Bestwood Lodge takes conferences and meetings for 2 to 200 delegates in seven rooms, and weddings with a ceremony for up to 80 and evening receptions for up to 250. The hotel is a Gothic Revival former hunting lodge inside Bestwood Country Park, about four miles north of Nottingham city center.
Seminars and company events
The seven conference rooms cover everything from a meeting of two to a 200-delegate conference, and the hotel has Wi-Fi throughout. A large, free and secure car park sits directly in front of the building, which matters for regional meetings where most delegates drive. Junction 26 of the M1 is close, and the 700 acres of parkland give room for a walk or an outdoor team activity between sessions. A meeting coordinator handles day and residential bookings.
Weddings and receptions
The hotel holds a license for civil ceremonies and civil partnerships. Ceremonies take place in the Chapel Suite, with a minstrels' gallery, a fireplace and oak paneling, for up to 80 guests. The Ballroom seats 70 to 120 for the wedding meal and takes up to 250 in the evening, with a large patio that opens onto the parkland. The Parkside Restaurant seats 60 to 100 and takes 150 in the evening. The Chapel, Sherwood and Conservatory rooms together seat 55 and take 150 later in the day, and the Drawing Room seats 18 for a small meal. Minimum numbers apply on Saturdays from May to October in the Ballroom and the Parkside Restaurant.
Rooms and capacities
The largest conference capacity is 200 delegates. For weddings, the Ballroom is the largest room, with 250 guests in the evening. The site does not publish layouts for each conference room, so organizers should ask the events team for floor plans and capacities per setup.
Accommodation
Bedrooms are on site, from doubles and twins to four-poster rooms, and the main suite is the Queen Victoria. The pages consulted do not give a total room count.
History and setting
The lodge was built between 1862 and 1865 for the 10th Duke of St Albans to designs by the Gothic Revival architect S. S. Teulon, on land that had belonged to the Crown since medieval times. Charles II gave the estate to his son, the first Duke of St Albans, and the Beauclerk family kept it until 1939. Tenants included the lace manufacturer Sir Isaac Birkin and, from 1915, the Bowden family of the Raleigh cycle company. During the Second World War the lodge served as headquarters of Northern Command, and it stayed with the Ministry of Defence until the late 1970s, when it became a hotel. A rose garden and a terrace look over the surrounding park.
Getting there
By road, junction 26 of the M1 is the usual approach. Nottingham station, in the city center about four miles south, has direct trains from London St Pancras, and the hotel is a short taxi ride from it. East Midlands Airport is the nearest airport.
