This summer De Vere Tortworth Court will complete a £5 million refurbishment that will position the mansion house back at the heart of the estate. One of Gloucestershire’s hidden countryside retreats, the Grade II-listed Victorian mansion is part of the De Vere portfolio of country estate hotels and modern, market-leading event spaces and, following the refurbishment, will boast some of the largest suites in the county.
With a history dating back to 1343, today’s Victorian mansion was designed by esteemed gothic revival architect Samuel Sanders Teulon for the Second Earl of Ducie in 1853. The family continued to develop the estate with the introduction of hundreds of trees, including many rare specimens, to create an arboretum that is regarded as one of the finest in the British Isles.
The focus of the renovation is occurring in the mansion house with the transformation of meeting rooms into 11 new spacious suites, to bring the total number of guestrooms and suites in the main house to 55. The sensitive refurbishment is preserving many of the original features while adding new touches of modern countryside charm to the grand gothic mansion, including the hotel’s grand staircase and galleries above the newly refurbished reception and public areas. The largest suite, The Kipling, will offer a stand-alone in-room dining table for six guests and lounge within 78 square metres that can also be connected to The Paxton to form a family suite that spans 129 square metres overlooking the formal gardens.
All 201 guestrooms, in the mansion house and courtyard wing, feature up to 1GB of superfast free wifi and flat screen TVs, while suites and deluxe rooms come complete with king size beds, fluffy robes and slippers, as well as luxury bathroom toiletries.
Soon to be launched, 1853 Restaurant will welcome guests and residents once again from August 2017. The original gothic wooden panelling and ornate painted ceiling will be enhanced by fresh dove grey walls and emerald-coloured soft furnishings. Originally a church within the mansion house, the refreshed restaurant will serve locally sourced, seasonal British dishes. In the former library, a new specialist whisky bar will offer a sophisticated yet relaxed gentleman’s club atmosphere that will serve many types of whisky, either on the rocks or as unique cocktails created by new in-house mixologists.
For those who would like to enjoy the British summer, De Vere Tortworth Court’s pop-up outdoor bar serves Pimms to those sitting on the terrace with views over the formal gardens and picturesque lake.
Mark Payne, General Manager at De Vere Tortworth Court commented: “The mansion house and the grounds provided us with a stunning base in which to enhance an existing beautiful product. The new-look hotel is one that I am very proud to welcome guests into and the introduction of large suites allows guests to indulge and live some of the grandeur that the original earls would have enjoyed. It was important to us to blend modern comfort with the hotel’s history and I believe we have done this successfully both internally and externally across the estate.”
Boasting one of Britain’s finest arboretums, De Vere Tortworth Court has hundreds of rare and domestic trees located across the estate’s 30 acres, as well as specially commissioned sculptures by artist Emma Stothard, including a parliament of hares positioned as the centrepiece of the formal garden. Guests of the hotel also have access to a new gym, with state-of-the-art equipment and the fully-refurbished Peel Spa with six new treatment rooms, an existing indoor pool, sauna and steam room, as well as the introduction of a boot room, which will provide complimentary Hunter wellies in which to explore the stunning grounds.
The property also offers organisers 10 flexible meeting and events spaces, from eight new meeting rooms with conference cafes and executive boardrooms to a separate Westminster Suite and the stand-alone Victorian Orangery. Even the gardens feature superfast outdoor wifi, ensuring both business and leisure guests can always stay connected. The mansion house will also feature the newly refurbished Brunels’ Bar, perfect for events, conferences and weddings.
The completion of De Vere Tortworth Court’s refurbishment marks another important milestone in De Vere’s wider multi-million-pound country estate hotel renovation project, which places the mansion house at the epicentre of the group’s country estate portfolio. The investment in the gardens ensures that the great outdoors becomes an extension of the hotel itself.
Guestrooms start from £149 per room per night, with suites starting from £249 per room per night, based on double occupancy; visit DeVere.com/DeVereTortworthCourt to find out more.
