Nocton Hall

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Nocton Hall is a historic listed building in the village of Nocton, in Lincolnshire. Originally constructed for the Ellys family, it burnt down in 1834 and was rebuilt in 1841 for the first Earl of Ripon, who lived at the steward's house in Nocton while the house was being built. The US Army's 7th General Hospital was based at Nocton Hall during World War Two.

The remains of Nocton Hall after the fire.
The remains of Nocton Hall after the fire.

There is a famous chestnut tree outside which is so old it needs wooden supports. It was planted by the fifth of King Henry VIII's wives, Katherine Howard on a visit to Nocton on 13 October 1541. They stayed with Thomas Wymbishe at a manor house where Nocton Priory stood later, both of which have no visible remains.

In 1834 the hall suffered a fire and was rebuilt by Robert Hobart, Secretary of State (after whom the capital of Tasmania was named).

In 1940 with the outbreak of WW2 it was taken over by the Air Ministry, remaining an RAF hospital until its closure in 1983.

In the late 1980s Gary Richardson bought Nocton Hall, the surrounding wood, woodland, grassland and cottages. Selling the cottages on for redevelopment allowed him to develop Nocton Hall as a Residential Home. Nocton Hall Residential home ran a summer fête for the village on their lawn and employed many local people. The home ran into difficulty and closed in the mid 1990s, and was sold by the receivers to new owners, Leda Properties of Oxford. Leda also bought the RAF Hospital site from the Ministry of Defence.

While vacant there were many break-ins; fireplaces and the stair bannisters were stolen. It unfortunately was burnt down for a second time in the early hours of 24 October 2004, the fire reducing it to a shell. The investigation into the fire established that multiple fires had been set, but to date no one has been charged with arson. Due to the extensive structural damage it will now likely need to be rebuilt, if the site is not redeveloped for another purpose. An adjacent geriatric nursing care two story building has also been severely damaged by vandals since it was left vacant.

[edit] RAF Nocton Hall

The old RAF Nocton Hall site.
The old RAF Nocton Hall site.

RAF Nocton Hall was a 740 bed hospital under RAF control from the 1940s until 1984. It was used by civilians and forces personnel until 1984, when it was leased to the USAF as a United States Air Force wartime contingency hospital. During the Gulf War, over 1,300 US medical staff were sent to the Hall and many were billeted at RAF Scampton. Fortunately only 35 casualties had to be treated. In its later days 13 American personnel remained to keep the hospital serviceable. RAF Nocton Hall was handed back to the Her Majesty's Government by the USAF on 30 September 1995.

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