MSV buys Donington Hall

[andy97]

Just announced that MSV are buying the Donington Hall estate, the former hq for British Midland Airways, and more recently the home of Norton motorcycles.
MSV have plans to turn it in to a hotel and exclusive car storage/ preparation place, including a private driveway to the circuit.
The announcement even mentions that the exclusive access to the circuit will use Starkey’s Bridge, which will presumably be reconstructed to cross the circuit.

https://www.facebook.com/158978680824059/posts/386...

[LukeBrown66]

For the very rich only, hope that big Antonov drops a pallet on it!

[markiii]

why? aren't the rich allowed nice things?

[Veesix75]

Might create an opportunity for goodwood style events, and wider motorsport related events in general at Donington and the hall and grounds. I hope so, and even tho I’m not rich I’d like it to happen as I’m 1 hour away so will happily give msv my cash if they invest in that direction.

[chevronb37]

This is a hugely significant development for DP - genuinely historic.

[Phoenix]

Great news for Donington Park but I've heard it does not sit well with staff who were told it's 'not viable' to put you on furlough.

[04BAP]

Price hike in track days coming

[n3il123]

Phoenix said:

Great news for Donington Park but I've heard it does not sit well with staff who were told it's 'not viable' to put you on furlough.

So what did they do? lay them off or make them carry on working as normal?

[2fast748]

I suspect they got it cheap as it will have been a fire sale by the former Norton CEO Stuart Garner

[LucyP]

It was for sale by the administrators, at £13 million, but that included much more than just Donington Hall, so unless you wait until it is registered and do a search at the Land Registry, it is hard to know what price was agreed for just the Hall.

https://www.sw.co.uk/properties/the-castle-donning...

[andy97]

LucyP said:

It was for sale by the administrators, at £13 million, but that included much more than just Donington Hall, so unless you wait until it is registered and do a search at the Land Registry, it is hard to know what price was agreed for just the Hall.

https://www.sw.co.uk/properties/the-castle-donning...

Agreed. I think I read somewhere £4M for the Hall but who knows.

[LucyP]

Possibly. The administrators/estate agents had packaged the Hall with shooting and fishing rights, Hastings House and the Landsdowne building. (Whatever the latter two are.) Whether MSV want all of those, or managed to just buy the Hall, or are going to sell/rent the others on, remains unknown.

The big unknown is the cost of conversion, and who is going to operate the Hall once converted. Are MSV going to diversify into hotels, or are they going to find an existing hotel operator to do it for them?

[andy97]

LucyP said:

Possibly. The administrators/estate agents had packaged the Hall with shooting and fishing rights, Hastings House and the Landsdowne building. (Whatever the latter two are.) Whether MSV want all of those, or managed to just buy the Hall, or are going to sell/rent the others on, remains unknown.

The big unknown is the cost of conversion, and who is going to operate the Hall once converted. Are MSV going to diversify into hotels, or are they going to find an existing hotel operator to do it for them?

Hastings House is the 1990s built office block behind the Hall that was built as the HQ of British Midland International airline (and used until they were bought by British Airways owners). It was where the Norton bikes were supposedly built but that’s another story. Hastings House is where MSV have stated that they are going to house the supercars, race car, bikes etc of the wealthy as a “motor house”.
The Landsdowne building is the workshops next door to Hastings House which MSV have said will be available to be leased to separate engineering companies and be used by their own mechanics to prep and fettle the cars of the wealthy that are stored on site.
MSV have said that they are going to operate the Hall as a 40 bedroom hotel from spring 2023 but have not said whether they will operate it themselves or lease it out. However, istr that MSV contracted out the catering at Brands initially and then took it back in house as the quality wasn’t up to their standards. This is a different scale of things, grant you, but JP is a control freak and I wouldn’t be surprised if MSV were going to recruit specialists to run it under their own brand name.

[LucyP]

"Catering not up to their standards". Thanks for reciting that, and giving me a good laugh! I think it was a euphemism for "we could make more from the catering if we took it in house", because the quality is nothing to write about!

You have to wonder whether JP has forgotten about all the redundant buildings that he has at the actual circuit. The former motor museum is hardly used. The former pub next door is boarded up. The former Ginetta showroom in his shiny new office building (conveniently placed for his helicopter landing site) is empty.

[andy97]

LucyP said:

"Catering not up to their standards". Thanks for reciting that, and giving me a good laugh! I think it was a euphemism for "we could make more from the catering if we took it in house", because the quality is nothing to write about!

You have to wonder whether JP has forgotten about all the redundant buildings that he has at the actual circuit. The former motor museum is hardly used. The former pub next door is boarded up. The former Ginetta showroom in his shiny new office building (conveniently placed for his helicopter landing site) is empty.

I think the quality of the catering at Donington, Oulton, Snetterton is actually quite reasonable but not been to BH for a while.
The former motor museum is about to be a “Superbike Factory” retail and refurbishment outlet, in addition to their existing one near Macclesfield, I think.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.visordown.com/new...

I have lived approx 1 mile from DP for nearly 25 years and I don’t remember a former pub next to the museum, unless you are talking about the former circuit offices? Yes that’s not in use at the moment.
Part of the former Ginetta/ Caterham/ Bookatrack showroom is used as the new circuit offices and offices for 750mc; the workshop facilities are still in use.

Edited by andy97 on Thursday 22 April 22:13

[n3il123]

andy97 said:

I think the quality of the catering at Donington, Oulton, Snetterton is actually quite reasonable

I don’t remember a former pub next to the museum, unless you are talking about the former circuit offices? Yes that’s not in use at the moment.

I agree MSV catering is pretty good and reasonable tbh compared to Silverstones Paddock dinner anyway.

As you say I never remember a pub by the museum (the white house which was the circuit office I think was there) there was redgate lodge but that was obviously at Redgate.

[Thundersports]

The catering at Brands is very good and value for money. The outside catering at Cadwell last year was overpriced and appalling. I don't recall a Pub or bar near Donington other than the the one at Redgate.

[mcdjl]

andy97 said:

I think the quality of the catering at Donington, Oulton, Snetterton is actually quite reasonable but not been to BH for a while.
The former motor museum is about to be a “Superbike Factory” retail and refurbishment outlet, in addition to their existing one near Macclesfield, I think.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.visordown.com/new...

I have lived approx 1 mile from DP for nearly 25 years and I don’t remember a former pub next to the museum, unless you are talking about the former circuit offices? Yes that’s not in use at the moment.
Part of the former Ginetta/ Caterham/ Bookatrack showroom is used as the new circuit offices and offices for 750mc; the workshop facilities are still in use.

Edited by andy97 on Thursday 22 April 22:13

The ginetta/ caterham building now says Rodin cars.
I'm glad the museum is finally being made use of though. Once that's in use there's not many empty buildings on site really (launch pad?) Though what the auctioneers are doing with the exhibition hall isn't obvious.

[andy97]

mcdjl said:

The ginetta/ caterham building now says Rodin cars.
I'm glad the museum is finally being made use of though. Once that's in use there's not many empty buildings on site really (launch pad?) Though what the auctioneers are doing with the exhibition hall isn't obvious.

Rodin? Crikey, aren’t they the high end, high price, track day cars based on a lotus design built in NZ? Wonder what the footfall will be through there?

The auctioneers were very busy pre-pandemic.

[mcdjl]

andy97 said:

Rodin? Crikey, aren’t they the high end, high price, track day cars based on a lotus design built in NZ? Wonder what the footfall will be through there?

The auctioneers were very busy pre-pandemic.

They definitely seem to have a large compound around there so i can believe it!
Thinking about it once the museum is turned into a motorbike shop the most under used buildings will be the spectator boxes. Even the old cafe is now an expanded shop (though again theres still space in the building).