A historic building on High Pavement which is thought to have been built in the 17th century is falling into disrepair. The building is thought to have been empty since 1992 and is now in need of serious repairs.
The townhouse is directly across the road from the National Justice Museum and was rebuilt between 1728 and 1733 with an extension for judges' quarters added. It was later converted into offices in the 1920s before more extensions were added in the 1930s and 1940s.
The building is thought to be in very bad condition with beams failing in parts of the northwest wing and plasterwork coming away throughout. A staircase is also understood to be failing in part of the building.
Read more: Huge outdoor cinema announced for history Nottinghamshire abbey this summer
The Grade II listed Georgian townhouse was once briefly considered for a new bar, restaurant and office space along with apartments in 2018 but it sadly never went ahead. It is unclear what the future holds for the premises as it now needs extensive repairs before it can be used.
In terms of its history, it was originally built as a private house before it became known as 'the judge's lodgings' as it was used by many of the circuit judges that presided across the road in the then-functioning courthouse. The earliest title deed for the house is from 1710 when it appeared to be owned by Humphrey Bonner who went on to be mayor of Nottingham three times before he died in 1613.
Lady Hutchinson, who occupied the house in 1646, was the mother of Colonel Hutchinson who was in command of the garrison that held Nottingham Castle for parliament during the Civil War. He later became governor of Nottingham and the Castle.
It passed to Samuel Hallowes in the late 1660s where an itinerary from 1715 recorded the property as having 15 rooms including a hall, kitchen, great parlour, little parlour, backward parlour, pantry, cellar, brewhouse, garret, Little chamber, great chamber, inward chamber, maid's chamber, backward chamber and a men’s chamber.
The house passed to the Fellows family in 1771 when it was bought by John Fellows, who ran a silk hosiery business. It remained within the family until the death of his son's wife in 1832. By this stage, the house had an adjoining paddock for horses at the front of the building.
The house was extended in 1833 with then-fashionable Greek columns added which are now boarded by wooden panels. Another adjustment that was considered around this time was a tunnel leading from the house to the court so judges could travel safely. A passageway from the cellar to the front of the building along with changes to the staircase show that this had already started development before it was quietly dropped.
High Court judge, Sir Charles James Watkin Williams once lived at the house while on a circuit in 1884. At that time, Forman Street, near Cornerhouse today, was a red light district. The judge had been visiting a brothel in the area when he suffered a fatal heart attack.
Upon news of his death, his servants made an attempt to cover up where he had died while with sex worker Nellie Blankey by taking his body back to the County house. But unfortunately, the brothel manager had already called the police so the cover-up was unsuccessful.
On December 1887, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll stayed at the house as she visited Nottingham. The princess attended a few different locations across the city including a stop at Albert Hall for an evening in aid of recreational evening classes where she was treated to a 'warm reception' of 3000 people according to The Nottingham Evening Post.
Another article in the Post on December 12 1887 reveals that the house had to be 'charmingly decorated' which was paid for by the mayor. It read: "When the work of preparation was commenced, the place was practically devoid of furniture. Now it presents the appearance of a charmingly arranged house, rich in furniture and works of art, and brightened by luxurious foliage and flowering plants."
It added: "In the entrance hall, there are several pieces of old carved oak furniture harmonising well with the Chippendale chairs and mural decorations. The latter includes several old portraits in oil and some noble stag's heads with spread antlers." It reports that the Princess slept in the room to the 'left of the reception room.'
By 1908, the house was only occupied by visiting hudges and empty the rest of the time. A caretaker moved into the ground floor while the judge's quarters were on the first floor.
The building became County Council offices in 1922 before the two adjacent properties, no.17 and no.19 were knocked down to make a car park for the court which was later referred to as a 'unsightly gap' on the street. In 1966, the building became the Count Record Office where the City and County archives were stored until it closed in 1992.
The building entered private ownership but it was bought by the Finesse Collection which operated boutique hotels across the Midlands in 2009. The proposals for the building were to open a hotel there and add another 20 rooms bringing the total number of rooms to 64. In 2010, there were calls for urgent repairs as missing roof slates had led to water damage inside the building.
There were also plans to introduce a brasserie, champagne bar and dining room overlooking the street to the soon-to-be 'four-star hotel.' Although sadly it was not to be as nothing ever became of the plans and it was placed back on the market in 2014.
It was placed up for sale for £500,000 in 2014 after a legal dispute broke out between two investors. Receivers were forced to spend 'significant' money to secure the fabric of the building. The building had, by now, suffered external and internal damage so the windows needed replacing along with the roof and it needed painting.
Not many people know that there is a courtyard hidden behind the building which it was noted could make an excellent atrium.
Hillary Silvester, Vice-Chair of the East Midlands Association of Civic and Historical Society said: "We've been very concerned about the building for many years and we are disappointed that none of the ideas for its use has come to fruition. We are very anxious about it."
