A building that once served as a BBC broadcasting center in the English countryside is being reincarnated as a luxury hotel.
Located in Worcestershire, Wood Norton Hall was purchased by the BBC in 1939 to serve as an emergency broadcasting center away from London, reports The Telegraph. After WWII, it would go on to become the BBC’s engineering training center, as well as a filming location for BBC productions like "Doctor Who."
The Independent, though, paints a slightly more colorful history of the building. According to the paper Wood Hall was home to the BBC's secret, fully-functioning nuclear bunker, built 10 stories into the adjacent hillside during the Cold War.
Whatever the case, the building originally constructed for royalty will see luxury once again when the hotel opens November 29.
“The building is steeped in history, having been built originally as a hunting lodge for European Royalty in 1897,” Oliver Cooke, GM of The Wood Norton, said in a press release. “It’s since been the home of the BBC for over 60 years, and we’re now looking to create our own piece of history by turning it into a fantastic get-away."
The property was used as a hotel before, but had been closed for three years before a London investor purchased it last year, Twekesbury AdMag reports. It is now a member of the Bespoke Hotels Group and is reopening after a £4 million ($6.3 million) restoration.
The property, located in the famed Cotswalds, will comprise 50 rooms, a restaurant and bar, meeting facilities, extensive grounds and formal gardens, and a wedding venue, according to the Wood Norton website. Thirty of those rooms have been created in Pear Tree Mews, which was once the stables and coach house, reports AdMag.
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