A new hospitality venture is on its way to Bamburgh from the Northumberland leisure developers behind popular wedding venue Doxford Barns, it has emerged.
Richard Shell opened his first venue back in 2015, when he converted rustic barns which had been a farm shop north of Alnwick, into Doxford Barns, a countryside base providing couples with three-day barn weddings as well as accommodation onsite. Since then, his company Doxford Group has seen huge success, expanding to open nearby Charlton Hall, with plans to open its third venue this year – The Tempus, a boutique venue within the ground of its 150-acre country estate, with the decor taking its inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s famous tale Alice in Wonderland.
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Now the group has revealed more exciting plans on the horizon, driven by a recent £7m finance package from NatWest to help the company grow. Although details are scant at the moment, the leisure firm is working up plans for another three venues.
It is set to open a third wedding venue within the ground of Charlton Hall, and it also has plans to create a site in the popular seaside village of Bamburgh. For now, the directors are staying tight-lipped on the venue's exact location, but say details will be revealed soon.
Director Mark Gubbins confirmed that plans are under way. He said: “Our recent financial performance wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing team and their past efforts have given us a fantastic platform to launch yet more exciting venues. While we’re all focussed on making the Tempus the place to be, plans are already in place to open a further wedding venue in the near future situated in our Walled Garden at Charlton Hall, in addition to an exciting new venture in the popular village of Bamburgh.
“Finally, plans are being undertaken to create a luxurious spa which will outrival any in the North of England so it’s certainly going to be a busy, and exciting, few years at The Doxford Group.”
News of the new sites come as the firm published results for net revenue rose to £3.9m, compared to pre-pandemic levels of £1.6m, while Ebitda grew from £0.6m pre-Covid to £1.5m. It also said wedding bookings for 2023 are also the highest in the group’s history, despite the prevalent economic uncertainty.
Managing director and owner Richard Shell said: “It’s a very exciting time for us here at The Doxford Group with the launch of the Tempus. Since opening our wedding and events venue, Charlton Hall back in 2017, my vision has been to expand our offering and guest experience - whether it be in the form of an overnight stay, celebration event, intimate dining experience or a tipple or two in our hotel bar – something we can now offer thanks to The Tempus.
"We have seen a significant rise in demand for overnight stays in the area with Northumberland becoming a popular hotspot for holidaymakers and tourists all year round. The addition of The Tempus will increase the number of guests we can sleep on site to 86 and the new bar and restaurant will provide an exciting new culinary address for the area and all of Northumberland.”
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