A leading commercial property company in the Midlands has acquired a former country house in Warwickshire for its new headquarters.
The Wigley Group has bought Kings House in Stockton, Southam, as its new operational base after gaining planning permission from Stratford-on-Avon District Council for change of use from residential accommodation to offices.
The substantial period property situated within five acres of land off Rugby Road was owned by the Jesus Fellowship Community Trust and sold by property agents Fisher German.
The Wigley Group, which owns and manages business and industrial parks across the Midlands and provides services relating to commercial property, risk and construction, is currently based at Middlemarch Business Park in Coventry.
The move will mark a close return to The Wigley Group’s roots with the company having been established around ten miles away in Barby, near Rugby, in 1964.
Managing director Robert Wigley, whose father founded the company, said: “We are delighted to have purchased Kings House. It is a fantastic period property of local historic value and will provide a solid and impressive foundation for our next 50 years and beyond.
“We were pleased that our plans were supported by both the parish and district councils, and look forward to returning the house to its former glory and its original name of Stockton House.”
Refurbishment by The Wigley Group’s in-house team will get underway in September and involve access improvements onto Rugby Road and Napton Road, and the creation of car parking.
The company’s 20-plus employees, many of whom live in the locality, are expected to move into the new headquarters by the spring of next year.
James Davies, director of The Wigley Group, said: “The Wigley Group is fast-developing as a company and with our plans to utilise the space more effectively, Kings House will perfectly accommodate our growth.
“The size of the building and the range of rooms offer great flexibility. We intend to use the rooms on the first floor for offices and those on the ground floor for meetings, conferences and functions.
“One of our big ambitions is to work with associated companies and wider business organisations in the Coventry and Warwickshire area to hold meetings and networking events here.”
Robert Russell, regional managing partner for the South Central Region of Fisher German, said: “We are very pleased to have completed on the sale of Kings House to The Wigley Group.
“Properties like this are rare to the market in this area. Given its size and location next to Rugby Road, it was unlikely to be acquired in its current form as a single private residence and was therefore more suited to commercial use.
“The layout and size of the rooms will make a great company headquarters and The Wigley Group’s plans to refurbish and update the house will add to the next chapter in its history.”