England’s collection of stately homes – as varied as it is immense – is something of a national treasure.
Telling tales of royalty, WWII and political scandals, these regal country piles bring to life a sense of history and tradition. And now you too can live like aristocracy, staying the night at one of the nation’s finest stately homes.
Cliveden House, Berkshire
Cliveden is where Meghan Markle spent her last night as a commoner before the Royal Wedding
Cliveden is one of the most storied stately homes in England – its regal grounds having been the site of scandal, intrigue and unbridled glamour. An Italianate mansion built on the banks of the Thames, it has passed through the hands of dukes, countesses, earls, princes and the aristocratic Astor family before being leased to the National Trust, and becoming a hotel in 1984 – the same hotel where Meghan Markle spent her last night as a commoner before the Royal Wedding. Cliveden enjoyed its ‘golden age’ from 1893 to 1966, an era during which the house became the hub of the 1930s Cliveden Set (an elite cohort of politicians, socialites and VIPS of the utmost pedigrees, including Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw) thanks to the networking of its proprietress, the indomitable Nancy Astor (who also became the first woman to sit in Westminster as an MP). The 1961 Profumo Affair – which toppled the Conservative government at the time and shook British politics – also began here. Walking shaded woodland paths along the riverside, or having picnics and playing hide-and-seek in its fairy-tale gardens, the history and charm of the place is palpable.
Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire
Luton Hoo served as the setting for some of Four Weddings and a Funeral’s most memorable scenes
One of Luton Hoo’s biggest claims to fame is its endorsement from none other than the Queen and Prince Philip, who honeymooned here and have spent a string of wedding anniversaries on the estate since. It was also the setting for some of Four Weddings and a Funeral’s most memorable scenes (notably Hugh Grant awkwardly trapped in a cupboard for several hours while a couple of newlyweds consummate their marriage), as well as two James Bond films. This neoclassical country house’s exterior was designed by the same architects as the Ritz, and its curved marble staircase mirrors one in the London hotel, complete with a captivating Bergonzoli statue, ‘The Love of Angels’. Since 2007, paying guests have been welcomed into 228 suites furnished with four poster beds and vintage crystal pendant chandeliers. There’s also a fishing lake, a golf course, ‘Capability’ Brown-designed gardens and a spa.
Hartwell House, Buckinghamshire
Stay in a suite heaving with original paintings and priceless antiques at Hartwell House
Entering 90 acres of gardens and parkland via the long, gravel driveway, past church ruins and an old coach-house, first impressions of Hartwell House tend to be of awe. This Jacobean and Georgian stately home is absolutely heaving with original paintings and priceless antiques – after check-in, guests enter through the Great Hall, where works by the Old Masters adorn the stucco-panelled walls and rococo chimneypieces decorate the roaring log fire. Hartwell was also once leased to Louis XVIII, the exiled King of France, and acted as a training ground for British and American troops during WWII.
Cowley Manor Hotel, Gloucestershire
Spend sunny days aside the Modernist outdoor pool at Cowley Manor Hotel
Amid the dreamy, rolling, meadow-covered landscape of the Cotswolds, this country house hotel and spa offers state-of-the-art facilities and aesthetics, within a stately home setting. The main attraction is the C-Side spa, a structure that seemingly cuts into the lawn-covered hillside beside the hotel, and where you’ll find indulgent treatments based on products from natural and locally-made skincare brand, Green & Spring. In the winter months, make the most of the steam room, sauna and the enormous freestanding bathtubs in each suite. Come summer, book a room whose French windows open up onto the terrace overlooking the lily pad-strewn pond, and spend your days aside the Modernist outdoor pool.
The Grove, Hertfordshire
The Grove, the former home of the Earls of Clarendon and a rural bolthole for Queen Victoria
This 18th-century mansion turned grandiose hotel was the former home of the Earls of Clarendon and a rural bolthole for Queen Victoria. Luxury abounds here, from the decadent spa and impeccable service, to the championship golf course and suites stuffed with Regency and baroque antique furniture. There’s also fine dining in the hotel’s own pop-up restaurant, Colette’s, or – in summer – you can eat at the Potting Shed or Gazebo in the Walled Garden, where there’s an open-air swimming pool, croquet lawn, tennis court and a deck-chair strewn lawn lined by roses and fruit trees decorated with colourful bunting.