User:CaseyJones77/Oakwood House Hotel

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Oakwood House Hotel
Oakwood House is a Maidstone based Hotel in Kent, England.

A multi-purpose venue, it features 20 Conferences rooms, 40 en-suite bedrooms and is set in parkland approximately two kilometres to the West of Maidstone Town Centre.

Oakwood House is also a predominant Kentish Wedding facility, with the John Wigan Room capable of hosting up to 280 Wedding guests and 350 evening guests.

Oakwood House is also the base of the Rotary Club of Maidstone Riverside (District no. 1120)

History
Oakwood House (originally known as Oakwood Park) was almost certainly built in 1869 or 1870.

An Abstract of Title included among the Deeds of Property reveals that a mortgage, dated 30th September 1868, was acquired by Lewis Davis Wigan who was a partner in The Kentish Bank in Bank Street, Maidstone.

The Wigan Family has both a Banking and a Hop merchant background. John Alfred Wigan lived at Clare House in East Malling. He had a large family of fifteen children, including William Lewis Wigan who was Vicar of East Malling for 28 years and Lewis David Wigan who built Oakwood.

By the time of the 1871 census, Lewis and Mary Wigan with their five remaining children (one child had died prior to the move) were in residence at their new home. Their youngest child Mary (known as May) was born at Oakwood on 10 January 1876.

Lewis Wigan died at Oakwood on 21 February 1886 and his widow Mary continued to live in the house until her death on 1 January 1900, after which the property passed to their eldest son John Alfred Graham-Wigan.

John Graham-Wigan was appointed a JP in 1905 and it was soon after that he had some extensions made to Oakwood House. The plans for these extensions (drawn up in 1900) can be seen in the main Reception area today.

The parkland itself also proved of some benefit to the town for an Indenture dated 31 December 1913 granted rights to Maidstone Golf Club. Evidence also suggests that during the Second World War the military occupied at least part of the parkland, although not the House itself.

John Graham-Wigan died on 21 January 1948 just one week short of his 88th birthday and Oakwood Park was purchased from his estate by Kent County Council in October of that year.

Among the deeds is an inventory of the property taken prior to the purchase which shows that John had retained the character of his home as it had been in it's hey-day with a few modern intrusions. From this record it can be seen that it had been a residence of some standing, having 17 bedrooms, servant's quarters, stabling and all of the facilities required by a well to do family of the late Victorian and Edwardian era.

The Wigan Carriages
Four of the original family carriages are currently part of Tyrwhitt-Drake collection in the Carriage Museum located in Maidstone.

All four carriages, which were donated to the Museum by the family, have the Wigan livery of black and brown with red wheels that have two thin black coach lines. Three of the carriages also boast a small family crest on the door.

The carriages were all custom built for the family by the finest coachbuilders of that time and are in the same condition as when they were last used.

Hotel and Accommodation
Oakwood House Hotel has 40 en-suite bedrooms, including a luxury Presidential Suite, traditionally used by newly married couples. All rooms feature an en-suite bathroom, flatscreen televisions and beverage making facilities. Free wifi is also on offer throughout the hotel.

The Courtyard Bar and Restaurant are open to guests and non-residents alike. A lunch and evening dinner service is offered and Afternoon Tea can be taken on the Verandah or patio overlooking the lawns.

Conferences
Oakwood House has multiple rooms suitable for conference and meeting use. The rooms and maximum capacities (standard Theatre style setup unless otherwise stated) are as follows:

John Wigan         - 250 (combined with Lewis Wigan = 400) Garden             - 30 Verandah           - 50 Billiard           - 50 Library            - 20 (Boardroom only) Study              - 12 (Boardroom only) Stilwell           - 65 Syndicate 4        - 6 (Boardroom only) Syndicate 5        - 12 (Boardroom only) Ivy                - 14 (Boardroom) Magnolia           - 12 (Horseshoe) Apple              - 15 Mary Wigan         - 30 Charles Babbage    - 12 (Horsehoe) Willow             - 20 Sycamore           - 20 Maple              - 6 (Boardroom only) Chestnut           - 20 Cedar              - 6 (Boardroom only)

Weddings
Oakwood House Hotel is a licensed venue for civil marriages and partnerships. The following rooms can be used for this purpose with maximum numbers where applicable:

John Wigan Room    - 280 (Ceremony) - 350 (Evening) Billiard Room      - 45  (Ceremony) Garden Room        - 20  (Ceremony) - 120 (Evening) Verandah           - 120 (Ceremony) - 120 (Evening) Study              - 10  (Ceremony) Library            - 20  (Ceremony)

The wedding couple stay in the Presidential Suite which features a four-poster bed, living room area and spa bath. Wedding guests can choose to stay in the remaining 39 bedrooms within the Hotel.

Oakwood House also regularly run Wedding Fayres within the Hotel.

Events
Oakwood House runs both in-house and external events. These can range from Birthday parties to Murder Mystery game nights. Christmas and New Year's Eve events are popular and guests can arrange Accommodation within the Hotel.

Riverside Rotary Club
See external links.