- Top of the range, luxury hotel, one of the South West England’s very best.
- Great facilities include Michelin-starred restaurant, golf, tennis, croquet, and manicured gardens.
- Gorgeous, quintessential English village of Castle Combe provides the perfect setting.
The Manor House in Castle Combe is a quintessentially English, luxury castle hotel next to what is undoubtedly Wiltshire’s, and the Cotswold’s, loveliest village.
The Manor dates all the way back to the 14th century but the present building and the general ambience lie firmly in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
The hotel has extremely high levels of service and comfort, and an elegant sophisticated ambience throughout.
It also has superb facilities including a Michelin starred restaurant, The Bybrook, a full 18 hole championship golf course, tennis courts, a croquet lawn and some gorgeously well manicured Classic, Gothic & Italianate gardens.
The Rooms:
- 48 bedrooms & suites: Main manor and Mews Cottages.
- Victorian character: Wooden beams, antiques, leaded windows.
- Plush bathrooms: Roll-top baths, ambient lighting, spacious.
There are 48 indulgent bedrooms & suites, to sleep up to three, in both the main manor house and in the Mews Cottages which lie along the lane between the main building and the village.
Some rooms are relatively modern but most display lots of old Victorian character; think wooden beams, lead framed windows and some wonderful old antiques and classic art pieces.
They have some very plush bathrooms here, with some roll top, claw foot baths, ambient lighting and a pleasing amount of space.
Facilities & Things to Do:
- Lounges & dining: Casual dining, afternoon teas, Full Glass Bar, Michelin-starred Bybrook.
- Gardens & grounds: Italianate gardens, croquet lawn, flower beds, river, classical statues.
- Sports & wellness: 18-hole golf course, gym, summer Potting Shed spa treatments.
Around the hotel there are cosy lounge areas, with comfortable seating and open fires, where you can enjoy some casual dining and some rather indulgent, traditional afternoon teas.
There is old fashioned sophistication to be found at the Full Glass Bar too, with an excellent choice of cocktails, wines and gins, and of course at the Michelin Starred restaurant, the Bybrook.
It is lead by chef Robert Potter and offers a range of seasonal dishes crafted from local ingredients (some of which are actually grown in their own organic kitchen garden), and all expertly paired with fine wines by the resident sommelier.
They offer taster menus as well as a la carte, and a famous Sunday lunch, three course, menu.
The dining room displays an old fashioned sense of elegance and civility but not with an overtly stuffy atmosphere, and the service here, just as the food, is consistently impeccable.
The Italianate gardens at the Manor House are a particular highlight and very much compliment the Victorian atmosphere.
They have acres of lawns, including a croquet lawn, with flower beds, a river, the Bybrook, from where the restaurant gets its name, and dotted around there are various seating places and classical statues.
The estate grounds are vast, 365 acres in fact, with much parkland and wild woodland with over 100 different species of plants; wild flowers, trees and grasses.
Golf lovers will appreciate the putting green at Manor House but of course much more so, the Peter Alliss designed, 18 hole championship golf course.
There is a gym at the clubhouse too and for any strains a day’s training or golfing might produce a range of massage services are available at ‘The Potting Shed’ in the hotel gardens as well as various health and beauty treatments.
The Potting Shed is open in summer only, in winter the same treatments can be enjoyed in your room.
The Location:
- Quaint village: Castle Combe, walkable village centre, sleepy mornings/evenings.
- Nearby cities: Bath, Bristol, Oxford, London via M4.
- Airport & concierge: Heathrow most convenient, transfers & full concierge services.
The location of Manor House is undoubtedly an extra attraction; the 15th century era village of Castle Combe is considered the Cotswold’s, and indeed one of England’s, most lovely.
A small walk down the lane and you are in the village centre. It is very small it must be said but this adds to the quaintness of the place.
Such quaintness though means it sees a good number of day trippers, especially at weekends, which can distract somewhat from the Olde English atmosphere.
But, if you’re staying at Manor House, you have the benefit of being able to experience it in the early morning or evening when you will generally find it beautifully sleepy and quaint.
Wiltshire, and the Cotswolds, are famed for their lovely rural landscapes and pretty villages and a meandering drive around the country roads is a lovely way to spend a day.
Manor House is also less than a half an hour from the Roman city of Bath, which, for those who haven’t visited, is one of England’s most famously beautiful cities.
The larger city of Bristol too, which has its own airport, is around a half an hour away, which, though not as beautiful as Bath, still has some lovely old quarters and a lovely setting by the River Severn.
Oxford can be reached in just over an hour while the journey to London should take two to two and a half via the M4 motorway (passing Stonehenge along the way), depending of course on traffic.
Manor House is more convenient to Heathrow International Airport though, both being to the west of London, and can be reached in about an hour and a half.
There is a concierge service at the hotel and airport transfers can be arranged, as well as the full whole host of other general concierge services.
A Little History of The Manor House:
- 14th-century origins: Built on Norman castle site.
- Notable owners: Sir Robert Long, Sir John Oldcastle, George Poulett Scrope.
- Modern history: Became hotel in 1948, hosted London elite and film crews.
The original manor house built in the 14th century on the site of an abandoned Norman Castle and passed through the hands of much nobility throughout the following centuries.
These include the 17th century politician Sir Robert Long, 1st Baronet of Westminster, Sir John Oldcastle, the man Shakespeare based the character Sir John Falstaff on in Henry IV.
Along the way the manor house was renovated and updated to suit the times, with much of what we see today coming from the 19th century, with Mr. Scrope being responsible for much of it, including the creation of the estate gardens.
In 1947 Manor House became a country club but for just a year and a half before being sold to the hotelier Bobbie Allen, who took it to the next step and opened it as an exclusive hotel.
It developed a reputation as a place to unwind for London’s elite, a reputation it still has today, and saw some glamorous and influential figures through its doors over the decades.
Margaret Thatcher, for example, had an extended stay to write her memoirs there in the early nineties.
The property has also been of note as a film set, with films like Robin Hood, Dr. Dolittle and War Horse being filmed there.
Some Guest Reviews:
“Breathtaking location, stunning views, food was exceptional and the staff were so friendly and helpful! The room was large, airy, spotlessly clean and extremely comfortable. I genuinely couldn’t fault a thing!….”
“Beautiful old building which oozes with character and style. The atmosphere is very welcoming. The staff went the extra mile to make every part of the trip special. The spa facilities and treatments were blissful. The food was excellent….”
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