Gedling House, Nottingham

I went to school in Gedling, right next to Gedling House, and so the building has always been a source of fascination – the house and grounds were naturally out of bounds for the pupils. One weekend in mid-September it was opened to the public for free as part of the Heritage Open Days and I jumped at the chance to have a look around. Built in 1790 as a home for a wealthy Nottingham banker it is now a Buddhist meditation centre.

As per I imagine the minimalism of its new owners the interior was quite plain and you only had access to the downstairs (residents rooms are upstairs). However it was nice to have the opportunity to move about and at least see the layout. Much has changed over the years I imagine, the house having gone through many owners and even been derelict for some time before the recent revamp.

One thing that particularly struck me, and I’m assuming its original to the 19th century as its mentioned in Historic England documents, was the fireplace which is described as in the Baroque Revival style. Restored or original, either way it was the nicest thing in the house, though the lighting came a close second.

The garden was spacious, but quite plain, and as signs everywhere stated was uneven, but it did have a few nice touches.

The centre had done a good job of opening up the place, providing food and drink and tester meditation sessions if you wanted as well as having displays of information about the previous owners in each room. I’m glad I got the chance to have a wander around such an interesting Nottingham building.