Patrick Comerford
There are new plans to convert the Moat House, the former Comberford family Tudor and Jacobean mansion in Tamworth into a 40-room hotel. The Grade II listed building on Lichfield Street has been used as a bar and event space in recent years, could be turned into hotel.
Before I set out from Tamworth on my 10-mile trek in the Staffordshire countryside on Thursday, through Wigginton, Comberford and Hopwas, I paid a short visit to the Moat House to see this old family home which was built by William Comberford in 1572, to stroll around the gardens and the grounds, and to walk along the banks of the River Anker and River Tame behind the house.
The Moat House was converted into an asylum or care home for Victorian women at the end of the 19th century, and many people in Tamworth still recall that it was visited by the Beatles in 1963.
In recent decades, the proprietors of the Moat House have struggled to maintain a viable use for the heritage building. Now plans have been lodged with Tamworth Borough Council in April that would see the reordering of the building as well as much needed repairs.
Over time, the Moat House has suffered from water ingress, maintenance issues and an increasingly tired interior. A heritage report submitted with the application suggests that significant investment and a new use are needed to stop the building from being at risk.
The proposals outline how the proposed development would see a new hotel block being built beside the car park and on the west side of the site. The block would have 33 hotel rooms , along with seven in the main Moat House building and with a three-bed residential apartment for the owner.
The site is significantly constrained by the river and flood defences, which is the biggest issue on the land, overlooking neighbouring properties and retaining a 30 metre separation distance and access.
With a new hotel block, alterations would be made to the existing car park, including EV charging spaces, disabled spaces and secure cycle storage, but the number of spaces would remain at 60 car parking bays.
The planning statement states: ‘The proposed development relates to the partial conversion and reordering of the Moat House to provide hotel accommodation and the erection of a new hotel block in the car park at The Moat House.’
The application on behalf of Jon Oglesby says: ‘The character and appearance of the proposed development would result in high quality addition that is in keeping and would relate well to its surroundings. The proposed development would incorporate high quality materials and design and would represent a scheme that will produce architectural interest.’
It adds: ‘The character and appearance of the proposed development is therefore considered to accord with local policy requirements. The proposed development would not result in any significant harm to the amenity of any residential properties.’
Residents of Tamworth have until 14 May to submit feedback on the plans. Full details on the proposal and how to submit feedback are on Tamworth Borough Council’s planning portal, under reference number 0095/2026.
I have visited the Moat House regularly since I was in my teens, and have always received a warm and open welcome from successive proprietors over the past 55 years or more. In recent years, the present owners were among the people who attended by talks in Tamworth on the Comberford family and the Moat House, and Charlotte and I have been given a private tour of the house, including the Long Gallery, where the elaborate decorative ceiling sets out a heraldic depiction of the Comberford family tree.
Two minutes of peace and calm in sunshine by the river behind the Moat House, the former Comberford family home on Lichfield Street in Tamworth (Patrick Comerford, 2026)
