Residential property management company MetroPM has been appointed to look after 66 apartments on a site in the heart of Leamington Spa where lawn tennis was first played.
Ian Smallman, director of MetroPM, said: “The Manor House is a wonderful development which we understand was built in circa 1840 and additional apartments were constructed to the rear of the development in 1960.”
The original Manor House Hotel is renowned as the hotel where lawn tennis was first played. The game was originally called “Pelota”.
The building was first opened as a hotel by Isaac Curtis in 1850 after he refurbished the old manor house. It was later converted to a school for 20 years.
In 1871 Thomas Radclyffe obtained a new licence for the hotel and in 1932 the property was bought by a syndicate of local businessmen who transformed it into one of the most modern hotels in the country at the time.
But in 1939, the hotel closed and the property was requisitioned for the duration of the Second World War.
The building reopened as a hotel in 1946 after it was acquired by Messrs Flower & Sons of Stratford-upon-Avon. It was then owned by the Grand Hotel In Eastbourne from 1959 who sold off two acres of the grounds in 1960s for the development of luxury apartments, now known as Manor Court.
The Manor House Hotel closed its doors for good in January 2004 and was later converted into apartments.
Ian Smallman said: “We have worked closely with the board of directors of The Manor House (Leamington Spa) Management Company Ltd, holding weekly meetings with the directors while the site was transferred into management to ensure a smooth transition.
“We undertook a full review of the budget with the directors of the management company and ensure works are completed in accordance with the lease requirements. Health & Safety will be a key focus for us, ensuring that the scheme is managed to a high standard and meets all statutory requirements, safeguarding all stakeholders.
“We have put proactive management plans in place with the stakeholders’ agreement.”
He added that the directors had wished to appoint a managing agent who was established with a proven track record and provided named points of contact within the business.
“We have worked hard to ensure that the directors, working in partnership with their management agent, are confident that their asset is being looked after and that leaseholders are receiving a high level of customer service when corresponding with MetroPM – their calls answered and emails responded to promptly.”
Established in 2006, MetroPM provides day-to-day estate management services to a growing number of developers, freeholders and resident management companies nationally.
