Member Article

HRH The Duke of Gloucester visits Marble Hall

An iconic listed building in the city, which has recently been refurbished and brought back into use, has received a royal visit.

On Tuesday 28 June, HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO carried out the official opening of the grade-two listed Marble Hall on Nightingale Road in Osmaston. The iconic former Rolls-Royce building has been the subject of a £4m refurbishment programme to transform it into a community hub, with a managed workspace facility and a range of complementary facilities. Facilities at Marble Hall now include 42 high specification offices, along with an on-site kitchen and training provision provided by YMCA Derbyshire.

The Duke was greeted on arrival by pupils from the local Osmaston School and presented with a mosaic made specially for him, before Connect Derby’s Ann Bhatti introduced him to representatives from Derby City Council and Sir Ralph Robins, former chairman of Rolls-Royce.

During the visit, the Duke reviewed the ground-breaking restoration work to bring the building back to public use, before meeting representatives from YMCA Derbyshire and taking a tour of the new on-site kitchen and training centre.

He was then introduced to the constructors and architects for the scheme, along with members of staff and tenants, before unveiling a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion.

Commenting on the visit, the Mayor of Derby, Councillor Linda Winter, said:

“We are very proud to have welcomed HRH The Duke of Gloucester to Marble Hall to carry out the official opening of the building and see the fabulous restoration work that has been carried out there.

“Marble Hall is a building of national significance, which showcase how listed buildings can be brought back into viable use that will create jobs for local people.”

Councillor Martin Rawson, Deputy Leader of Derby City Council, added:

“Marble Hall will build on the success of the massively popular Connect Derby scheme, which has created a strong market for serviced offices in the city. This forms part of Derby City Council’s commitment to work with the city’s disadvantaged communities and to support small businesses in creating new jobs.

“We are very happy to have welcomed the Duke of Gloucester to Derby to carry out the official opening of Marble Hall.”

Marble Hall is the first venture for Connect in the Community, a new initiative which aims to attract and support social enterprises, voluntary, community groups and charities to the area, along with new start-ups and growing businesses.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Donna Hill .