The trust running an historic venue in Norwich has transformed The Assembly House with half a million pounds funding from Santander.
The Assembly House Trust has created 11 luxury bedrooms and suites in the east wing of the Grade 1 listed building; refurbished cloakrooms, kitchens and galleries; and added decorative railings outside.
They have injected life into the Grand Hall with luxurious leather armchairs, creating the ideal meeting place for a freshly-brewed cup of coffee and an indulgent slice of homemade cake.
The aim was to restore the building to its former glories and to honour its illustrious past, which includes visits from Franz Liszt, Niccolo Paganini, Madame Tussaud and the famous Noverre dance family.
The Assembly House boasts a popular restaurant and cafe as well as event facilities, and has now added state-of-the-art bed & breakfast with the £545k package from Santander Corporate & Commercial.
The new development was completed earlier this year following extensive input from English Heritage and has created eight new jobs.
Trust chairman Philip Norton said: “We considered many ideas to develop the east wing for public use but the space did not lend itself for exhibitions or performing arts.
“The income from this new development will be reinvested in the house in the coming years to ensure we continue to provide space to support the visual and performing arts in Norwich and the wider county.”
The new railings were installed by local contractor Exel Fencing Solutions Limited.
They chose 1.2m-high solid bar railings with ornamental finials from Zaun. Four single leaf gates with matching infill completed the look.