Subject to errors, omission, and changes without notice.
ENGLAND TOP PICKS (A)
Manor House Choices - England (Peg's Picks - A)
weather
tennis courts. Tennis coaching is available (charges apply)but advance
booking is essential
A16. LUCKNAM PARK HOTEL & SPA
CHIPPENHAM, Wiltshire,
SN14 8AZ
Telephone: (01225) 742777 Fax: (01225) 743536
email reservations@lucknampark.co.uk.
From their Website: Lucknam Park
is unspoilt, country house living at its very best. Truly one of England's
finest 5 star luxury Country House Hotels - with fine dining featuring local
produce in The Park restaurant or a more relaxed meal in The Brasserie,
luxurious spa treatments and extensive leisure facilities in our new Spa, and
the ability to traverse more than 500 acres via our Equestrian Centre - Lucknam
Park is the ideal place to leave everyday life behind. Located in the heart of
the English countryside - and just minutes from Bath - Lucknam Park is a proud member of
Relais & Chateaux and has been awarded a Michelin Star, AA 5 Red Stars and
Visit Britain Gold Award.
Country Estate & Gardens
Lucknam
Park is approached by a
magnificent mile long avenue of four hundred lime and beech trees planted in
1827. The gardens of the country hotel spread over 5 acres and are set within
an impressive estate of 500 acres of listed parkland.
Of all the gardens, the Walled Garden
is the oldest dating back to the 1830's. Within its walls lie a very
traditional English garden with tall, sculpted Yew hedges and low box hedging
framing the herbaceous borders. Dominating the garden is the Dovecote, a listed
building dating from the late 18th century.
The Rose Garden was planted in spring 1996. The symmetrical
design is based around that of a French courtyard with espalier fruit trees
laddering the old converted stable building walls and a small formal pool in
its centre.
The herb garden is influenced in design by the Victorian kitchen
garden with Yew and Box hedging and planted with a variety of culinary herbs.
Lavender is very evident throughout the garden schemes and there is an old,
formal circular Lavender garden on the west lawn.
The Arboretum covers a 1.5 acre site within the estate's 500
acres of parkland and has been designed for all seasons. It has been filled
with some 600 trees, many of them rare and unusual.
'Voted The UK's
Most Delicious Spa' by The Good Spa Guide May 2010
The luxury Spa at Lucknam
Park is cocooned within the walled
garden of the hotel near Bath in the UK. The Spa is an exciting fusion
of contemporary design with the very finest facilities combined with luxurious
and exclusive treatments from Anne Semonin and Carita Paris. Within The Spa
complex is The Brasserie, sleek and chic offering all day dining at a time to
suit you. The Spa's luxury facilities
include: 20 metre indoor
swimming pool, Indoor and outdoor
hydrotherapy pool, Outdoor salt water
plunge pool - (Available for guests with booked Spa treatments), 9 state-of-the-art
treatment rooms including 2 deluxe suites and one double treatment room, Pre-&
post-relaxation room with reclining beds, Thermal cabins
featuring Japanese Salt, amethyst room, aromatic steam, sauna and tepidarium, Changing rooms
with additional sauna and steam room in both male and female changing rooms, Experience showers, Fitness suite with
some of the latest state of the art equipment, The Brasserie,
stylish and contemporary, offers all day dining and features an open kitchen
with wood-fired oven, Hairdressing salon, Spa boutique.
Leisure Activities - In
addition to the cocooned and luxurious ambience of The Spa, Lucknam Park
also offers other leisure activities both energetic and relaxing on and off the
hotel estate.
Within Lucknam Park's 500 acre estate:
- Walking trails - enjoy the flora and fauna of
Lucknam's beautiful parkland and woodland. Walking trails are
flagged and maps are available
- Bicycles available to borrow for both children and
adults. Enjoy the trails and tracks around the estate or go off piste and
explore the beautiful Wiltshire countryside
- 400 metre trim trail - definitely for the energetic!
- 2 floodlit all weather tennis courts. Tennis coaching
is available (charges apply)but advance booking is essential
- New all weather 5-a-side football pitch
- Croquet on the West lawn
- Horse Riding - Lucknam's equestrian centre has 35
horses and cater for complete beginners to advanced (charges apply)
- Gardens - whether you are a gardening enthusiast or
just appreciate the beauty of well tended gardens in a stunning setting
you will enjoy strolling through our one acre of formal gardens including
walled, herb, rose, tower and our fabulous arboretum.
Leisure Activities - In
addition to the cocooned and luxurious ambience of The Spa, Lucknam Park
also offers other leisure activities both energetic and relaxing on and off the
hotel estate.
Within Lucknam Park's 500 acre estate:
- Walking trails - enjoy the flora and fauna of Lucknam's beautiful parkland and woodland. Walking trails are flagged and maps are available
- Bicycles available to borrow for both children and adults. Enjoy the trails and tracks around the estate or go off piste and explore the beautiful Wiltshire countryside
- 400 metre trim trail - definitely for the energetic!
- 2 floodlit all weather tennis courts. Tennis coaching is available (charges apply)but advance booking is essential
- New all weather 5-a-side football pitch
- Croquet on the West lawn
- Horse Riding - Lucknam's equestrian centre has 35 horses and cater for complete beginners to advanced (charges apply)
- Gardens - whether you are a gardening enthusiast or just appreciate the beauty of well tended gardens in a stunning setting you will enjoy strolling through our one acre of formal gardens including walled, herb, rose, tower and our fabulous arboretum.
Leisure Activities - In
addition to the cocooned and luxurious ambience of The Spa, Lucknam Park
also offers other leisure activities both energetic and relaxing on and off the
hotel estate.
Within Lucknam Park's 500 acre estate:
- Walking trails - enjoy the flora and fauna of Lucknam's beautiful parkland and woodland. Walking trails are flagged and maps are available
- Bicycles available to borrow for both children and adults. Enjoy the trails and tracks around the estate or go off piste and explore the beautiful Wiltshire countryside
- 400 metre trim trail - definitely for the energetic!
- 2 floodlit all weather tennis courts. Tennis coaching is available (charges apply)but advance booking is essential
- New all weather 5-a-side football pitch
- Croquet on the West lawn
- Horse Riding - Lucknam's equestrian centre has 35 horses and cater for complete beginners to advanced (charges apply)
- Gardens - whether you are a gardening enthusiast or just appreciate the beauty of well tended gardens in a stunning setting you will enjoy strolling through our one acre of formal gardens including walled, herb, rose, tower and our fabulous arboretum.
To book Horse Riding Training near Bath, please call Dawn Cameron Equestrian Centre Manager on 01225 742777 or email equestrian@lucknampark.co.uk
Additional leisure activities can be organised on the
estate including:
- Clay Pigeon Shooting
- Archery
- Falconry
- Hot Air Ballooning (subject
to weather conditions)
As we use outside suppliers from the Bath area for these leisure activities
bookings must be made in advance of your stay.
Golf, Trout Fishing and Go Karting are also available nearby in and
around Bath.
To help plan and make the most of your stay at Lucknam Park hotel please ask
for further details and costs on any of these leisure activities from our hotel
concierge on 01225 742777 or email reservations@lucknampark.co.uk.
_________________________________________________
A17. THE ROYAL
CRESCENT HOTEL
16 Royal
Crescent, BATH, BA1 2LS
Telephone: 01225
823333; Fax: 01225 339401
Email: info@royalcrescent.co.uk
From their Website: A Luxury Accommodation in Bath like no other. The Royal
Crescent represents the ultimate in luxury
accommodation in Bath.
Each room has been lovingly restored to its original splendour with infinite
care, recreating the authentic period details – carpets, furnishings, colour
schemes and fabrics are all as they would have been in the eighteenth century.
These include an exceptional collection of paintings from
such eighteenth century masters as Reynolds, Gainsborough and the satirical
cartoonist Thomas Rowlandson. Throughout the hotel there are also many
contemporary portraits of famous people who visited Bath, or lived there – Lord Nelson, Charles
Dickens, William Pitt, George III, and the celebrated actress Sarah Siddons.
There are 45 luxury bedrooms in all, arranged throughout the
five elegant buildings that have been combined to create this remarkable hotel.
Every room has its own unique character, but each has certain items in common.
All rooms have luxuriously appointed en suite bathrooms and are graced with
flowers. In addition, most enjoy lovely views over the surrounding gardens,
lawns and parkland.
Total number of bedrooms - 45
Classic Double Room 16
Deluxe Double Room 15
Classic Suite 7
Deluxe Suite 4
Master Suite 3
The suites are all named after historic personalities either
directly connected to the Royal Crescent or to Bath in its heyday – Ralph
Allen, William Beckford, Duke of York, Sir Percy Blakeney, Jane Austen and Sir
Thomas Gainsborough, to name but a few.
Each of the bedrooms and suites truly recreates the ambience
and indulgence of Bath
in its Georgian heyday, but with all the latest creature comforts the
discerning guest could wish for.
Who would ever guess that such beautiful gardens exist in
the heart of Bath behind the architectural magnificence of the Royal Crescent,
a serene venue to meet up with relatives and friends and to pass the time of
day; a little corner of paradise. There can be few more agreeable locations in
the summer for morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea than in the stunning
gardens of The Royal Crescent Hotel.
To wander through the hotel and onto the lawns beneath the
trees on a summer’s day or in the evening, to sit at a table, perhaps beneath a
parasol, to enjoy whatever refreshments you choose, is a sublime pleasure. The
gardens also provide the most perfect setting for the more spectacular social occasion.
Certainly, if you’re wanting to create a favourable impression, then this is
the place to do it.
Who would ever guess that hidden behind the Royal Crescent lies
four further fabulous buildings. The Bath House homes the infamous spa with its
very own garden filled with herbs and produce used within the spa itself. The
impressive Dower House combines bedrooms and suites with the recently
refurbished Dower House Restaurant and Bar. Seven bedrooms and suites are found
in The Pavilion, popular for its two suites with their own private
conservatories. Finally The Garden Villa is hidden away in seclusion. With only
one suite and three bedrooms it lends itself to exclusive use with its own
unique garden.
Focusing on the natural
elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, The Bath House embraces both Ancient
and Modern day spa culture. Set within the beautiful Georgian buildings that
make up the Royal Crescent Hotel this little known Gem in the heart of the city
is truly a secret to be shared. With an extensive range of therapies using
world renowned product ranges we are able to soothe mind, body and spirit.
The contemporary style of The Bath House was
created from a converted coach house and stables, opening onto the beautiful
gardens; a stunning setting for The Bath House. Enjoy the wonderful relaxation
pool heated to 35 degrees centigrade, cool and tepid plunge tubs, sauna and
steam Karahafus, fully equipped gymnasium. Treatments range from soothing
massages to full aromatherapy facials, and from fruit enzyme wraps to holistic
foot and nail treatments.
The Bath House is open to non-residents for
treatments and for day retreats.
Residents of The Royal Crescent Hotel have use
of The Bath House spa included in their rate.
Leisure Activities in Bath
It's hard to imagine a more serene atmosphere in which to
relax and unwind than that of the Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath. Aside from the simple pleasures of
sitting out on the heated patio, reading the newspaper in the Library or
strolling the hotel’s secluded gardens, house guests have a number of leisure
options available to them.
If the gym is your thing, our air-conditioned facility
contains the latest cardio-vascular and resistance equipment, and personal
trainers are available upon request.
How about treating yourself with a visit to the The Bath
House, our spa, set within the hotel grounds, for total relaxation and
rejuvenation.
Venturing a little further afield, house guests may wish to
take a private walking tour or a chauffeur-driven tour of Bath and the surrounding countryside. All
tours can be tailored to your individual requirements.
For real style, why not enjoy a champagne cruise along the
historic Kennet and Avon waterway in the hotel's fine 1923 Thames
river launch, the Lady Sophina. An immaculate mahogany and teak craft, she won
best restored boat at Henley and is
additionally available for private daytime charter.
Lastly, for something very different and highly memorable,
there's the opportunity to take a trip in a hot air balloon. Weather permitting,
passengers can experience breathtaking views of the City of Bath and surrounding countryside, with
take-off during early morning or evening from the nearby Victoria Park.
The History of The Royal
Crescent
The Royal
Crescent is an architectural masterpiece by any
standards. The Royal Crescent Hotel at its heart has to be the finest location
of all Bath
hotels with its beautiful 'secret' gardens, its fabulous spa, its renowned
restaurant and the luxuriously wonderful accommodation.
Begun in 1767 by John Wood the Younger, the crescent took
eight years to complete and included some of the grandest houses in Bath. John Wood was
utterly determined that his masterpiece should present a prospect of total
uniformity and understated gracefulness. His sweeping vision and scrupulous
attention to every detail has created a great elliptical curve almost fifty
feet high and five hundred feet long that comprises thirty houses of grand
proportions.
Such harmony, restraint and elegance, plus the gently
sloping sweep of grass that stretches before it, always has the same effect;
whether you are seeing the crescent for the very first time, or for the
hundredth, it is a sight that never fails to draw a gasp of amazement.
When the famous literary hostess, Mrs Elizabeth Montagu,
came to live at No.16 in 1780, she declared that, “The beautiful situation of
the crescent cannot be understood by any comparison with anything in any town
whatsoever.”
Over two centuries later it is hard to see how any sensible
observer could reasonably challenge this bold claim.
_________________________________________________
A18. DANESFIELD HOUSE
HOTEL & SPA
Henley Road,
MARLOW-ON-THAMES,
Buckinghamshire,
SL7 2EY
T +44 1628 891010
F +44 1628 890408
From their Website: Danesfield House Hotel and Spa is an
award-winning, luxury country house hotel located between the fashionable
boutique shopping towns of Marlow and Henley-on-Thames in beautiful, rural
Buckinghamshire.
Our award-winning Aromatherapy Associates Spa provides
guests with the ultimate escape from the stresses of everyday life. With its
ozone-cleansed pool and extensive treatment list, the Danesfield Spa joins a
small and select list of prestigious locations worldwide offering these
exclusive treatments - including The
Mandarin Oriental, The Spa at the Savoy, The
Dorchester, the Four Seasons Hotel in New York
and Necker Island.
Danesfield House Hotel
and Spa is a destination for
world-class cuisine, home to the acclaimed Michelin Star restaurant,
Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House - placed 12th best in the UK in the
Good Food
Guide 2012 - and the more relaxed
Orangery with its stunning views out over 65 acres of beautifully manicured
gardens.
Hotel Chef of the
Year, Great Britain 2011, awarded by The Hotel Cateys
Condé Nast Award
for Most Excellent Hotel Venue
UK 2010
Exclusive setting
unrivalled
Only 20 miles from
London Heathrow
Most Relaxing Spa-
Natural Health Magazine 2011
Acclaimed Spa Illuminata in Mayfair
Our award-winning Aromatherapy Associates Spa provides a
relaxing escape from the stresses of everyday life with its ozone-cleansed pool
and an indulgent array of treatments. We are a part of a small list of
exclusive, prestigious Spas worldwide offering these treatments including The
Mandarin Oriental, The Spa at the Savoy, The
Dorchester and the Four Seasons Hotel in New York
and Necker Island.
Danesfield Spa is proud to introduce Jessica Gel Nails!
Jessica GELeration is a hybrid between gel and polish giving fantastic colour
that does not chip or peel, maintains shine, dries in seconds, gives a flawless
finish, lasts for three weeks and is removed in minutes with a special soak-off
solution. Call the Spa Reception on 01628 891881 to book!
Spa Opening Times
Monday to Friday - 6:30am to 09:30pm
Saturday 7.00am to 09:30pm
Last entry to the pool and gym is 9:00pm
Sunday - 7.00am to 7:30pm
Last entry to pool and gym is 7.00pm
History
Danesfield House, as it stands today, is the third property
to have been built within this glorious setting. 4,000 years ago, the site was
reputed to have been a resting place of nomadic tribes who paused to hunt
nearby land and fish in the then untamed river.
Because of the ample game and the discovery of flint within the
chalk-based cliffs, the site became a settlement throughout the ages and
although not named "Danesfield" until many years later, this name
originated from the fact that Danish adventurers made an encampment here…..
Offering easy access to the M25, M4 and M40 motorways, just 45 minutes from the centre of London and 35 minutes from fashionable West
London, Danesfield House is an intimate and elegant country house
hideaway overlooking the River Thames, in an area of breathtaking beauty.
_________________________________________________
A19. HARTWELL HOUSE
AYLESBURY, Buckinghamshire HP17 8NR.
Tel: +44 (1296) 747444; Fax ; +44 (1296) 747450
E-mail: info@hartwell-house.com
From their Website: Hartwell
house is one of the Stately Homes of England, just one hour from central London
and Heathrow and Luton Airports, and two miles west of Aylesbury. Its most famous resident was Louis XVIII,
exiled King of France, who lived there with is Court for five years. Situated in 90 acres of landscaped parkland,
Hartwell House provides a country house setting, adding lustre to every social
occasion.
The impressive Grade I listed house, which has both Jacobean
and Georgian facades, contains most beautiful rooms with rococo ceilings,
antique furniture and paintings, yet with every imaginable contemporary
comfort.
The large and historic public rooms provide great comfort
for relaxing with friends and the three dining rooms provide some of the finest
cooking in the home counties, with a wine list that has been selected with
skill and care.
The hotel lends itself to quick city breaks, or as a base
for exploring Oxford, the Cotswolds, and the Chiltern Hills. An
overnight stay at Hartwell is a good way to overcome jetlag on arrival in Britain, or as a memorable place to stay before
leaving the UK.
The hotel is a popular venue for top level Special Events as well as Spa
relaxation.
Hartwell House is a member of Pride of Britain, Small Luxury
Hotels of the World, has Four Red Stars, and a famous fine dining restaurant.
In September 2008 HISTORIC HOUSE HOTELS LTD and all its
interests in HARTWELL HOUSE and the other two Historic House Hotels,
BODYSGALLEN HALL and MIDDLETHORPE HALL, became the property of the NATIONAL TRUST, by donation, with all profits
henceforward benefiting the houses and the charity.
History
Hartwell House has a remarkable history, stretching back
almost a thousand years to the reign of Edward the Confessor. It has been the
seat of William Peveral the natural son of William the Conqueror; of John Earl
of Mortaigne who succeeded his brother Richard the Lion Heart as King of
England in 1199; and of Louis XVIII, the exiled King of France who held court
there from 1809 to 1814. Louis was joined at Hartwell by his Queen,
Marie-Josephine de Savoie, his niece the Duchesse D’Angoulême, daughter of
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, his brother the Comte d’Artois, later Charles
X, and Gustavus IV the exiled King of Sweden.
During the residence of the French
Court the roof was converted into a miniature
farm, where birds and rabbits were reared in cages, while vegetables and herbs
were cultivated in densely planted tubs. Shops were opened in the outbuildings
by émigrés short of money.
Others who lived at Hartwell include Richard Hampden
(d.1567), a member of one of England’s most illustrious families who entered
the household of Queen Elizabeth I and rose to the position of ‘Chiefe Clerk of
the Kychen unto the Queen’s Majestie’. Sir Alexander Hampden (d.1627), who
received the singular Honour of being knighted by James I in his own house; Sir
Thomas Lee (d.1690) who took a leading part in the Restoration and was elevated
to the Baronetage by Charles II in 1660; the Rt. Hon. Sir William Lee
(1688-1754) who became Lord Chief Justice and served for a time as Chancellor
of the Exchequer; and the Rt. Hon. Sir George Lee (1700-1758) a close friend
and adviser to Frederick Prince of Wales whose widow he served as Treasurer and
Receiver-General. The Lees were ancestors of General Robert E Lee of American
Civil War fame. Sir William Young, MP
for Buckingham and later Governor of Tobago was a tenant of Hartwell from 1800
to 1808.
With the arrival of Dr.John Lee, a teetotaller and amateur
scientist who lived at Hartwell from 1829 to 1866, the building became a cross
between a temperance hall, a museum and an astronomical observatory. Festivals of Peace and Temperance were held
in the park, with the local inn-keeper being paid to close his doors to the
public; geological specimens from the ancient world were put on show in the
Long Gallery and the Strong Room, and powerful telescopes were trained on the
stars through the open roof of a new observatory extension adjoining the
Library (since demolished). Dr. Lee was
a champion of the technological revolution that reshaped English industry and
agriculture, and in 1830 Hartwell became the target of a Luddite conspiracy. Several disgruntled farm workers plotted to
burn the house but were rounded up by the local Constabulary.
A hundred years later the estate took on the appearance of a
giant auction house as hordes of collectors and dealers descended on Hartwell
for the 1938 sale of its contents. Those
who came to view included Queen Mary and the Dukes and Duchesses of Gloucester and Kent. They brought with them a picnic lunch, which
was served in the Dining Room by a body of liveried footmen. After the sale, the house was purchased by
millionaire recluse Ernest Cook, grandson and co-heir of the Victorian travel
tycoon Thomas Cook, and subsequently vested in the Trust that bears his name.
For the duration of the Second World War Hartwell served as
an Army billet, a training ground for British and American troops. Later, in 1956, Hartwell was let to The House
of Citizenship, a finishing school and secretarial college which remained in
occupation until 1983. A fire in 1963
caused extensive damage, and destruction of much of the architectural detail
inside the house, and was followed by reconstruction to the requirements of the
school.
If Hartwell is remarkable for its history, it is also
remarkable for its architecture. True to
the English tradition it has evolved in sympathy with changing tastes. On the north front the compass and oriel
windows are remarkable examples of early 17th century design, but the carved
decoration was simplified and the original gables removed in the middle of the
18th century. The south and east fronts
were built around 1760 and are characteristic of their period, with projecting
eaves, canted bays, skirted windows and Ionic colonettes set within relieving
arches. The Great Hall is a masterpiece
of English baroque design, and with the exception of the floor which was
originally flagged with Portland stone, remains virtually unchanged since its
completion in around 1740. The principal
staircase with its extraordinary carved figures is partly Jacobean, but partly
modern. Two of the balusters are carved to represent Winston Churchill and G K
Chesterton.
The house has fine Georgian interiors, dating from around
1760. The Morning Room and the Library are decorated in the Rococo style, with
curvilinear marble chimney pieces and fluid plasterwork, and joinery ornamented
with garlands, masks, animals and volutes. The bookcases in the Library are
fitted with some of the finest surviving gilt-brass wirework in the country. The landscaping of the park dates from the second half of
the 18th century. Work is thought to
have begun around 1757 when Sir William Lee commissioned the magnificent
equestrian statue of Frederick, Prince of Wales which now stands in the centre
of the entrance drive to the north of the house. The park boasts a fine collection of 18th
century pavilions and monuments. Some of
these date from the 1730’s when a magnificent topiary garden, planted in 1690,
was finally brought to completion.
There is the Gothic
Tower, a romantic crenellated turret;
the Ionic Temple, an elegant exercise in
Italianate classicism, flanked by four terms, figures from classical-
mythology, now returned to their original position after 200 years in another
part of the garden. There is the statue of Hercules, a fine copy after a famous
antique original, the obelisk in Park meadow and the statues of Zeus and Juno in
the gardens behind the arch.
The present bridge over the lake was erected at the end of
the 19th century and is the central span of old Kew Bridge, built in the 18th
century by James Paine, but dismantled in 1898 and divided up into lots and
sold at auction. The Old Dairy is a
relic of the 18th century, as is the Gothic bridge.
The avenue of trees that crosses the Old Court Garden was
planted around 1830, while the estate wall was completed in 1855, encrusted
with fossils and rare stones from the grounds. Four years earlier an Egyptian
style pavilion had been erected over the spring in Weir Lane. In 1900 a forecourt was
created in front of the entrance, ringed by a ha-ha to the north. The Rock Walk
and cobbled paths were laid out some time before 1901 and there are trees and
plants dating from the Edwardian period.
The Church was built in 1753-6 and is generally recognized
as one of the most important buildings of the Gothic Revival. Unfortunately it was allowed to collapse
shortly after the last war but the West
Tower and roof have
recently been reinstated.
The creation of Hartwell House and its grounds has involved
many distinguished architects and designers including James Gibbs (1682-1754),
whose works include the Radcliffe Library, Oxford, the Senate House, Cambridge,
and the London Churches of St. Martins in the Field and St, Mary- Le-Strand;
Henry Keene (1726-1776), a pioneer of the Gothic Revival; James Wyatt
(1746-1813) a master of neo-classical design; and Richard Woods a well- known
follower of Capability Brown.
Coming to the present time, Historic House Hotels have
undertaken a complete restoration to the highest standards of the house and
grounds, under the sympathetic direction of its chairman, Richard Broyd, and
eminent Buckinghamshire Architect, Eric Throssell. The interior design and furnishings have been
carefully chosen under the supervision of Janey Compton of Newby Hall in Yorkshire, who was responsible for the success of the
interior decoration at Middlethorpe Hall, another property of Historic House
Hotels.
During the restoration great attention has been paid to the
reinstatement of period, detail, particularly in those parts of the house
damaged during the 1963 fire. There is
much new plasterwork, fireplaces have been reinstated, a dining room has been
created in the manner of Sir John Soane and the original features of the
Staircase Hall have gained a Gothic setting.
The gardens and park have been extensively restored and some garden
buildings and ornaments have been moved to their original, or found more
suitable, positions. A dramatic new
entrance sweep has been constructed, centred not only on the house, but also on
the life-size equestrian statue of Frederick Prince of Wales, rescued from
obscurity in a shrubbery.
Hartwell House opened as an hotel in July 1989 and this
famous stately home thus entered a new phase of its long and distinguished
history.
_________________________________________________
A20. THE CLOSE HOTEL
TETBURY, Gloucestershire GL8 8AQ
Tel: 01666 502 272
Email: info@theclose-hotel.com
From their Website: Set in the delightful Cotswold market
town of Tetbury, The Close Hotel and Restaurant holds the enviable reputation
of being one of the finest 16th century town houses in the Cotswolds.
Originally built in 1535 during the reign of King Henry VIII
for John Steede a local Yeoman, the house has had many owners including Sir
Thomas Estcourt, a wealthy wool merchant of the period. Since becoming a hotel
in 1974, the Close Hotel has developed a reputation for excellence in
hospitality by creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere, combined with the
efficiency demanded by today's business world.
There are 15 spacious rooms, each individually decorated and
named in the same elegant yet comfortable style as the original house. Many of
the bedrooms overlook the beautiful walled garden and provide the comfort of
today with the atmosphere of the past.
Originally built in 1535 during the reign of King Henry VIII
for John Steede a local Yeoman, the house has had many owners including Sir
Thomas Estcourt, a wealthy wool merchant of the period.
All rates are per room, per night including full breakfast
and VAT. Rates do not apply to Cheltenham Gold Cup week, Badminton Horse Trials
week, Easter or Christmas. All reservations must be confirmed with a credit
card or deposit, direct to the Hotel. Our cancellation policy requires 48 hours
notice. Any confirmed reservation not taken up or cancelled within this period
will be subject to the first night charged in full.
Group bookings and bookings for certain peak times may be
subject to an extended cancellation period, details of which will be given at
time of booking. Payment must be made in full on departure unless prior credit
arrangements are made in writing. We accept Access, Visa, MasterCard, Switch,
Delta, and cheque's up to the value of a valid cheque guarantee card.
Eating in the charming Garden Restaurant, boasting an
original Adams ceiling and views of the walled garden with its central
fountain, offers classic dining with the ambience of a 16th century town house.
Accommodation - here are 15 spacious rooms, each
individually decorated and named in the same elegant yet comfortable style as
the original house. Many of the bedrooms overlook the beautiful walled garden
and provide the comfort of today with the atmosphere of the past. A delightful
mix of antique and contemporary furniture enhances the rich decor. There are
two bedrooms with fine antique four-poster beds. Every room is en-suite and
retains the character of a by-gone era.
Functions - Our conference boardroom allows you to conduct
your meeting in total seclusion. "Cloisters" is a purpose built
conference room seating a maximum of 22 delegates boardroom style, situated
behind the main house, away from any distractions, yet with easy access to the
rest of The Hotel.
_________________________________________________
A21. TYLNEY HALL
ROTHERWICK-HOOK, Hampshire,
England, RG27
9AZ
Tel +44 (0)1256 764881; Fax: +44 (0)1256 768141
Video: http://www.tylneyhall.co.uk/tylney-hall-videos
Their Blog Page: http://www.tylneyhall.co.uk/tylney-hall-blog
Luxury hotels in Hampshire come in many guises, but what
makes Tylney Hall Hotel so special is its period ambience, and walking into
your room or suite for the first time is a little like stepping back in time.
In the main Hall the suites and rooms lead off the magnificent wooden staircase
that rises from the reception area.
Each room is a little world unto itself, and has been
decorated and furnished individually with period pieces to enhance its own
particular charm. Sweep back the heavy drapes that frame the high period
windows in many of the rooms and you will be rewarded with breathtaking views
of the rolling Hampshire countryside.
Contrasting levels of luxury include our Deluxe Bedrooms
which offer twin beds or a queen sized bed, relaxed seating and work desk.
While our suites offer additional private dining areas, lounges and office
spaces to suit all requirements. Or you can really push the boat out and elect
to stay in our Duke and Duchess Suites which are unashamedly luxurious with
wood panelled walls, four poster beds and whirlpool baths.
For a change of setting and style, but still maintaining the
same seductive levels of comfort, you can get closer to the countryside and
stay in the rooms and suites to be found in the original estate buildings
dotted around the grounds. These charming changes of scene include a quaint row
of converted terraced cottages, and the Orangery which has also been lovingly
converted into rooms that overlook the water garden. What better way to wake up
and greet the day than to look out of your window and see a family of ducks
paddling across the lake.
All the rooms and suites are beautifully appointed befitting
one of the finest luxury hotels in Hampshire. We can even look after man’s best
friend. We have set aside special ground floor rooms where dogs are welcome and
we’ll even make them feel at home with their own basket, blanket & bowl. We
even throw in a chewy toy.
Facilities
Luxurious en-suite
bathroom with towelling bathrobes
An extensive
collection of Molton Brown luxury toiletries
Digital Freeview
television with radio and teletext
Iron and Ironing
Board
Direct dial
telephone with voicemail
Digital clock
radio
Broadband Internet
access
Trouser press
Personal safe
large enough to hold a laptop
Hairdryer
Mineral water
All bedrooms are
served by 24-hour Room Service
DVD players and
small fridges available on request
Our 112 rooms fall into six categories to suit different
needs and budgets.
Deluxe room with one double or two twin beds. Bedroom size -
approx 326 Sqft. Deluxe...From £220
Deluxe Superior rooms have
views of the gardens. Room size - approx 326 Sqft. From £255
Executive room with king sized bed. Bedroom size - approx
460 Sqft. Our Executive rooms...From £290
Junior Suite with king or queen sized bed. Suite size -
approx - 639 Sqft. Junior Suites...From £360
Suite-Garden Suite with king or queen sized bed. Suite size
- approx 660 Sqft. Suites are bright and...From £430
Duke and Duchess Master Suite -Our most luxurious and spacious suites. Suite size - approx
700 Sqft. From £500
Tylney Hall is a Grade II listed building and remains an
outstanding example of a luxury country house hotel that has never lost its old
world sense of charm.When you arrive at Tylney Hall Hotel, Hampshire, you are
swept along a tree-lined avenue and then all at once the magnificent Victorian
era mansion house appears, its full beauty slowly revealed as you drive through
the avenue of trees that frames the approach. At first sight the main hall
immediately takes you back to an age of elegance and gracious living. Step
through the entrance archway and you emerge into the reception area which sets
the scene. Your eye is greeted with floor to ceiling walnut panelling that
sweeps up the magnificent staircase creating a splendour and warmth of welcome
that belongs to a bygone era. Hampshire hotels simply don’t come any grander or
offer such heights of luxury anywhere in the UK.
Our drawing rooms retain all the elegance and style of the
days when Tylney Hall played host to the rich and influential. The Italian
Lounge is a splendidly restored period room dominated by marble fireplaces and
ornate period furnishings. However, its crowning glory is the spectacular
ceiling which was imported piece by piece from the Grimation
Palace in Florence no less. Stepping through into the
Grey Lounge is like leaving the world of the Italian aristocracy behind and
emerging into Hapsburg Europe. Its pale blue walls and ornate cornicing give
this elegant room a more Rococo feel. Its light and airy atmosphere, together
with the beautiful views it affords over the gardens and grounds, make it a
restful retreat throughout the day and a popular spot for enjoying high tea in
the afternoons.
The old library is another treasure trove of original wood
panelling which has been lovingly restored to create a quiet and relaxing
location for the bar, where pre and after dinner drinks can be enjoyed amidst
the hubbub of quiet conversation, which on winter nights may have to compete
with the crackle of logs burning in the marble fireplace.
The gardens and grounds are no less spectacular and attract
hordes of visitors in their own right. Tylney Hall stands in its own 66 acres
of glorious parkland and boasts the longest uninterrupted view in Hampshire
which is flanked by two lines of mature Redwoods that march to the distant
horizon. Pride of place though belongs to the individual historic gardens,
originally designed by the renowned gardener and planter, Gertrude Jekyll, and
which have been lovingly tended over the last 25 years by our team of dedicated
gardeners led by Paul Tattersdill. Tylney Hall may be inspired by the past but
we are certainly not locked in it. We offer all the facilities and levels of
luxury associated with 4 Red Star status, including luxurious rooms and suites,
gourmet dining, a beautifully appointed Spa and leisure facilities including
both an indoor and an outdoor pool, and business, conference and banqueting
facilities that are second to none. Our location near Basingstoke and Hook, and
being close to the M3 and M25 motorways, makes us very accessible from London, Heathrow
Airport and the M4
corridor. It also means we are one of the few hotels in Hampshire that also
serves Surrey, Berkshire and further afield.
But whatever brings you to Tylney Hall Hotel, we hope it will be our relaxed
style of attentive service that you’ll remember, and we are proud to be able to
say that we were recently awarded the Tourism South East Outstanding Customer Service Award.
For further information on Tylney Hall Hotel you can also
visit: Tylney Hall Flickr, Hitched.co.uk Listing and Desination Basingstoke
Page.
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A22. CHARINGWORTH
MANOR
Charingworth,
NR CHIPPING CAMPDEN, Gloucestershire, GL55 6NS
Tel. 01386 593555
info.charingworthmanor@classiclodges.co.uk
From their Website: The
perfect Cotswold manor house hotel in warm Cotswold stone, Charingworth has
commanded views over idyllic rural Gloucestershire countryside for 700 years.
Every one of the 26 bedrooms has recently been carefully refurbished to the
highest standard offering contemporary style, all-new beds and duvets, plasma
TVs, tea and coffee facilities and, most importantly, fabulous bathrooms.
We are delighted that all of Charingworth's 26 bedrooms have recently been
refurbished to the highest standard, whilst maintaining the individuality that
makes this hotel so special. Guests can now enjoy wonderfully comfortable
new beds, duvets, plasma screen TVs, tea and coffee making facilities and best
of all, fabulous new bathrooms.
To help plan and make the most of your stay at Lucknam Park hotel please ask for further details and costs on any of these leisure activities from our hotel concierge on 01225 742777 or email reservations@lucknampark.co.uk.
The contemporary style of The Bath House was created from a converted coach house and stables, opening onto the beautiful gardens; a stunning setting for The Bath House. Enjoy the wonderful relaxation pool heated to 35 degrees centigrade, cool and tepid plunge tubs, sauna and steam Karahafus, fully equipped gymnasium. Treatments range from soothing massages to full aromatherapy facials, and from fruit enzyme wraps to holistic foot and nail treatments. The Bath House is open to non-residents for treatments and for day retreats. Residents of The Royal Crescent Hotel have use of The Bath House spa included in their rate.
Monday to Friday - 6:30am to 09:30pm
Saturday 7.00am to 09:30pm
Last entry to the pool and gym is 9:00pm
Sunday - 7.00am to 7:30pm
Last entry to pool and gym is 7.00pm
Tel +44 (0)1256 764881; Fax: +44 (0)1256 768141
Charingworth,
NR CHIPPING CAMPDEN, Gloucestershire, GL55 6NS
Tel. 01386 593555
Ideally located for exploring this beautiful part of England and the perfect hotel location for the
delightful town of Chipping Campden,
Charingworth Manor is a peaceful location for an important conference or
elegant Cotswolds wedding. Choose from standard or superior rooms, suites and two superb four poster rooms
reflecting the tradition of this historic Manor House. Several rooms have private terraces and
gardens with views over five counties, and all have complimentary broadband
access and room service to your door when you are feeling peckish. Choose from suites and four poster rooms, all
with their own character and many with private terraces and views over five
counties.
Dine in our intimate AA-rosetted restaurant with a seasonal
menu that makes the very best of fresh Cotswold produce, and unwind in our leisure
facility with its gym, sauna, steam room and pool. And there is the heart of England on our doorstep, with historic houses
and world famous gardens to explore, Shakespeare’s Stratford to discover and the delightful
Cotswold towns of Chipping Campden, Broadway and Burford just a short drive
away.
Bring your dog - Charingworth is a pet friendly hotel and
welcomes your dogs if they are well behaved!
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A23. HANBURY MANOR
A Marriott Hotel & Country Club
WARE, Hertfordshire SG12 0SD
Tel: 01920 487722; Fax: 01920 487692
From their Website: A
HISTORICAL SETTING IN WHICH TO FIND INSPIRATION AND PURE PLEASURE
Feel history surround you at Hanbury Manor, A Marriott Hotel
& Country Club.
This stately 17th century Jacobean style country house set
in 200 acres of spectacular Hertfordshire parkland benefits from all the modern
comforts associated with 5 star luxury. Within easy reach of Stansted,
Heathrow, Luton and Gatwick airports, London and
Cambridge,
major rail and motorway links as well as numerous visitor attractions, this
impressive hotel is close to everything that really matters.
The beautiful manor house began its life as a home to the
Hanbury family that later was adopted into a Roman Catholic boarding school
known as Poles Convent. The chapel with
its original features now acts as the main banqueting hall recognised as Poles
Hall. As a Marriott Hotel and country club the original school
location is now used for the banqueting areas set around a courtyard.
The prestigious golf course was the first to be designed by
Jack Nicklaus II and still incorporates features from an earlier 9-hole course
designed by the great Harry Vardon. The
course is now widely recognized as one of the best in England, with
each hole offering a different challenge.
Hanbury Manor provides an exciting experience for golfers of all skill
levels. From the championship tees, the
course measures 7,052 yards. The USGA
greens and numerous tee boxes provide excellent surfaces and year round
playability.
During your stay at Hanbury Manor take advantage of our
facilities:
Relax in 161 traditionally elegant, spacious bedrooms with
many period features. Delve into the
delights of traditional afternoon tea in the beautiful baronial Oak Hall with a
selection of finely cut sandwiches, freshly baked scones, cakes and pastries. Choice of two formal dining rooms including
AA Rosette Zodiac Restaurant or contemporary Oakes Grill. Unwind with our luxuriant spa facilities
that spoil you with a range of health and beauty treatments; placed in easy
reach to soak up your senses in the spa bath and sauna before taking a dip in
the Romanesque pool.
A limited number of memberships are currently available on a
debenture basis, with an annual subscription.
Members enjoy preferential and
unlimited access to the golf course and luxurious health club facilities, which
include an OFSTED certified, purpose built crèche facility and in excess of 30
complimentary fitness classes each week.
Members also enjoy substantial discounts and privileges throughout the
hotel.
HISTORICAL
The first house on this site, built around 1730, was called
Poles. After passing through several hands, Poles was leased in 1800 to Sampson
Hanbury, a key figure in the London
brewery Truman, Hanbury & Buxton. He bought Poles in the 1820s and lived
here until his death in 1835.
After his widow Agatha's death in 1847, the estate was
inherited by their nephew Robert Hanbury, who enlarged the house and extended
the park.
In 1884 the house passed to his grandson Edmund Hanbury and
his wife Amy. In 1890-91 the house was demolished and replaced by a new one, in
Jacobean style, designed by Ernest George and Harold Peto.
From 1913-1923 Poles was home to businessman Henry King and
his family. He built a new stable block, and laid out a nine hole golf course
in the park to Harry Vardon's design.
From 1923-1986 Poles was a convent school run by the
Faithful Companions of Jesus. When the school closed, Poles was acquired by
developers who created a luxury resort, hotel and country club which opened in
1990 as Hanbury Manor.
FOR ANY OCCASION - Modern, high-tech conference rooms
featuring a wealth of period details inspire clear, creative thinking.
Excellent leisure facilities, including championship golf, luxurious spa, and
award-winning dining options help you to relax in style. At Hanbury Manor, a
Marriott Hotel & Country Club, we provide everything you need for a
successful social celebration, dynamic business event or invigorating short
break. Why not become a Member of Hanbury Manor Golf & Country Club to
enjoy the Hanbury experience every day?
GOLF COURSE DESIGNED BY CHAMPIONS - Test your skill on the prestigious 18-hole
Championship Hanbury Course designed by Jack Nicklaus II, and widely recognised
as one of the best golf courses in England. With each hole offering a unique
challenge, the 7,052 yards, par 72 course provides excellent playing surfaces,
year-round playability and an exciting experience for golfers of all abilities.
Personal Tuition
Develop your game with help from PGA Professionals and the
Marriott Golf Tuition Programme. An action plan focussing on your specific
needs will transform your performance, and you'll be playing like a pro in no
time!
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A24. EASTWELL PARK
Boughton Lees
ASHFORD, Kent, TN25 4HR
Tel: +44 (0)1233 213000; Fax: +44 (0)1233 635530
From their Website: The
Eastwell Manor welcome makes you feel that you are living in your own Manor
House, with all the facilities that implies.
Manor Rooms - Northumberland Manor Rooms - Northumberland (Right)
With its origins dating back to the Norman Conquest, the
Manor has many interesting features - carved panelled rooms, massive baronial
stone fireplaces, in a quiet and tranquil atmosphere. The Manor features 23
tastefully decorated and furnished en-suite rooms and suites, offering space,
elegance and sumptuous comfort. Each room is individually designed and
furnished in a classical style yet has all the modern day facilities that you
would expect from a first class family run country house hotel.
The rooms and suites combine today's comforts with an
opportunity to feel the history that the rooms have experienced.
All rooms have a colour TV with a selection of satellite
channels, video, DVD/CD players, safe, trouser press, tea making facilities, en
suite bathroom many with separate showers, hairdryer, telephone and 24 hour
room service. A selection of rooms and suites have four poster beds; some have
separate lounges and private dining facilities
The Pavilion is one of the finest luxury leisure and spa
experiences in the South of England and embodies the very best in health,
beauty and fitness in keeping with the unique quality of Eastwell Manor.
The welcome begins in the elegant marbled entrance hall,
creating a classical ambience to the overall relaxation and pamper experience.
The 20 metre heated pool, set between pillars against a
background of hand painted murals, creates the luxury of an aquamarine haven
within a Roman palace overlooking an exotic vista towards the Mediterranean.
A perpetual wall of water conceals the major therapy pool,
rivalling any of the country's other leading health spas. A jacuzzi, steam
room, sauna, showers and other surprises complete the spacious spa area.
Eastwell Manor Golf Course
- The golf course is available for hotel guests and corporate delegates
of Eastwell Manor all year round and provides a challenge for all levels of
golfer. Society days are welcomed and can be tailored to suit your individual
needs. Memberships are also available.
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A25. STAPLEFORD PARK
Stapleford,
NR. MELTON MOWBRAY, Leicestershire,
LE14 2EF, England.
Tel: +44 (0) 1572 787000
From their Website: Surrounded
by the magnificent 500 acres of Capability Brown landscaped grounds Stapleford
Park is the perfect English sporting country estate. The estate sits in the
heart of England
in Leicestershire, near Melton Mowbray, minutes from Rutland Water.
Since Georgian times this impressive house has been the
setting for centuries of hospitality, country pursuits, fine living and
relaxation. And today the country house hotel and sporting estate guarantees a
warm welcome, a calm space and a wide choice of sports, leisure and fine
dining. All housed in a magnificent historic setting.
Hotel guests and members of Stapleford Park
are invited to enjoy all the comfort and luxury of this historic country house,
as well as the exceptional golf course and luxury spa. Our 18 hole championship
course, home of the PGA’s newest tournament The Handa Senior Masters is a
constant challenge to golfers, and the Clarins gold spa, housed in the
magnificent stables, offers a comprehensive range of fitness programmes and
pampering treatments – perfect for weekend breaks.
The hotel offers a wide variety of country pursuits and
leisure activities including shooting, riding and falconry. And after a day in
the fresh country air, our house guests and members always look forward to a
delicious, freshly prepared evening meal in one of our dining rooms and a night
cap in the library. Our luxurious bedrooms, all individually designed,
guarantee a good night’s sleep in style.
Stapleford
Park is much more than a
stately home, to our house guests and members it’s their very own home from
home.
HERITAGE
Early historical records indicate that at the time of the
Norman Survey, Stapleford was held under the King by Henry de Ferrers, who
fought at the battle of Hastings
in 1066, and who was afterwards appointed the Doomsday Commissioner. After
passing through a succession of owners, according to record, in the 14th
Century Stapleford formed part of the great estates of John O'Gaunt, and in
1336 the manor was settled as part of the dowry of Blanche, his wife.
In 1402 the house was acquired from the Earl of Lancaster by
Robert Sherard, a descendant of William the Conqueror, and for the next 484
years Stapleford remained in the possession of his family.
The Sherard family in latter years were to become the Earls
of Harborough, and it was Thomas who is said to be the builder of the Old Wing
as we know it today.
The Old Wing was restored in 1633 by William Sherard, but
his wife Abigail was said to have had a greater part in the restoration of this
section and perhaps her name should be carved in the stone and not his!
A change of ownership came in 1894 when the house was
purchased by Lord Gretton, a wealthy brewer of the firm Bass, Ratcliffe and
Gretton.
Lord Gretton is said to have wanted to establish his place
in society and bought Stapleford not so much for its land but its connection
with hunting and Melton Mowbray. Stapleford would assist in introducing him to
the fashionable hunting circles.
The house was large, but not large enough for Lord Gretton's
ambitions, and so he radically changed it, adding on a series of reception
rooms and further bedrooms.
The house finally represented the magnificence of English
architecture through the ages and allowed the entertaining of house guests on a
grand scale as was common in the Edwardian era. Today Stapleford is regarded by
many as one of the finest and most beautiful examples of an English stately
home.
Lord Gretton's death in 1899 meant that the Long Gallery
(south side of the house where there are now nine bedrooms) had not been fitted
out and, as his son did not share his social ambitions, it never was. When his
grandson the third Lord Gretton, succeeded in 1982, he was faced with a house
designed for entertaining on an Edwardian scale but without the brewing fortune
to support it. He decided to sell the house but kept the estate.
The American restaurant entrepreneur Bob Payton bought the
house and, in April 1988, after more than a year’s work and large investment, Stapleford Park was opened as a Country House
Hotel, realising John Gretton’s idea of Stapleford as a place for entertaining
on a grand scale. On 13th July, 1994 Bob Payton tragically died in a car
accident. It would be his wish that the hotel continues as before and, to this
end, Stapleford Park has grown from strength to
strength.
To this day Stapleford
Park is owned by a
private individual who fell in love with the dream first created by Payton and
the desire of Lord Gretton for the house to be a very special place for
entertainment.
Over time Stapleford
Park has been renovated
to maintain its elegant and relaxed style whilst retaining its original charm
which lures its guests back again.
GARDENS & PARK
- The Gardens at Stapleford
reflect the many qualities one would expect of England's finest gardens. Wayne
Whitting, Stapleford's Head Gardener, takes great pride in presenting and
maintaining Stapleford's exceptionally beautiful gardens.
The Historic Walled Garden
- One of several formal walled
gardens which blends so well with the extensive, informal and natural gardens
all set within Stapleford's magnificent woodlands. To stroll through these
beautifully maintained and peaceful grounds is to experience a perfect natural
pleasure.
Church of St Mary Magdalene
- Although no longer in regular
use, the Church
of St Mary Magdalene
graces the gardens of Stapleford. Built in 1783 for the Earl of Harborough, the
Church retains all its original features, magnificent monuments and delightful
west gallery containing a fireplace for the Earl.
Situated in the converted Victorian stable block, the Stapleford Park
spa contains seven treatment rooms, a relaxing lounge area, fitness studio and
fully equipped Technogym. Just a
five minute stroll through the picturesque gardens is the House where the pool
complex, with a heated 22m pool, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi can be found. Set in 500 acres of magnificent Leicestershire countryside, Stapleford Park
is one of the most luxurious spa hotels in the UK and offers the perfect setting
to unwind and be pampered or work up a sweat. Our members and hotel guests come
to escape from the stresses of daily life, jogging around the stunning grounds
before meeting their personal trainer in the gym or joining a complimentary
class, from yoga to spinning, in the fitness studio. All while the children are
looked after in the crèche.
Boughton Lees
ASHFORD, Kent, TN25 4HR Tel: +44 (0)1233 213000; Fax: +44 (0)1233 635530
Stapleford,
NR. MELTON MOWBRAY, Leicestershire, LE14 2EF, England.
After being pampered in the spa, our members and hotel guests enjoy putting their feet up in the House, meeting friends for dinner in the dining room or having a drink in the library bar. With 55 bedrooms members and house guests are always welcome to stay, making it perfect for a spa weekend break.
In June 2011 Stapleford Park's Championship Golf Course once again hosted the ISPS Handa Senior Masters following on from the success of the 2010 event when the course became the East Midlands' first European Senior Tour venue.
The ISPS Handa Senior Masters Information
- Peter Fowler was impressed with
the Stapleford Park course following his Senior Masters
tour victory – Click here to see his comments made to BBC Radio Leicester. Of all the golf courses in the world, very few are free from intrusion.
Designed by Donald Steel, the Championship Golf Course at Stapleford Park,
Leicestershire is a rare exception. Located in the heart of England,
surrounded by stunning Leicestershire countryside, the golf course is set
within the delightfully pure Capability Brown landscape of the estate. With
ever-changing views of the House, its lakes and five hundred acre park, this is
classic English countryside at its very best. The course wraps around the heart
of the estate in two extended loops, never being more than two holes wide,
making golf here reminiscent of the great links courses.
The Championship golf course is not only challenging but it is also amongst
the finest luxury golf courses in the Midlands.
It was selected by the PGA European Seniors Tour to host their newest golf
tournament in May 2010. The greens and tees are immaculately maintained to the
highest Championship standards allowing members and hotel guests the
opportunity to play the course throughout the year. There is no need to have
temporary greens and tees in the winter. After 18 holes our members and hotel guests like to unwind with lunch and a
drink or meet friends and family at the House for an evening meal. Perfect for
a short golf break, Stapleford
Park has everything to
offer the golfer looking for a challenging course and a relaxing time in
beautiful surroundings.
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A26. THE GROSVENOR HOTEL
101 Buckingham Palace Road,
LONDON, SW1W 0SJ
Tel: +44 845 305 8337, +44 845 305 8376; Fax: 0871 376 9138
Virtual tour of the
bedrooms: http://www.guoman.com/virtual_tour/the_grosvenor_hotel/bedrooms.htm
From
their Website: Hotel Rooms at The Grosvenor Hotel, where
authentic details meet contemporary comforts are recently renovated. Your
bedroom at The Grosvenor Hotel offers a quiet, spacious and comfortable retreat
from the bustle of London and the adjoining Victoria mainline
station. All Deluxe and Executive bedrooms boast an iPod docking station with
surround sound, Egyptian cotton bed linen and a large plasma-screen TV.
From some of our bedrooms, you’ll enjoy views down Buckingham Palace Road to the Royal Mews
and the Palace gardens; others look out over the broad span of Victoria Station
itself. For a luxurious break with friends and family, or a longer stay in the
capital, our self-contained Palace Suite has four double en-suite bedrooms,
with secure access via its own private lift.
Centrally located, comfortable and sumptuously appointed, The Grosvenor Hotel
makes the perfect destination, whether you’re in London for business or pleasure.
Facilities Available:
- Hotel has Air Conditioning
in all rooms
- Bose iPod docking station
- BT wifi
- Coffee and Tea Making
Facilities
- Complimentary Mineral Water
- Complimentary Newspaper
- Complimentary still and
sparkling mineral water
- DVD Player
- Egyptian Linen
- Elemis Products
- Executive Lounge Access
- Flat-screen TV
- Fresh flowers and fruit in
your room on arrival
- Hairdryer
- Hypnos beds
- IPod Docking Station
- Iron & Ironing Board
- Lounge area with settee
- Nightly room turndown
service
- Rain_Showers
- Room Safe to fit Laptop
- Tea and coffee-making
facilities
- Televisions can be connected
to laptop
- Turndown service
- Use of Bathrobes and
Slippers
- Use of the hotel gym
An imposing London
hotel from the Golden Age of travel will not disappoint you. The Grosvenor Hotel was the first great London hotel built by the
Victorian railway pioneers. Opened in 1862, it ushered in a Golden Age of
travel. Now, 150 years on, history is repeating itself.
View a virtual tour of The Grosvenor Hotel on our website. A Newly refurbished Victoria hotel Following a multi-million pound
refurbishment, The Grosvenor Hotel has been transformed. A Listed building, it
retains its distinctive Victorian architecture and character, yet offers guests
all the comforts of a 21st Century luxury hotel.
Exclusive Bars & Restaurants near Buckingham Palace - Our
lively new Réunion Bar recalls The Grosvenor Hotel’s historic connections with
the Continent, while our Grand Imperial restaurant serves exquisite Cantonese
cuisine in relaxed, intimate surroundings. At The Grosvenor, a unique heritage
and atmosphere meets the best in contemporary comforts, and the impeccable
service provided by our discreet, attentive Guoman team.
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A27. MANOR HOUSE HOTEL AND GOLF
CLUB
CASTLE COMBE, Nr. Bath, Wiltshire, SN14 7HR
Tel: 44 0 1249 782206; Fax: 44 0 1249 782159
Reservations: 44 0 1249 784834 or
44 0 1249 784809
From their Website: Located in the
picturesque village
of Castle Combe, our
hotel is a haven of tranquillity. One
for the memory bank. As you pause at the entrance to The Manor House Hotel and
wait for the private gates to slowly open, you will be filled with excitement
and anticipation. Set in 365 acres of Cotswold countryside in the charming village of Castle Combe, the hotel is an idyllic
14th century manor house. A sight you will never forget
The traditional and the modern are perfectly combined in each of our 48
individually designed bedrooms. With a choice between the main house and mews
cottages, you can be sure to enjoy a unique experience with each visit to The
Manor House.
Michelin star award-winning dining in the CotswoldsGourmet Getaways - For
the "Foodies" amongst us, experience fine dining at its best in the
Michelin starred Bybrook restaurant. Led by Richard Davies, our brigade of
chefs use the best ingredients from our kitchen garden and local suppliers.
The Manor House Hotel in the CotswoldsCountry Escapes -
Escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the untouched 17th
century village
of Castle Combe. Nestled
in the breathtaking Bybrook valley, romantic seclusion abounds as you relax in
our beautiful 365 acre estate.
Golf at the manor house hotelActivity Breaks
- From 18 holes on our
award-winning Championship golf course, to an exhilarating driving experience
around the track at Castle Combe Race Circuit, there is plenty to see and do
during your stay with us!
Weddings at The Manor House HotelThose little extras....and a place to have
a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ gathering. See
there wedding brochure here: http://www.manorhouse.co.uk/EXCLUSIVE_HOTELS/brochures/wedding_brochure.aspx
Whether you are looking for a country house hotel in Wiltshire for work or
play, we want to ensure that you get a very good night's sleep - and to help
you along every room is equipped with little extras! We know that the extra
touches make all the difference which is why we have handmade mattresses,
breathable hand finished duvets, pillow menus, children's amenities and much
more available.
Just under 90 minutes from Paddington Station and conveniently positioned
for the M4 / M5, The Manor House Hotel & Golf Club, surrounded by Cotswold
views is an impressive and spacious choice for hosting your meeting or event.
_________________________________________________
A28. PENNYHILL PARK HOTEL & SPA
London Road,
BAGSHOT, Surrey, GU19 5EU
Tel: +44 (0) 1276 471 774
Fax: +44 (0) 1276 473 217
From their Website: Within 123
acres of rolling Surrey parkland lies a luxury country house hotel accompanied
by the UK’s Most Excellent Spa.
Wonderfully located between Ascot, Sunningdale and Wentworth and only 45
minutes from the centre of London, our spa hotel
in Surrey offers everything from tennis and
unmatchable five-star spa breaks to its own golf course, superb dining and
impeccable service.
Michelin Starred Chef Michael WignallMichael Wignall at The Latymer
awarded two Michelin Stars
It is our absolute pleasure to announce that Michael Wignall at The
Latymer has achieved a second Michelin star in the 2013 Michelin Guide! Michael
now joins a small handful of other restaurants in the UK with this
highly sought-after accolade awarded from the world renowned guide. A two-star
ranking in the Michelin Guide represents "excellent cuisine, worth a
detour”.
Glorious grounds, the UK's
Most Excellent Spa, Michelin starred dining and much, much more... See what
makes Pennyhill Park the ultimate escape as it comes to
life in film.
Christmas is one of the most magical times of the year for the whole
family, so whether you're looking for a break for the whole festive period or
simply looking for someone else to take care of the cooking, join us here at
Pennyhill park where we have an exciting programme of fun events and fabulous
feasts planned to take you through Christmas and into the New Year in style!
Dining out is one of life's pleasures. At Pennyhill, will you choose
'Michael Wignall at the Latymer', our fine dining restaurant with two Michelin
stars and five AA rosettes (one of only eight in the UK) or the slightly less formal
Brasserie?
All our bedrooms have their own individuality - no two are the same!
Beautifully appointed and perfect for your well deserved break, we want to
ensure that you get a very good night's sleep and every room is equipped with
little extras to help!
Spa facilities at Pennyhill Park Luxury Hotel and Spa Resort in Surrey 45,000 sq.ft. of pure relaxation. Step through the door of The Spa and you're
already on the way to restoring body and soul. An exclusively adult
environment, The Spa is 45,000 square feet of pure spa heaven.
Wedding Heaven! Acres of stunning
grounds, an award-winning luxury spa and beautiful rooms are at your disposal
for the day. Pennyhill
Park is a picture perfect
venue and are experienced team are here to make sure everything runs like a
dream! Find out more Pennyhill Park
as your luxury wedding venue
Leisure activities at Pennyhill Park Luxury Hotel and Spa Resort in
SurreyA dazzling diary of events
From stunning Gourmet Dinners and Ladies' Lunches to Shakespeare on the
Lawns, Chocolate Masterclasses and seasonal events such as Valentine's and
Royal Ascot, we have a fantastic array of events taking place throughout the
year.
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A29. HINTLESHAM HALL HOTEL
Hintlesham, IPSWICH, Suffolk
IP8 3NS.
Tel : 01473 652334 - Fax : 01473 652463
e-mail : reservations@hintleshamhall.com
Hintlesham Hall Hotel offers historical tours, a
fascinating insight into the evolution of the Hall. For example, the façade was built by Richard
Powys ca 1720, which conceals the E-shape Elizabethan mansion of which
chimneybreasts remain. The drawing room, built ca 1690, has a stunning
plasterwork ceiling among the best of late C17 anywhere in East Anglia.
The Hall was also commissioned as a Red Cross hospital in World War II and has
been a Hotel and restaurant since 1972.
Whether you are planning an intimate,
traditional occasion or a larger, vibrantly spectacular celebration, Hintlesham
Hall Hotel has everything you require for your perfect wedding venue:-
- Licensed Civil
Ceremony Rooms
- Lounge Areas for
Aperitifs and Coffee
- Gardens for
Photography
- Rooms for Indoor
Photography
- Wedding Breakfast
Rooms
- Evening Reception
Rooms
- Guest Accommodation
- Health & Beauty
Centre
Our friendly and expert team will
work with you to plan and organise your wedding from the initial show round and
will be on hand to assist you as your plans progress, providing a wedding
service that is second to none.
Please use this guide as an
introduction to weddings at Hintlesham Hall Hotel.
COMPLETE HISTORY - Evelyn Waugh described Hintlesham without
ever seeing it. He confessed, through Charles Ryder in Brideshead Revisited: 'More even than the work of the great
architects, I loved buildings that grew silently with the centuries, catching
and keeping the best of each generation, while time curbed the artist's pride
and the Philistine's vulgarity, and repaired the clumsiness of the dull
workman.'
This is the way Hintlesham has grown: the hall, the church,
and the tree-shaded village, approached over the undulations of the steep
little valleys that drop to the Orwell estuary at Ipswich.
At Hintlesham, thoughts of Brideshead seem particularly
appropriate, for the Hall was entirely rebuilt in the 1570s as the chief home
of the Timperley family, whose inability to move with the times – from the
Roman church of medieval England into the Church of England under Elizabeth I -
led to heavy fines and the penalties of exclusion from local affairs. The
Timperleys continued to live at Hintlesham until the end of the age of the
Stuarts, and though they may have been at odds with political society, they
seem to have remained on very good terms with the villagers, mostly people who
were their tenants.
The approach from the village, and the old Ipswich Hadleigh
road, is very informal beside a small lodge. The park was never a stately
affair, to judge from a closely-detailed survey of the manor and tenements
'mapped and made by Thomas Wright' in 1595. He shows the drive to the house
crossing 'Posten Field' with 'Copdock Croft' (copp'd oak enclosure) - both
dotted with ancient trees, now as then, even after the catastrophic storm of
16th October, 1987.
The approach from the village.
As I turn in off the old road, with its rather dangerous bend, I
sometimes find myself thinking how the new Hall was probably topped out in
about the year 1579, the year Queen Elizabeth I and her court trotted and trundled
towards Ipswich in early August. She may have
been keen to get to Ipswich but her
recollections of the week she spent there in August 1561 were deeply
disagreeable. She had held court at Christchurch
Mansion, the cost not all
that joyfully defrayed by the town. She was daily displeased by the clergy, who
flaunted their wives and declined to wear vestments, even surplices, in church.
In 1561, the Ipswich reformers were pushing
far ahead of her intentions.
Now, passing Hintlesham in 1579, she was offended by the
opposite religious tendency: the Timperley family hankered dangerously after Rome and the old order. If
she went past without stopping, she was administering a warning snub.
THE TIMPERLEY FAMILY
- From the early fifteenth
century, for nearly a century and a half, the Timperleys prospered as henchmen
of a famous series of dukes of Norfolk.
Sir Thomas, the rebuilder of the Hall, was a grandson of the 3rd duke, cousin
of the 4th duke and controller of his household. But the 4th duke was beheaded
in 1572 with Mary Queen of Scots, and Mary still presented a danger in 1579
which Queen Elizabeth had somehow to surmount.
The rebuilding of Hintlesham Hall was the Timperleys' response
to their regrettable retirement from the household of the Howards and thus from
the thresholds of the royal household itself. The wind of royal favour was
distinctly chilly in 1579. It veered in their favour a century later, during
the brief ignoble reign of the Catholic James II.
Like so many of our country houses, Hintlesham was built for a
family which had prospered by its service to the nobility but which had
subsequently dropped out of the limelight of court life. Neither a palace nor
any kind of chateau, it was the country home of a family of gentry; the cradle
and the capital of the family, and the repository of their peculiar traditions.
In those terms we try to look at it, as well as in terms of its impressive
structure of brickwork and plaster work.
The plan is the familiar one: a central block containing the
main public room, the hall, and on either side a long wing running forward
towards whoever is arriving. The service wing is to the left and the private
apartments to the right.
When the Timperleys first established themselves here in the
middle of the fifteenth century, they would certainly have needed a defensive
moat and some form of drawbridge. At that time, their political activities
involved them closely with Gilbert Debenham, whose own base was three miles
down the road at Little Wenham; a small, brick-built, battlemented thirteenth
century castle, miraculously intact to this day. In 1455, John Timperley and
Gilbert Debenham together represented the borough of Ipswich
in parliament – the very year one of Debenham's ships, The George of Woodbridge
was caught in the act of smuggling wool, cloth and hides out of the Orwell
estuary. From Hintlesham and Little Wenham they effectively controlled Ipswich in the political interest of the Yorkist
magnates. Their methods were the kind we can read about in the Paston Letters
and in Shakespeare's plays about Henry VI and Richard III, and that we
associate nowadays with the naked power and lawlessness of the Mafia. But that
is the story of the earlier Hintlesham, before the Hall we see today was built,
and it was the great glory of the Tudors that they brought such anarchy to an
end.
As we approach today we see no obvious signs of any moat: the
ornamental strip of water across the forecourt seems to be devised to control
the arrival of carriages. The map of 1595, though very detailed, shows no trace
of a moat in front of the house, but an unusually long moat runs back on either
side, joining at right angles well to the rear of the house, where the present
pond can be seen. You can easily trace the earlier moat on the ground, for the
soil infill has subsided a little. I imagine that the medieval house stood
somewhere within this big moated enclosure. The defensive effect of it from the
front was abandoned when the house was rebuilt in the 1570s or at least before
the 1595 map was made.
So without the romantic obstacle of the moat, we enter the
three-sided forecourt formed by the wings, and take stock. The great red brick
chimneystacks and the steeply pitched roofs vanish as we approach, though the
Elizabethan house structure is largely in place behind the parapet and stucco
of the handsome early Georgian facade. As we shall see, the younger Richard
Powys spent a large fortune in giving Hintlesham this mask in the 1740s. His
refronting of the house was an ambitious attempt to replace what were probably
vernacular' Tudor proportions, mullioned windows, and rather dark interiors.
The Hall from the rear.
To understand the building of two of the finest features of Hintlesham
Hall - the first floor drawing room and the oak staircase - we must look to the
seventeenth century. The first overt recusancy of the Timperley family - their
conviction for non-attendance at church - was recorded in 1608. In 1610,
Nicholas Timperley was suspected of keeping a priest in the house, and
doubtless he was; he was the first uncompromising papist head of the family.
Things got tougher for them during the Civil War when their estates were
sequestered and their debts were formidable. But the property was extensive
enough in Norfolk and Suffolk to enable them to hold on. However,
after the restoration of Charles II in 1660, the head of the Timperley family
began to mortgage the estates in order to maintain various relatives living in
religious communities in France:
in Paris they
started an English community of Franciscans amusingly called the Blue Nuns of
Paris. By 1672, many of the Timperley womenfolk were safely housed in convents
overseas.
In 1686, the sixty-year-old Thomas Timperley IV died,
unmarried, leaving the estate to Henry, his eldest surviving first cousin. As
he lay here on his deathbed in the south wing that November, he was attended by
his brother, also named Henry and otherwise known as Dom Gregory, a priest
already officiating in Queen Mary of Modena's
chapel at the court of James II. The witnesses of the will included Susanna
Sparrow, the daughter and heiress of John Sparrow, Clerk-Comptroller of the
Board of Green Cloth to lames II, who was knighted in July 1687. Her father's
half-brother Robert celebrated the restoration of Charles II in exuberant
pargeting, with Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (left), on The Ancient House,
Buttermarket, Ipswich.
Susanna Sparrow married young Henry Timperley, presumably soon
after he inherited Hintlesham in November 1686. Under the benign auspices of
the Catholic James II, who took the throne in 1685, the young couple must have
felt encouraged to hope for a period of prosperity and religious ease. As it
turned out, the bride and groom had little time for enjoyment. In October 1688,
their first child, a daughter, was buried at Hintlesham. Two months later, the
king, perhaps the principal source of their new-found comfort, fled the country
to France.
The Timperleys and Susanna's father followed soon after to the English court at
St Germain, on its ridge overlooking Paris
from the south. By 1690 Susanna was a widow; her posthumous son she named
Henry. She was reported to have an income of £2,000 a year - a consolation.
Before their flight from England, now under the joint rule
of the Protestant, William of Orange and his wife Mary, Susanna and Henry had
built an imposing and ambitious oak stairway to their new first floor
apartments at Hintlesham.
Later on, this heavily carved staircase was moved by the
Powyses to the north wing, where it remains. It was replaced by the elegant
mahogany staircase which now leads to the first floor and the drawing room
which Henry and Susanna Timperley remodelled and crowned so proudly with an
undercut plaster work ceiling. Of the very highest London workmanship, it is still embellished
at each corner with poor Henry's monogram, HT. This panelled drawing room has
for some time erroneously, been called the Carolean room. Through it, at the
end of the south wing, is their (still) very stately bedroom.
Above this bedroom the coved ceiling of the attic room
suggests that it served as their secret chapel through the years when popery
was proscribed. In their last year or two of occupancy, they may have been
emboldened to create a new chapel on the first floor - conceivably in the
commodious powder closet between bedroom and drawing-room.
Uncle Dom Gregory seems to have gone 'underground' at
Hintlesham, with its friendly villagers and network of neighbouring Roman
Catholics who needed his priestly offices, until, in old age, he retired to St
Edmund's monastery in Paris, where he died in 1709.
Unlike her husband's royal master, James II, Susanna Timperley
was of course free to come and go. In 1694, she returned to Hintlesham Hall
with her five-year-old son, Henry, to show him off to his relatives. He was
sent back to France,
but returned in 1699 to be naturalised. His mother married again in 1704. Henry
came of age in 1710 and immediately began raising money on the estate. Late in
1711, he married Etheldreda Mannock of Giffords Hall, Stoke by Nayland, but she
died two or three years later, and the childless Henry began to disperse or
dissipate the family estate in about 1714, when the Protestant Hanoverian
succession was accomplished, and George I came to the throne.
Did the residue of the Timperley fortunes go to help the
Pretender in his fiasco of a rebellion in Scotland in 1715? We know Henry
Timperley refused to take the oath of allegiance to George I, but then
non-Catholics too, were often non-jurors (i.e. refused to swear that oath).
Even after all recusancy penalties, Henry still had a rent roll of £ 1,600 a
year, although much of it was mortgaged.
RICHARD POWYS AND HIS FAMILY
- In August 1720, just before the
South Sea Bubble burst, Henry Timperley sold everything to Richard Powys, one
of the Principal Clerks of the Hanoverian Treasury - an opposite number to his
father-in- law, but on the winning side. Henry withdrew abroad and nothing more
is known of him, the last of the main line of the Timperleys. The local legend
is naturally of a sell-out caused by profligacy, but there is no evidence. One
can imagine the bitterness and dismay: the shattered hopes of his marriage, and
- to a young French-bred Jacobite – the repugnant politics of the Hanoverians.
Richard Powys probably did very well out of the great South
Sea Bubble. He was certainly in a position to. And we guess it was he who was
responsible for stage one of the Georgian improvements, putting in vertical
sash windows all over the house and adding stucco work to the courtyard faces
of the two wings with their parapets and little sham pedimented doors.
As I reckon, stage two began with the succession of his son,
young Richard Powys, who gave the central front of Hintlesham its Georgian
facade in the 1740's. They were doing the kind of thing we delight in finding
in the village of
Dedham, say or in Bury St
Edmunds - putting up-to-date faces on medieval or Tudor timbered houses. It is
curious that some elements of the classical design attempted by the Powyses
here had actually been accomplished two centuries earlier, in 1568-9, at Hill
Hall, Theydon Mount, in south-west Essex, by Sir Thomas Smith, who had travelled
very observantly in Italy
and France.
At Hintlesham, the feeling is unmistakably French, and the
reason is easily guessed. The younger Richard Powys was married to a Brudenell
of Deene Park in Northamptonshire. They would have been very familiar with the
Duke of Montagu's (now the Duke of Buccleuch's) neighbouring Boughton House,
and its magnificent north front of 1690-1700. Nikolaus Pevsner properly called
it; 'perhaps the most French-looking seventeenth century house in England.' The
Powyses may be forgiven for lifting the idea of the rusticated, round-headed,
open arcade from Boughton, though at Hintlesham they had room for only five
arches, as against Boughton's splendid nine. Boughton's unique combination of
round-headed arches with the peculiarly French banded-rustication, leaves no
doubt as to the origin of the Hintlesham design. The arcade at Hintlesham was
originally open, as at Boughton, but it was glazed in the early nineteenth
century. (At Boughton, the designer may well have had in mind the New Gallery
of Somerset House in London,
which the Queen Mother, Henrietta Maria, had added in 1661-1662. The delightful
design she followed was by the hand of the great Inigo Jones, 1573-1652, and
the Montagus would certainly have known it.)
At Hintlesham, a central, round-headed arch was abandoned in
favour of a more emphatic 'frontispiece', which was intended, I think, to
replace a prominent, two-storey, Tudor porch of the sort familiar in all E-plan
houses of the period. The new frontispiece is composed slightly clumsily, with
coupled Ionic columns each side of the entrance door, and with a central
Venetian window above, flanked by single Corinthian pilasters. The rustication
is not continued along the wings, which join it awkwardly.
The explanation for all this derives from Richard Powy's
grandiose scheme to convert the single storey Tudor hall, with chamber over,
into a tall 'saloon', occupying both storeys and lit by curious clerestory
lights under the coved ceiling. This made a splendid room for receptions and
large family parties, and indeed it is still used for formal dinners and grand
receptions. The saloon was fitted with a fine chimney-piece with split
pediment. The walls were panelled in pine to two-thirds of their height, and at
the south end, a tall mahogany door is part of a triumphal mahogany arch
leading to the elegant mahogany staircase which leads up to the drawing room.
Now, in order to create this saloon, the Powyses had
effectively cut off all upstairs communication between the south and north
wings, as Sir Robert Taylorand lames Wyatt did thirty years later, and in a
more sumptuous way, at Heveningham in north east Suffolk. This was the moment, the occasion,
of their brain-wave - the making of the Boughton corridor with the entrance
hall arcade on the ground floor and, above, a fine gallery, leading across from
the north service wing to the family's private apartments in the south wing.
The creation of this architectural element caused the slight incongruity where
the rustication of the front meets the flat stucco of the wings.
The north side of the house has always contained the kitchens.
It was given a new range of stables running east-west (front-rear) in the late
seventeenth century. On the upper floor, a clock-mechanism of perhaps the 1680s
was given a delightful new circular brass plate saying: 'Repair'd 1791: S.
Thorndike, Ipswich.' A dove in flight squawks
its boring message: 'Tempus fugit'. The Powyses built an entirely new set of
brick offices: you can distinguish them on the outside by their very fine
brickwork: alternating black 'headers' (the brick placed small end on) and red
'stretchers' (the brick presenting its flank). These excellent early-Georgian
buildings contain an old cobbled way and an arch to enable a coach-and-four to
pass under.
If one studies the north range of the house (now concealed
behind the new service wing), one can see the unusually wide chimney-breast of
the stack halfway along the wing. It is crow-stepped, a familiar Tudor way of
decorating sloping brickwork. More interesting, there is a recess with a small,
(blocked), window-opening Arthur Oswald, writing in Country life in 1928,
spotted this as a likely breathing valve for a priest's hiding-place. An
examination of the space behind certainly supports his suggestion.
THE LLOYD FAMILY - After transforming Hintlesham Hall, Richard
Powys died in 1743, nearly £4,000 in debt. His widow married Thomas Bowlby,
Controller of Army Accounts, and their portraits were painted by Gainsborough
at Bath in
1766. Hers may be seen on permanent view at Gainsborough's House in Sudbury, a dozen miles
from Hintlesham. In 1747, Powys's widow sold the estate to Richard Lloyd, a
successful political lawyer. Jacobite Hintlesham had changed hands with a
vengeance. Lloyd was a very able Solicitor-General in the incomparable Lord
Mansfield's day and secured the death penalty for two of the Jacobite lords,
Balmerino and the deplorable Lovat, for their part in the rebellion of 1745.
That year Richard Lloyd had a windfall. Back in 1681, Lady
Winchilsea had married Heneage Finch, earl of Winchilsea. She was his fourth
wife, aged twenty, and eight years later was widowed. In 1735 she made her
will, appointing Richard Lloyd her sole executor and leaving him everything, perhaps
in gratitude for his legal help in fending off her husband's family from their
interest in his estate.
She died in 1745. Gossips like Horace Walpole seem silent on
the subject of Lloyd's surprising inheritance, but their minds may have been
distracted by the more serious Jacobite rebellion. Anyway, one sees why one of
Lloyd's children was given the name Heneage Lloyd, a combination made immortal
by Gainsborough who counted Richard Lloyd amongst his patrons in the halcyon
Ipswich years, the blissful decade of the 1750's, before Gainsborough went to Bath and fame.
There seems to be a real possibility that when Gainsborough
walked from Ipswich to paint the Lloyd
children (over page), they may have taken him to the Home Wood to show him
their favourite place for games and story-telling. If it was 1753, as from
their costumes it quite possibly was, the boy Heneage Lloyd would have been
ten, his sister a little older. and Gainsborough himself twenty-six.
The wood is a few hundreds yards east of the very pleasant
kitchen garden, although one has to loop around the neighbouring farm to reach
it. Here the remains of the Powyses' landscape gardening can best be seen. In
the same Country Life article of 1928, Arthur Oswald could write: 'A beautiful
wood garden has been laid out round three small lakes formed by damming a
stream at descending levels. It contains a variety of flowering shrubs and many
fine trees, among which are a number of exceptionally tall and stately firs.'
This pleasant wood, severely damaged in the 1987 storm, still contains its
cadence of small lakes.
J.W. Goodison, in the Fitzwilliam Museum Catalogue of
Paintings, III, British School, 1977, p.81, describing Heneage Lloyd and his
Sister, notes 'the possibility of a scene in the park of Hintlesham
Hall', but adds, 'no such scene can now be recognised.' In the Home Wood, the
essentials of the setting are, I believe, still there. Gainsborough would, of
course, already have been priding himself on his own imaginative creation. As
with the even more famous Mr and Mrs Robert Andrews, he revelled in the
freshness of the two sitters: but he was probably inclined in this, as he
certainly was with the Andrews, to refer to an authentic setting. In each
picture the church tower supplied a distant focal-point, and was a stageprop,
such as even Constable reached for occasionally. Heneage Lloyd and his Sister
was hanging here at Hintlesham until 1895, when Colonel Lloyd Anstruther sold
it to Colnaghi and Co. The picture is signed on the stone beneath the boy's
foot, T.G.
Despite the astonishing similarities, Gainsborough's companion
portrait of their elder brother and sister, Richard Savage Lloyd and Miss Cecil
Lloyd, was sold in the Hintlesham sale of 1909 as a work by Zoffany. Here, even
more than with the picture of the younger children, the drop down into Home
Wood looks authentic - although, of course, it contains famous elements from
Gainsborough's picture of Cornard Wood, (or Gainsborough's Forest), in the
National Gallery. It is undeniable that here the girl's dress and her
work-basket interested Gainsborough rather more than their faces, and we
remember his description of portrait painting as 'journeyman-work in the face
way'. Cecil would have been about nineteen and her brother twenty-three. She died
unmarried at Margate in 1791, but lives on as a
slightly defensive nineteen-year old in the collection of the Yale Center
for British Art in Connecticut.
There is another link between Gainsborough and Hintlesham -
this time a musical one. The four young Lloyds whom he painted at Hintlesham,
had a sister Lucy In a later generation it was to her progeny that Hintlesham
descended in 1837. By her first husband she had no children, but she married
again, to a Lieutenant-Colonel James Hamilton of the Coldstream Guards, who was
a gifted violinist.
The story is recorded that the Colonel was playing the violin
in Gainsborough's studio, when some visitors arrived. The painter raised a
finger to silence them while Colonel Hamilton played the violin for an hour.
Gainsborough was so enchanted by the playing that he insisted on giving the
violinist the picture of The Boy at the Stile, which the Colonel had been
trying to persuade Gainsborough to sell him. Gainsborough also gave him
drawings that he would never part with for money, and one sees why the pictures
of her youthful brothers and sisters at Hintlesham were cherished by Lucy
Hamilton and passed on to her Hintlesham grandson and great grandson, who sold
them with the Hall. The Boy at the Stile continues with the senior branch of
the Anstruthers in Fifeshire.
The Lloyd family lived at Hintlesham Hall – very happily one
would suppose - from 1747 until the beginning of our own century. The lineal
descent of the family was less direct than in the Timperley centuries. Richard
Savage Lloyd I, the elder of the brothers painted here by Gainsborough, had a
son, Richard Savage Lloyd 11, who died unmarried in 1818. His two sisters, also
unmarried, succeeded to the Hall and are commemorated in the church. When the
surviving sister died in 1837, she left the estate to the grandson of her aunt
Lucy and uncle James - Colonel James Hamilton, that agreeable violinist.
The Hamilton's
only daughter had married Robert Anstruther, an admirable soldier of the
Napoleonic War. At the outset of the Peninsular campaign, Anstruther commanded
the rear-guard in Sir John Moore's small but well trained army, bringing them
safely to Corunna over 250 miles of wild country in mid-winter. It was like Dunkirk in 1940. The army
was thus delivered from the overwhelming 'blitzkrieg' unleashed by Napoleon,
and was soon back in the Peninsula under Wellington.
But Anstruther died the day after reaching Corunna, and Sir John Moore, the
Commander-in-Chief, was killed four days later, and buried alongside him.
'Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note,' according to the
echoing verse of the Rev. Charles Wolfe, who ended:
'We carved not a line and we raised not a stone, But we left
him alone with his glory.'
They were not alone. One monument went up over them both on
the rampart of the citadel at Corunna. Their best monument is the recollection
of those far-off days when, like Nelson, they died thanking God they had done
their duty.
Hintlesham and Aldham - 1825.
The Anstruthers' eldest son succeeded to the family baronetcy in Scotland. It
was their second son, James Hamilton Lloyd-Anstruther, who at 31 in 1837,
inherited Hintlesham from his mother's first cousin Harriot (sic). Next year,
he married Georgiana Charlotte Burrell. They were succeeded at Hintlesham in
1882 by their son Robert Hamilton Lloyd-Anstruther, Lieutenant-Colonel in the
Rifle Brigade, and M.P. for south-east Suffolk
from 1886 to 1892, the years of Lord Salisbury's prime, Randolph Churchill's
debacle, the partition of Africa, the Queen's
Golden Jubilee, and the wreck of the Irish hopes upon the adultery of Parnell
with Mrs O'Shea.
Colonel Robert Hamilton Lloyd-Anstruther married a FitzRoy.
His heir married in 1898, and assumed his wife's name
(Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe) by Royal Licence in 1910. (He was created a
baronet in 1929). His change of name presumably signified disapproval of his
father's conduct. The previous years, 1908-9, his father, the Colonel, had sold
Hintlesham and its contents.
Hintlesham - 1908. Simon
Dewes (whose real name was John Muriel) was the son of the doctor of nearby
Hadleigh, brought up there during the First World War, and his book of
reminiscences, A Suffolk Childhood, first published in 1959, is one of the most
delightful and moving books of its kind. His chapter on Hintlesham goes
straight to the point:
'The last people of the 'old aristocracy' to live in
Hintlesham Hall had been the three Miss Lloyds. They were just before my time,
but they were the children of old Colonel Anstruther by his cook. He left the
Hall and a very considerable sum of money to them. Anstruther-Wilkinson
(Hintlesham's rector 1900-1924) was a cousin of theirs and a nephew of the
former rector (Mr Deane) whose sister Lottie continued to live on in an
inconvenient little house (Mill House).'
Her brother was the third consecutive rector named Deane: the
first, the Rev. W.H. Deane, rector 1822-1854, had married an Elizabeth
Christian Anstruther, a daughter of the general who died at Corunna. Through
Simon Dewes, Miss Lottie (Charlotte Emily) Deane, who died at Hintlesham in
November 1928 aged 86, is revealed to us as the liveliest of all the Hintlesham
Lloyds.
'When I knew Miss Dean, she was very, very old. She had a maid
named Ellen, who, for years, went without teeth. When Mr Payne James, the
dentist, went to live at Hyntle
Place, he put some teeth in Nellie's mouth, and in
no time she was engaged. Miss Deane was delighted at Nellie's good luck but
horrified at the thought of losing her. The solution was reached by Nellie's
husband coming to live in Miss Deane's house.
'The other residents were Nora, the donkey, and Major Stukley,
Miss Deane's nephew, who came for a fortnight and stayed for years.
'Nora was no figure-head donkey. She was a working donkey for
Miss Deane drove out in her donkey chaise every afternoon. As she had no coachman,
she unashamedly kept one of the village children away from school, and he
trudged along beside Nora, beating her rhythmically with a little switch, while
Miss Deane rode in state in the chaise. If the donkey-boy stopped whacking
Nora, even for a minute, Nora stopped dead and had to be dragged by her bridle
into a walk again... When nearly ninety, Miss Deane was still holding up Lady
Ryan's Rolls Royce, Sir William Burton's hunters, and the Eastern Counties Bus
Services as she drove along on the crown of the road in her donkey chaise,
drawn by the reluctant Nora. When Miss Dean drove out in the afternoon she wore
all her jewels ...
'Major Stukley was the other member of her household: and
there is no doubt that Miss Deane knew that Ma]or Stukley was one of the
greatest drinkers ever known in those parts. But never, never did she admit
it.... When her nephew disappeared for a week at a time and was lying-out in
some rather disreputable village pub, Miss Deane said he had gone on a walking
tour. In that way, she was not expected to know when he would come home. When
he fell down in the street on the way home from a session, she said it was his
malaria. When he did not turn up for meals, he was off-colour. And when Roger
Southgate, the publican, brought his watch back and demanded two pounds which
he had lent on it, Miss Deane gave him the two pounds as a reward for finding
it.
'Sometime later, Major Stukley disappeared, no one knew where.
A party from Hintlesham visited the Wembley exhibition, and there was the
unfortunate Major taking the sixpences at the turnstile. It was like a reunion
of old friends, and the queue waiting for admission grew longer and more
impatient. When the Hintlesham people got back to their parish, one of them,
who should have known better, told Miss Deane he had met the Major taking
sixpences at the Exhibition. The old lady never faltered, though it must have been
a great shock to her. "Yes", she said, "he took up a
Directorship and he has always made it a point to know every business from
every angle." She and Nora died in the same week.'
For Hintlesham, it was the end of an era.
TWENTIETH-CENTURY OWNERS OF THE HALL - Whatever
the reason, the estate was divided and sold in 1909. The Hall, park and manor
were bought by another baronet, Sir Gerald Ryan, who with my old friend Lilian
Redstone wrote a very scholarly book, Timperley of Hintlesham, in 1931. When he
died the Hall became the home of Mr Anthony Stokes, a director of the big
Ipswich engineering firm, Ransome & Rapier, whose brother Dick was chairman
and managing director, Labour M.P. for Ipswich
during World War II, and a Privy Councillor. Anthony Stokes established a
rather eccentric little music festival at the Hall, with an amphitheatre on the
site of the present fine pond. Much of its charm rested on an element the
unexpected, but the frolics were very much enjoyed, especially by him.
During the 2nd World War, he moved into Rose Cottage and the
Red Cross took over the Hall. Under Matron Hunter and her V.A.D. nurses, it
became a convalescent home. In the grounds, convalescing servicemen, in their
standard light-blue suits and red ties, provided at once a cheerful and
melancholy sight to passers-by.
The Long Gallery which served as a hospital ward in World War
II.
When Anthony Stokes died, the Hall stood empty, and the county
planning committee were reduced to allowing the sale of some of the park for
farmland, and wondering whether anyone would ever come forward to take on the
house.
In 1972, Robert Carrier, the prestigious food and cookery
writer, saw it, bought it, and undertook the considerable rehabilitation of the
fabric. In particular, very hefty iron bracing was needed to stop the spreading
of the south-wing walls, which was in turn causing the famous plasterwork
ceiling to sag, there was a real risk that it would collapse completely. In
just ten years, he gave the house an international reputation, and after a very
lively decade, he sold.
Ruth and David Watson took on the tradition of superlatively
good cooking, and added to it all the comforts of a distinguished and utterly
delightful hotel. All the rooms, including the attics and the first floor of
the north wing, which had been left untouched and semi-derelict since Victorian
times, were restored. Once more, the Hall seemed like a country house - a large
friendly family house - and not just for week-ending. Hosts and staff were
welcoming, attentive and efficient. The house itself had never felt happier,
even when young Thomas Gainsborough walked over from Ipswich
to paint Heneage Lloyd and his brother and sisters.
HINTLESHAM CHURCH: ST NICHOLAS
- Hintlesham's church, probably
wooden, was already recorded, as were over four hundred of Suffolk's medieval churches, in the Domesday
Book of 1086. The village congregation of the sixteenth rind seventeenth
centuries must have experienced unusual degrees of tension as between popery,
puritanism and moderate anglicanism.
We pass the old yews and limes of the churchyard, and the
timber south porch, and enter the church cautiously, wondering if much of this
tension has left its mark. Down two steps, we find ourselves on the homely
brick farmhouse floor, in a church with a very welcoming feel, not too spruced
up, very seemly. 'Though much is taken, much abides.' Notice the obvious
antiquity of the masonry: the aisle-arcades on alternate round and octagonal
piers have stood fast since the thirteenth century, heedless of the East
Anglian earthquake of April 1884, that shattered the Elizabethan chimney-stack
of the saloon up at the Hall. The chance! and nave are continuous, on the same
level: there is no suggestion of a rise in the chancel. That suggests a very low'
church! There are clear signs that the large rood-stair led up from the east
side on to the rood- loft, where the carving of Christ's crucifixion stood
until it was abolished by the puritans. In patches on the nave's north wall,
the whitewash with which they protected themselves from seeing the
'superstitious' pictures of Bible stories and legends of the saints, has
receded to give glimpses of the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries' scheme of
decoration. As you step in through the south doorway, you face St Christopher's
right leg alongside a very lively flat-fish as the (invisible) rest of him
carries Christ across the stream on his shoulders. One might have thought that
travellers need the moral support of that saint more today than ever.
Next to the ancient vestry door, an incised slab says: 'Here
lieth interred the body of Captain John Timperley Esq.'. He is dressed in early
seventeenth-century armour, home from fighting in Europe,
on the Catholic side. He died in 1629 after a skirmish at Martlesham near Woodbridge, in which he
was acting second to a friend in a duel. His Oxfordshire wife caused this
memorial to be inscribed: 'Too little to express either his desert or her
affection ...
CHRONOLOGY
HENRY VI
1454 - John Timperley I bought the main Hintlesham manor from
Sir John Fortescue, a famous judge who had held it only six years. The
Timperleys held it till 1720.
RICHARD III
HENRY VII
1483 - Richard III created John Howard, of nearby
Stoke-by-Nayland, the first of the Howard Dukes of Norfolk. He was slain two years later,
fighting on the wrong side at the Battle of Bosworth.
HENRY VIII
1513 - Battle of Flodden.
1514 - Thomas Howard (1443 - 1524) created 2nd Duke of Norfolk
after his part at Flodden.
1523 - William
Timperley married Margaret, daughter of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke.
ELIZABETH
I
c.1575-1579 - Their son, Thomas Timperley I (c.1524-1594) was
Controller of the Household to Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (who was
executed in 1572). As members of the Howard household, the Timperley family
would have rebuilt Hintlesham Hall in c.1578 as a more permanent home after the
disgrace of the Howards.
JAMES I
1608 - Thomas Timperley I married c.1558 Ethelreda
Hare and their son (who had nine sisters) was the first member of the family
convicted of Catholic recusancy.
CHARLES II
c.1660 - Timperleys
began mortgaging estates to support relatives in Roman Catholic communities
abroad.
JAMES II
c.1686 - Henry Timperley II married Susanna, daughter of Sir
John Sparrow, Clerk of the Green Cloth and Cofferer to King James II in exile
at St. Germain. Henry and Susanna built grand new apartments in the south wing
at Hintlesham before they left England
c.1689.
WILLIAM AND MARY
1690 - Henry Timperley III, born in France after his father's death.
ANNE
1711 - Henry Timperley III married Ethelreda, daughter of Sir
William Mannock of Stoke-by-Nayland (Gifford's Hall). She died before 1714.
Henry, childless began dispersal of Timperley Estates.
GEORGE I
1720 - Henry sold
Hintlesham to Richard Powys, a Principal Clerk of the Treasury, who began
improvements to the house.
1724 - His son, Richard Powys II, succeeded and
began an expensive conversion of Hintlesham Hall that cost him his fortune.
GEORGE II
1747 - Hintlesham bought by Richard Lloyd who became
Solicitor-General.
VICTORIA
1837 - James Hamilton Lloyd-Anstruther inherited
Hintlesham Hall.
EDWARD VII
1882 1909 - Colonel Robert Hamilton Lloyd-Anstruther
succeeded to Hintlesham; he sold it to Sir Gerald Ryan, Bt.
GEORGE VI
1939 - Mr Anthony Stokes bought the Hall. During
World War II it was a Red Cross Hospital.
ELIZABETH II
1972 - Robert Carrier bought Hintlesham Hall and
restored it. He ran it as a flourishing restaurant and cookery school.
1984 - David & Ruth Watson were the next owners
for a period of six years during which they applied great imagination and skill
to the establishment of hotel business.
1990 - David Allan bought the Hall and commenced a
period of major improvements. A dramatic new clubhouse was built in 1991,
winning a national architectural award, to serve the excellent golf course
which lies adjacent to the Hall. The year 2000 saw the opening of
"Hintlesham Health and Fitness". These modern additions enhance the
business necessary to preserve and constantly refurbish the fabric of the Hall
without impinging on it's integrity as a Great House.
2003 - In October 2003, Dee Ludlow purchased the
Hall together with its hotel, restaurant and health club. A well known and professional hotelier with
over thirty years' experience in hotel management, particularly in several
prestigious London
properties.
The Hall's reception and dining rooms have now been
refurbished to reflect their original grandeur, especially the impressive Grand
Salon which has had the magnificent chandelier and Gold Leaf rose restored.
Hintlesham is just a few minutes' drive from the A14 and A12
trunk roads.
The drive from the M25 at Junction 28 takes about 50 minutes.
The train journey from London
(Liverpool Street)
takes 65 minutes with a short taxi ride to follow.
Stansted
Airport is an hour away
and the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich are just 25 and 40 minutes by road
respectively. Hintlesham Hall is
extremely well placed for exploring Suffolk's
delightfully unspoilt 16th century wool merchants' villages, its pretty river
estuaries and 'Constable Country'. Newmarket
racecourse and the coastal town of Aldeburgh,
famous for its music festival, are within easy reach, as are Long Melford and Woodbridge, with their
numerous antique shops. Cambridge, with its
magnificent university architecture, and the cathedral city of Norwich are a comfortable drive away.
Hintlesham Hall also offers a perfect retreat for those who wish to go nowhere
at all.
Directions - Travelling north-east on the A12, proceed towards
Ipswich town centre at the A12/A14 interchange
roundabout. Turn left at the second set of traffic lights onto the A1071.
Continue over the next roundabout and you will enter Hintlesham village after
about two miles. The entrance to the Hall is just past the church on the
right-hand side. Travelling south-east
on the A14, take the Great Blakenham exit (B1113) and turn right towards
Sproughton. Continue straight on and through Sproughton. At the next roundabout
turn right onto the A1071 and enter Hintlesham as above.
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