammar School Hall, the conversion of the White Lion and White Hart into the Grand Hotel and Arley Chapel.

It is constructed in Mendip and other local stones with some impressive carvings and pierced-stone ballustrading. It has Dutch gables, a very large orangery and conservatory. It also has a 19th Century French tower. When you visit, make sure you look up to this tower with its large windows. It is rumoured that Conrad used to watch from there for traders sailing up the Bristol Channel. It’s likely he used his boat to meet them in the waters and trade with them before they reached his competitors in Bristol!

The grounds are luscious and verdant, originally laid out by Messrs Garraway and Co of Bristol. There are many different varieties of shrubs and trees and some (often playful) wildlife, including red deer, pheasants, foxes, squirrels and ducks. There’s also a resident heron which spends much of its time gazing into the lake hoping to catch lunch.

Closer to the mansion you’ll see a terracotta statue of Hebe, Greek cup-bearer to the gods, which is said to have come from the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in 1851.

Inside, the mansion is equally impressive. Many original features survive, including a great number of Victorian fireplaces, carved and panelled oak and a grand staircase leading to a gallery which runs right around the Great Hall. Meanwhile, the Grand Library’s high ceilings and oak pillars give it a rather majestic feel. See if you can detect the entrance to the secret underground vault…

Conrad only enjoyed his beautiful estate for six years as he died in 1859, aged 66. His widow continued to live at the Hall before it eventually passed to their son, also called Conrad. In 1876 Conrad Jnr’s sugar business partnership failed, and he was forced to sell Frankfurt Hall.

Charles Hill, who owned the Albion Shipyard in Bristol, bought the Hall in 1877 as a family home, and promptly changed its name to Clevedon Hall.