What is it?
A Grade I-listed country-house hotel with 35 acres of
gardens attributed to pioneering Victorian horticulturalist – and forefather of
the English natural garden – William Robinson. The house is hidden in 1,000
acres of forested grounds, so it feels secluded and remote but is in fact only
12 miles from Gatwick Airport.
Behind the scenes
Built in 1598 by local ironmaster Richard Infield for his
wife Katherine, the house remained in the family for several hundred years. It was
bought by William Robinson in 1884 and became the setting for his sometimes
radical gardening ideas; he also commissioned vast, ornate fireplaces for the
house. After Robinson’s death in 1935, the house was commandeered by the
Canadian forces during World War II (the woods were used to store ammunition).
It was bought in 1958 by hotelier Peter Herbert, who transformed it into one of
Britain’s first country-house hotels. A new wing was built in the 1990s, using
stone from the same quarry as the original; current owners Jeremy and Elizabeth
Hosking restored and renovated the house in 2010.
The garden at
Gravetye, created by William Robinson in the 19th century
Sleep
The 17 individually designed bedrooms and suites are named
after trees found in the grounds, although there is no reference to this in the
décor. While magnificent leaded windows frame the landscape wonderfully, and
the room are furnished with exquisite antiques, the interiors are very
restrained (My mother and I were underwhelmed by the bland pastel colour scheme
in our room, ’Pear’).All room have free Wi-Fi and Bose iPod docks.
Eat
Executive chef Rupert Gleadow uses ingredients from the
kitchen garden whenever possible for his excellent Modern British cuisine. As
you would expect from a country-house hotel, the menu features game dishes with
bite. Standouts include breast of local wood pigeon with garden-squash
spaghetti, pickled red cabbage and blackberry sauce, and roast loin of
(Wonderfully tinder) Balcombe venison with wine-poached pears, onion purée and
rich sloe-gin sauce. The fig custard tart with cinnamon marshmallow and
flapjack ice cream was a lovely, light way to finish the meal.
Executive chef
Rupert Gleadow uses ingredients from the kitchen garden whenever possible for
his excellent Modern British cuisine
Who goes there?
Horticulture enthusiasts; wedding parties and newly-weds
before jetting off on honeymoon from Gatwick airport; in the warmer months,
opera-goers heading to Glyndebourne.
What’s there to do?
Nearby: wander around East Grinstead’s timber-framed old
town; the older shops sell second-hand books, fishing tackle and hunting
equipment. In spring, visit the Bluebell Railway (So called because beautiful
bluebells line the tracks) to see steam trains chugging along, A number of
historical houses – Standen, Hever Castle – are also close by. In the grounds:
lounge in front of the open fires downstairs , explore the garden, go
trout-fishing, and have a try at deerstalking.
You can visit The
Bluebell Railway in Spring
And Hever Castle…
We like
The warm and engaging staff; the natural spring water that
has been serving Gravetye since the 16th century; the food. But best
of all, the views from every room are incredible: the overlapping rounded hills
look like a child’s painting.
We don’t like
Parked cars directly in front of the building somewhat
hinder the view on arrival; there was no alcohol in the minibar.
The price
Doubles from $300, including full English breakfast.
