Authority wants help for Elizabethan mansion plan

A council is looking for advice from experts about how it could make more money from a Grade I listed Elizabethan mansion.

Shaw House in Newbury is owned by West Berkshire Council and is used for weddings, conferences, events and performance rehearsals.

The authority said it was also able to accommodate private bookings for "group ghost hunts and paranormal investigation nights".

But it has advertised online for "preliminary market engagement" as it seeks more information over the potential "commercialisation" of the site.

An event will be held at Shaw House on 12 March "to inform internal discussions around commercialisation options".

The building was used as King Charles I's headquarters during the English Civil War and in October 2023 its gates were wrecked after they were hit by a coach carrying wedding guests.

Originally installed in 1908, they were restored after work to rebuild brick pillars and decorative stone tops last year.

It was first listed in 1952 and work in its knot garden has taken place over recent months.

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