Listed building given new lease of life as a guest house following its sale
The new owner of an historic East Yorkshire building plans to open its doors to the public and allow locals to enjoy what has been a “hidden gem” as a guest house and events venue.
Hayley Eslor, of LH Hedon Ltd, has completed the purchase of the Grade II listed Lambert House in Hedon, a building with more than 180 years of history.
When previous owners of the property, the PX Group, put it on the market last year, Eslor began to explore future possibilities for the building and finally completed a deal for it last month.
She said: “For anybody who has lived in the Hedon area, Lambert House has always had an appeal and been something of an unknown given it has always been a private building.
“People have always wondered what it is like, and when you do walk in you are taken aback because a lot of the architecture and historic features are stunning.”
Lambert House features a grand entrance, 12 guest rooms, two large reception rooms, a dining room, a bar, a fitted commercial kitchen, cellar and stores.
Eslor said it will not only create new jobs itself, but also support other businesses as it will attract workers visiting the region to make use of other local facilities.
“The first step is opening up as a guesthouse as I really feel there is a demand for that in this area in particular,” she said.
“We have continued investment in and around the docks and to the east of Hull with the plans for Humber Freeport, a hydrogen plant and Yorkshire Energy Park. There is going to be huge demand for places to stay.
“We’ve also got the opportunity to target visitors to the city who come through the docks and are perhaps spending time in Hull and York.”
Lambert House was given its name when occupied by Colonel William Lambert White, who was Mayor of the town on three occasions.
During his occupancy he built a folly room almost entirely from church stones, complete with gargoyles and other pieces of church masonry. This remains in good condition today, alongside many other period features.
Paul White, agency director at commercial property specialists Garness Jones, handled the sale of the property from PX Group.
He said: “Hayley was hugely enthusiastic and about the potential at Lambert House from the very first discussion we had about a potential sale, but equally enthusiastic about making it open to the community and a place people in the local area can use.
“In our work we always love to see beautiful old buildings brought back into use in modern way, so I’m excited to see what is achieved here.”
