In 1827, the house and estate passed from the Baker family to a nephew, William Wingfield, who changed his name to Wingfield-Baker. It was inherited by his son, Richard and in turn by his son, Digby. At the end of the 19th century the estate was inherited by Thomas Whitmore as a debt of honour.
 

Pictured (above) Lt. Colonel Francis Whitmore poses by the East porch of Orsett Hall c. 1910. The house was refurbished in the early 20th century by Colonel Sir Francis Whitmore and it was the Whitmore family home for more than fifty years. The Hall remained a private residence right up until 1977 when the Hall became a privately owned Hotel.

Francis Whitmore was educated at Eton but had to forego a place at university to return to Orsett Hall at only 18 years of age to begin the unenviable task of reviving the Orsett Estate and restoring Orsett Hall. He assumed total control of the estate in 1896 and his Herculean efforts over the following years, using both his agricultural and commercial acumen, turned the hall into a fine country residence and the estate into a thriving farming enterprise. When Francis' mother died in 1892, his father lost interest in Orsett and retired to his London home with an annuity from the estate, dying in 1907.

Francis later became Sir Francis Whitmore, who was an important local dignitary becoming Lord Lieutenant of Essex in 1936, serving the County all through the War years, finally retiring in 1950. Sir Francis's second wife, Ellis, was one of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother's Lady-in-Waiting and after the War the Orsett Hall played host to many members of the Royal Family. King George VI planted the oak tree in the Hall's ground to commemorate one of his visits in 1948 and both the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret stayed in Orsett Hall's Royal suite.

The original hall is pictured (above left) in 2005 and the rebuilt hall (above right) in 2010.

THE ORSETT HALL - A NEW BEGINNING
On 11th May 2007 while staff were preparing breakfast for the guests, a fire broke out in the kitchen. The building was evacuated as the fire quickly spread through a void which ran across the three floors of the building from the kitchen to the roof. Nine fire engines and about 60 fire-fighters surrounded the hotel to try and douse the flames. A control unit, which is only used in major incidents, was brought in to coordinate the efforts of the fire-fighters, while extra crews were drafted in because of poor water supply to the site. The flames spread quickly to the Whitmore banqueting suite in the annexe.

Due to the lack of water hampering efforts and despite the fire brigade doing their utmost to get water to the scene, at 12.10 on that fateful day, the grand old building that had stood in the grounds for centuries was lost forever. Thankfully no-one was seriously hurt. The house contained antique furniture and Sir Francis' ceremonial uniform as well as photographs and documents relating to the history of the house and Whitmore family. There were also numerous paintings, including many family portraits but sadly, nothing was saved.

Four weddings had to be cancelled that week, but construction of The Graham Thomas Pavilion was commenced within months and completed in November 2007, so weddings and functions could again resume at the venue. Plans were then drawn up to rebuild the Hall and it was decided to replicate the old building as closely as possible. Building work commenced in early 2008.  The freehold was purchased by new investors in July 2008 and the construction went full speed ahead from then. The Whitmore suite and nine bedrooms were opened within 3 months and the whole project was completed in April 2009. We are delighted to say it is now the premier venue for Weddings, Functions and Conferences in the area.

THE FUTURE
Planning permission has been granted to build a new 100-seater restaurant  and this will be the next project scheduled to be completed sometime early 2011.  An application is also pending for a leisure complex with indoor swimming pool, sauna etc to add to the attractions of the Hotel, along with our very own Orsett Hall Chapel. We are all very excited with the development of the ‘New’ Orsett Hall and hope that it can deliver to the people of Thurrock and the surrounding area, a facility that can be enjoyed for centuries to come, much like its Grand predecessor!