A seat in the glorious English countryside – one of Britain’s leading country house hotels

When you drive up the majestic driveway to Hartwell House, which is located near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire in the UK, less than an hour west of London’s Heathrow and a little more from Central London, you cannot fail to be impressed by the sheer majesty of the place and wonder what it must have been like to arrive in a horse and carriage, rather than a car and also actually how incongruous a car seems in such a historic setting.

Don’t forget though that there were those who lived above stairs and those who lived below stairs, with life in the servants quarters often pretty tough.

All that has changed though and I was very fortunate and privileged indeed to be able to stay very much above stairs at Hartwell House during The Mole on Location in Europe and was stunned by the setting, the house and all it entailed.

Jonathan Thompson is a Director of Historic House Hotels and General Manger of Hartwell House and he told me all about Hartwell and how privileged he felt to be give the responsibility of running this amazing property….now this has to be the best hotel GM job there is!

To view the interview and scenes of Hartwell House click on this link:

http://www.travelmole.tv/watch_vdo.php?sid=1&id=14536 

So what about the amazing Hartwell?

Hartwell House is a magnificent stately home standing in ninety acres of superb landscaped parkland and gardens, but this is not a house you pay to visit rather like a museum, but rather it is a real live working hotel with forty-six bedrooms and suites and several elegant and spacious reception rooms, with outstanding decorative ceilings and panelling, antique furniture and fine paintings.

[Pictured: This was our palatial room when we stayed at Hartwell – if only the walls could talk!]

Hartwell House was restored and until very recently, owned by Historic House Hotels who also owned Middlethorpe Hall in York and Bodysgallen Hall in North Wales, with only last week, the Chairman and Directors of Historic House Hotels, making the ultimate sacrifice in the name of conservation and demonstrating their absolute commitment to the future of these properties, by donating them to The National Trust.

The agreement with the Trust includes that Historic House Hotels will still run the hotels within the properties, while their continuing to operate as hotels remains possible or appropriate.

By transferring the ownership to The National Trust, the properties have been declared inalienable, which means they are protected for the nation for ever and can never be sold mortgaged or disposed of…..that’s right…for ever! 

The other great element of the deal is that all profits will go to The National Trust to provide for the long term care of the three properties.

[Pictured right: The Grand Staircase at Hartwell]

Set in stunning traditional British rural countryside Hartwell is not only a great place to stay to explore Oxford, the Cotswolds, and the Chiltern Hills, but a very unique experience, in its own right, with a stay at Hartwell an excellent way to relax and get rid of that dreaded jetlag on your arrival in Britain….. and you only have to drive an hour from Heathrow!

Hartwell is a 17th century stately home and a Jacobean and Georgian Grade 1 listed house in 90 acres of gardens and parkland, the home and court of the exiled King of France, Louis XVIII between 1809 and 1814, with magnificent and exquisitely designed bedrooms and suites on three floors in the main house, with high ceilings, fine fabrics and dreamy views over the extensive landscape and superbly furnished with antiques and hung with fine paintings……a truly idyllic English country house setting.

Other rooms and suites are located in nearby Hartwell Court, the adjacent 18th century indoor riding school and coach house or the Old Rectory, Hartwell, which has a superbly appointed master four poster suite with a sitting room and three other bedrooms with bathrooms.

[Pictured left: Hartwell does have a pool….and a very fine one at that!]

Like many of Britain’s historic houses Hartwell has a rather chequered and interesting history, being first mentioned in the Domesday book when it belonged to an illegitimate son of William the Conqueror.   

However, the core of the present house was constructed in the early 17th century for the Hampden family with the Lee family acquiring Hartwell around 1650 by marriage into the Hampden family, with the American Confederate General Robert E. Lee one of their descendants.

Between 1809 and 1814 the owner of the house was Sir Charles Lee and he let the mansion to exiled King Louis XVIII of France, [I wonder if he asked for a bond?] with the arrival of the impoverished king and his court not a particularly happy experience for the house, with the once grand, but now relatively impoverished French courtiers farming chickens and small livestock on the lead roofs of the house.  

Interstingly, King Louis XVIII actually signed the document accepting the French crown back again in the library of Hartwell House.

In 1827, Dr John Lee inherited the house from the unmarried Reverend Sir George Lee and during his ownership, the British Meteorological Society, now the Royal Meteorological Society was founded in the library at Hartwell House in 1850.

The 90 acres gardens at Hartwell were laid out by Capability Brown around 1750, with the North Avenue offering a grand vista through trees planted in 1830s.

[Pictured right outside the entrance to Hartwell, the Vroom Vroom Vroom Volvo – superb!]

The house remained a private residence until 1938, when demolition seemed to be the only solution, but the estate was acquired by the philanthropist Ernest Cook, who sadly sold off the contents by public auction, but rescued the house……and yes you’re right he was the grandson of Thomas Cook, who set up the travel business of the same name 

Hartwell House is a member of Pride of Britain, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, has Four Red Stars and Three Rosettes from the AA and a Gold Ribbon from the RAC.

For further information visit: www.hartwell-house.com

For a really incredible classic British Country House experience you just have to go to Hartwell or make sure you recommend Hartwell to your clients.

A Mole on location in Europe report