At a special champagne reception The Wood Norton, a former BBC broadcasting centre based in Worcestershire, was officially reopened as a newly refurbished 50-room hotel and restaurant.
Glasses were raised to mark the rebirth of this astonishing building, which is now under new ownership, and has just undergone an extensive 6-month £4m renovation. 200 guests were in attendance at the opening event, including local celebrities, Mayors, and MPs.
Peter Luff, Member of Parliament for Mid Worcestershire, and who said a few words on the night, commented: “Wood Norton has played a major part in Worcestershire’s history, from its early days as a hunting lodge for European Royalty, through its role in the Cold War to its time with the BBC. The new owners have done a great job in turning it into what, I know, will be a successful hotel and restaurant. Worcestershire is a great destination and it needs and deserves great tourist facilities.”
In the early 1900’s, when owned by European Royalty, The Wood Norton was the venue for the marriage of Princess Louise of Orleans – the Grandmother of the present King of Spain.
The BBC then bought the site in 1939 to establish an emergency broadcasting centre away from London. It became one of the largest broadcasting centres in Europe with an average output of 1,300 programmes a week. When the war was over, Wood Norton became the BBC's engineering training centre.
Oliver Cooke, general manager of The Wood Norton, said: “As a previous broadcasting centre, and now hotel, we’re keen to make this place a real talking point of its own. Last night was an absolutely fabulous evening, and just the first step in making this hotel one of the places to visit in the UK. We have grand plans, and this is just the beginning.”
