Doors Open Days at Hall of Clestrain declared a ‘wow’

‘Bloody wow’ is how one visitor to Hall of Clestrain summed up our Doors Open Days over the weekend (Sept 14 and 15).

She was one of more than a hundred visitors who turned up over the weekend when we carefully threw back the doors of the Category A Listed building, to hear about the history of the Hall, its connection with John Rae, Hudson’s Bay Company and Canada, and our plans to save and restore it.

There were six tours in all with scores of people joining each one.

Society Chair Cheryl Chapman said: “We were absolutely delighted with the response and positivity of the scores of visitors who arrived. Many had their own memories and connections with the Hall and there was an overwhelming feeling of support. We are extremely grateful for the donations and those who bought books and other merchandise and became members, with all the money going towards saving the hall. It was particularly pleasing to have conversations with children who have learned about John Rae at school, are excited by the story and want to be more involved.

“A big thank you must also go to the tour guides, our project manager and all the volunteers who made the event such a success,” she added.

Project Manager Genna Adkins said: “This was a rare opportunity to see an incredibly rare surviving Georgian villa, recognised as ‘of exceptional quality in an exceptional setting’, hear about its thrilling history and understand how important it is we begin work to save it.”

The next phase of work will see archaeology activity on the site to understand more about the Hall and what it originally looked like. Volunteers will be invited to help with the work and there will be an opportunity for the public to visit to view the work. Watch out for details.

If you would like to help us, you can donate to the society, become a member or join us as a volunteer, by contacting info@johnraesociety.com