1999 - 2021 :: Years of Neglect
Kinmel Hall became empty in 1999 and was eventually placed up for auction in 2001. The successful buyer planned to turn it into a luxury hotel but these plans never happened. It was again sold at auction in 2011 and remained empty for the longest period in its history.
Two decades of neglect resulted in decay and damage to the roof and guttering. This allowed water ingress and damp to the walls, causing the immense damage to interior walls and ceilings.
There were several thefts from the building including a historic fireplace gifted by Queen Victoria following her stay at Kinmel Hall. The gardens became overgrown and the centrepiece of the fountain was stolen, along with lead flashing which protected the roof.
By the time Kinmel Hall was put up for auction in March 2021 it was on the verge of becoming derelict and heritage organisations feared it would soon be past the point of recovery.
Kinmel hall was put up for sale in April 2021, with a guide price of £750,000.
The auction on 13 May 2021 was conducted by Allsop and was listed as LOT 73 for £750,000. There were only three bidders and the hall was sold for £950,000. Despite wanting to remain anonymous, it was later reported the new owner was Chris Cryer who had purchased the Hall through his company Blue Water NW Ltd (UK Company No: 12416687). He was local to the area and had stated he wanted to restore the hall. He established a camping pod facility within the Venetian Gardens with the proceeds going towards the restoration of the roof.
In October 2021, Conway Council told the owners to stop renting out camping pods in the grounds of the historic property because they had not applied for planning permission and the location in the Grade 1 listed Venetian Gardens was not in keeping with its listed status.
In early 2022 new applications for planning permission were submitted to site the pods in a different location (Conway council application reference number 0/49367), however the application was withdrawn following strong objections from residents within Kinmel Park and other campaign groups.
In March 2024 Conway Council reported the works to the flat roofs were almost complete and the majority of the main part of the building relatively watertight. Further works are proposed, especially as the weather improves, however there remains much to do.
They also reported an enforcement notice (ENF/2021/4663/NOTICE1) to remove the camping pods from the grounds which was issued on 30 January 2023, was to be upheld despite an appeal by Chris Cryer (Appeal reference: CAS-02596-D5L3Y4).
Kinmel Hall remains closed to the public and in private ownership.