A £4.5 million restoration is being unveiled today (12 March) at Fawsley Hall Hotel & Spa – a Tudor gem set in the Northamptonshire countryside.
Fawsley Hall, former family seat of the Knightley family, was mentioned in the Domesday Book and Queen Elizabeth I was among many royal and celebrated guests. The Hall, which also incorporates handsome Georgian and Victorian architectural features, overlooks the historic church of St Mary the Virgin which contains the Knightley family tombs, including the effigies of the 16th century Sir Richard Knightley and his wife Jane.
The 4 Red Star Grade I listed hotel, part of the award-winning Hand Picked Hotels collection, has undergone an extensive restoration programme. The magnificent Tudor Great Hall, with its splendid vaulted roof and mullion windows, has been redecorated, with a fresh new look for furniture and soft furnishings. The reception, restaurant, bar and lounge areas have been redesigned, with new interior detail and refurbishment of all the function rooms, the conservatory, ground floor areas and bedrooms throughout the Main House and Georgian Knightley Court. The Spa has also had a facelift with new equipment and fittings.
Set within parkland and formal gardens designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century, the hotel has a conservatory, 60 bedrooms and suites, wedding, conference and banqueting facilities, the self-contained Knightley Court suitable for 120 people, a private cinema, and a spa with indoor pool, steam room and sauna, outdoor hydro pool, gym and treatment rooms. The 2 AA Rosette fine dining Cedar Restaurant offers an intimate dining atmosphere with an exquisite menu by Head Chef Richard Walker. There are also a range of spectacular private dining rooms including the Salvin Longroom and Salvin Boardroom with high corniced ceilings and views of the grounds. The hotel is close to Silverstone, Althorp, and Warwick Castle, with the M1 and the M40 providing excellent road links to the Cotswolds and Oxfordshire.
Julia Hands, Chairman and Chief Executive of Hand Picked Hotels, said: “Fawsley Hall was built by the Knightley family for entertaining and our restoration programme has enhanced the Hall as a country house designed for pleasure and relaxation. There has been great interest in the period, inspired by the historical novels by Hilary Mantel, and we look forward to welcoming guests for leisure, weddings or business to enjoy our outstanding example of a Tudor manor.”
Ends
For media information:
Rebecca Warden-Brown, Johara Chambers at Four communications - [email protected] / 020 3697 4200
About Hand Picked Hotels
Hand Picked Hotels, created by former lawyer turned hotelier Julia Hands, is the leading collection of architecturally splendid country house hotels - built for pleasure and continuing a centuries-old tradition of offering guests an indulgent yet attainable country house visit, with a contemporary twist. The award-winning hotels are renowned for exquisite food, fine wines and bespoke service by Hand Picked people in stylish, relaxing surroundings, a total of 21 classically British hotels in rural settings across the British Isles, with locations ranging from the New Forest and Jersey to the Cotswolds and Edinburgh. Hand Picked Hotels has won an impressive number of awards, with 17 hotels awarded two AA rosette status, Norton House Hotel in Edinburgh and Tassili restaurant at the newly acquired Grand Jersey Hotel recognised with three AA rosettes and the latter with a Michelin star. Ten hotels have achieved red star status which means they are ranked within the AA's Top 200 hotels in the UK & Ireland. There are ten hotels with spas offering the latest therapies and treatments to promote wellbeing and relaxation. Hand Picked Hotels was AA Hotel Group of the Year 2012-2013.
