Sir Gavin Williamson visited Bishton Hall in Colwich and met with TV antiques expert Charles Hanson who now owns the historic building.
The Hall dates back to 1750 with the first recorded resident being Miss Charlotte Sparrow (she founded Colwich Primary School in 1827) who was born in 1786 and died in 1876 – she lived at Bishton Hall for all her life. The Hansons became owners in 2019.
The Grade II listed building hosts events all year round, whilst people can visit the tea rooms as well as the gardens and attend auctions held by Charles Hanson who is best known for appearing on Bargain Hunt.
Charles Hanson, said: “I was delighted to meet with Sir Gavin and I was pleased with the enthusiasm I was greeted with.
“Together I felt reassured that we can make local business for local people thrive; but more so to ensure that local culture and history in Staffordshire is maintained in a forward thinking way for future generations to enjoy.”
Sir Gavin said: “It was a real pleasure to visit Bishton Hall which is steeped in history and a fantastic tourism attraction for Staffordshire.
“Charles has further put the Hall on the map with his work on some of Britain’s most watched antiques programmes – subsequently boosting visitor numbers and bringing more intrigue to the Hall and Staffordshire as a whole.
“I look forward to working with Charles in the future as we consider plans to boost tourism which will have a demonstrable impact on local businesses and the economy.”
