milsoms Kesgrave Hall
At the beginning of the year I imagined that our regular autumn newsletter would be devoted to keeping you up to date with the exciting Maison Talbooth developments and yes there are plenty of details on this. However, I really had no idea that the big news would be about the creation of a new restaurant and hotel north of Ipswich. We certainly have got a busy time ahead!
The same highly successful formula as milsoms in Dedham and no, before you ask you won’t be able to book a table!!!
Ever since we opened milsoms inApril 2001 one of the biggest compliments paid to us by our guests who live further away has been the question ‘can you open one of these nearer to us’. This is easier said than done and over the years we have looked at lots of opportunities but either the location was wrong or the building didn’t possess the type of spaces that we require.
That all changed when Geraldine and I saw Kesgrave Hall. First, its location north of Ipswich 500 metres from the main Woodbridge - Martlesham A12 roundabout is perfect and most importantly it has a milsoms feel to all the rooms.
It was built in 1812 and is a grade two listed Georgian mansion set in 38 acres with an interesting past that has included family home, shooting lodge, RAF and American air force base, posh prep school, Company HQ and school for challenging children. We hope it has a fantastic future as a restaurant and hotel and a great place to eat drink and stay. It even has a giant Sequoia (Californian redwood) tree in the garden.
The building will be developed sympathetically to create ‘milsoms at Kesgrave Hall’ incorporating a 100 seat restaurant and bar, meeting and private dining facilities, with our signature outside dining area overlooking the 38 acres of park and woodland, plus 15 spacious bedrooms. It will be run on the same highly successful formula as milsoms in Dedham and no, before you ask you won’t be able to book a table!!!
For us this is a very serious investment we are delighted to be in partnership with the Hills Group. The association between our two companies goes back a very long time. Our families have been great friends for years and Hills have undertaken most of our major building work since the conversion of the old Dedham Vale hotel way back in 1982. They are currently masterminding the Maison Talbooth project. Jonathan Hills was instrumental in finding Kesgrave Hall and negotiating its purchase and his company will of course be doing all the extensive building work
and refurbishment to the design brief created by Geraldine. Our two companies have very complementary strengths and we all look forward to a fruitful partnership.
Certainly I am very heartened by the incredible enthusiasm with which so many of you have greeted this news. We want Kesgrave Hall to be a wonderful new addition to the Suffolk restaurant and hotel scene. It’s very much designed as a neighbourhood restaurant with rooms and despite the beauty of the setting and the grandeur of the house we want it to be as approachable and affordable as the original milsoms.
We are hoping to open in April but in the meantime, on a Christmas theme, why not come and buy your tree from Kesgrave Hall? One of the things we have inherited from a previous occupant is a Christmas tree business!
Finally, a big congratulations to Umesh who married Kay at the end of October. They are now on honeymoon in Mauritius. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet got a photograph of the happy couple but we’ll make sure to have one in the next newsletter.