Gravetye Manor

Last updated

Gravetye Manor
Gravetye Manor Hotel - geograph.org.uk - 21230.jpg
Gravetye Manor
Restaurant information
Rating Etoile Michelin-1.svg (Michelin Guide) [1]
City East Grinstead, West Sussex
Country England
Coordinates 51°05′21″N0°03′25″W / 51.0893°N 0.0569°W / 51.0893; -0.0569
Website www.gravetyemanor.co.uk

Gravetye Manor is a manor house located near East Grinstead, West Sussex, England. The former home of landscape gardener William Robinson, it is now a hotel and restaurant holding, in 2020, one star in the Michelin Guide, [2] and is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England, [3] its gardens are also Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. [4]

Contents

History

The two-storey Elizabethan house was built in 1598 by Richard Infield, an ironmaster, for his new bride Katherine Compton.

It was the home of William Robinson, author of The English Flower Garden , from 1884 until his death in 1935. He commissioned architect Sir Ernest George to add a matching wing to the northeast and developed the garden into one of the most famous in England. After his death it and the surrounding 1,000 acres (400 ha) natural landscaped grounds were left to the Forestry Commission. Used as a base for Canadian Army soldiers during World War II, who dug out parts of Robinson's garden to plant potatoes and leeks to supplement their rations, postwar it was left derelict for many years. [5]

Country house hotel

In 1958, the property and grounds were leased to business partners Robin Howard, [5] and restaurateur Peter Herbert and his first wife Pip. [5] Herbert was later considered a pioneer of the country house hotel, turning the property into a 17 bedroom hotel which, through use of a noted kitchen garden, gained its Michelin star. [6] During his 40 years of ownership, Herbert also restored Robinson's core 52 acres (21 ha) of natural gardens (which cost £50,000 per annum to maintain), [5] with the hotel and kitchen becoming rated one of the UK's top five hotels. [5]

In 2004, Peter Herbert and his second wife Sue retired to a cottage on the house lands, and sold the business to Andrew Russell and chef Mark Raffan, [7] under whose management, following the 2008 financial crash, the business fell into administration early in 2010. [8] After the administrators agreed a deal with Von Essen Hotels, in March 2010 the property lease was bought by long-term guest and professional investor Jeremy Hosking, [9] who has since invested £2.5M in the property and gardens. [10] He has since invested in a new building infilling the courtyard to provide a new restaurant designed by architect Sir Charles Knowles, another long-term guest. The gardens still exist and are accessible to hotel guests.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Robinson (gardener)</span> Irish practical gardener and journalist (1838–1935)

William Robinson was an Irish practical gardener and journalist whose ideas about wild gardening spurred the movement that led to the popularising of the English cottage garden, a parallel to the search for honest simplicity and vernacular style of the British Arts and Crafts movement, and were important in promoting the woodland garden. Robinson is credited as an early practitioner of the mixed herbaceous border of hardy perennial plants, a champion too of the "wild garden", who vanquished the high Victorian pattern garden of planted-out bedding schemes. Robinson's new approach to gardening gained popularity through his magazines and several books—particularly The Wild Garden, illustrated by Alfred Parsons, and The English Flower Garden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Hoathly</span> Village in West Sussex, England

West Hoathly is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south west of East Grinstead. In the 2001 census 2,121 people, of whom 1,150 were economically active, lived in 813 households. At the 2011 Census the population increased to 2,181. The parish, which has a land area of 2,139 hectares, includes the hamlets of Highbrook, Selsfield Common and Sharpthorne. The mostly rural parish is centred on West Hoathly village, an ancient hilltop settlement in the High Weald between the North and South Downs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Rhodes</span> English chef and restaurateur (1960–2019)

Gary Rhodes was an English restaurateur and television chef, known for his love of English cuisine and ingredients and for his distinctive spiked hair style. He fronted shows such as MasterChef, MasterChef USA, Hell's Kitchen, and his own series, Rhodes Around Britain. As well as owning several restaurants, Rhodes also had his own line of cookware and bread mixes. Rhodes went on to feature in the ITV1 programme Saturday Cooks, as well as the UKTV Food show Local Food Hero before his sudden death at age 59.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maplelawn</span>

Maplelawn is an historic house and former estate located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The house was built between 1831 and 1834 as the centre of a farming estate by the Thomson family. In 1877 the Cole family bought the estate and lived there until 1989. The house is now owned by the National Capital Commission and it is a designated national historic site. It is particularly noted for the well preserved and rare walled garden next to the house, The Maplelawn Garden. Since 1999 the Maplelawn has been the location of the Keg Manor restaurant. Today the house is located in Westboro at 529 Richmond Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Wareing</span> Michelin-starred chef (born 1970)

Marcus Wareing is an English celebrity chef who is currently Chef-Owner of the one-Michelin-starred restaurant Marcus in Knightsbridge. Since 2014, Wareing has been a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Aikens (restaurant)</span> Restaurant in London, England

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gidleigh Park</span> Hotel and restaurant in Devon, England

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucknam Park</span> Restaurant in nr. Bath, England

Lucknam Park is a luxury hotel, spa and restaurant in west Wiltshire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) north-west of Corsham and 7 miles (11 km) north-east of Bath. The core of its building is a Grade II listed country house built in the late 17th or early 18th century. The hotel's restaurant has held one star in the Michelin Guide since 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ockenden Manor</span> Restaurant in West Sussex, England

Ockenden Manor is located in Cuckfield, West Sussex, England. The building itself dates from 1520 and is operated as a hotel and restaurant by the Historic Sussex Hotels group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whatley Manor</span>

Whatley Manor is a hotel, restaurant and spa housed in a former farm and estate buildings, near Easton Grey in the southern Cotswolds, about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England. The main building is a Grade II listed house.

Jeremy John Hosking is a British businessman and political donor. Ranked number 351 in the Sunday Times Rich List 2019, with a net worth of £375 million, he is a shareholder in Crystal Palace F.C. and a noted railway enthusiast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pétrus (restaurant)</span> Restaurant in London, England

Pétrus is a restaurant in London, which serves modern French cuisine. It is located in Kinnerton Street, Belgravia and is part of Gordon Ramsay restaurants owned by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's Gordon Ramsay Restaurants Ltd. It has held one Michelin star since 2011, and 3 AA Rosettes.

Amaryllis was a restaurant located in the One Devonshire Gardens hotel in Glasgow, Scotland. It was opened by chef Gordon Ramsay, with David Dempsey operating the restaurant on a daily basis for the celebrity chef. It was awarded a Michelin star in 2002, which it held until the restaurant's closure in 2004.

Martin Hadden is a British chef, who won a Michelin star at both Ockenden Manor and The Priory House. He was the winner of the Roux Scholarship in 1989, and after leaving the kitchen at the Priory House in 2003 he went on to become Executive Chef for the Historic Sussex Hotels group.

Aubergine was a restaurant in Chelsea, London. Owned by A-Z Restaurants, it was opened under chef Gordon Ramsay in 1993. Aubergine was awarded two Michelin stars in 1997, which it held until Ramsay left the restaurant in July 1998 following the sacking of Marcus Wareing from sister restaurant L'Oranger. It subsequently reopened and held a single Michelin star under William Drabble until he left the restaurant in 2009. Aubergine closed in 2010, pending a relaunch as an informal Italian restaurant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Whitebrook</span> Restaurant in the United Kingdom

The Whitebrook, formerly known as The Crown at Whitebrook, is a restaurant with rooms in Whitebrook, 6 miles (9.7 km) south-south-east of Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, near the River Wye and the border with England. The building is thought to date from the 17th century and by the 19th century it was used as a roadside inn. Its restaurant was run by Chef Patron James Sommerin until 2013; it gained a Michelin star in 2007. It contains eight double rooms and a 2-acre (0.81 ha) garden. On 7 March 2013, it closed because of financial difficulties; at the time it had the longest held Michelin star in Wales. Critics praised the food under Sommerin, but have criticised the difficulty in finding the restaurant. It re-opened in October 2013 under new chef and owner Chris Harrod, and regained the Michelin star in 2014. Harrod serves a menu using locally produced meat and vegetables along with foraged ingredients such as charlock, hedge bedstraw and pennywort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wasabi (restaurant)</span> UK restaurant chain

Wasabi is a fast food restaurant chain based in the United Kingdom, focused on Japanese, East Asian-inspired fast food, especially sushi and bento, and operating primarily in London, England, with further branches elsewhere in England as of 2022. Wasabi was founded in London in 2003 by Dong Hyun Kim, a South Korean entrepreneur. In November 2019, Henry Birts joined as CEO.

Peel's Restaurant is situated in Hampton Manor, Hampton-in-Arden. It currently holds one Michelin star and four AA Rosettes. Hampton Manor is a Grade II listed building. Originally the family home of Frederick Peel, son of Prime Minister Robert Peel, the Manor was acquired by hoteliers Derrick and Janet Hill in March 2008. Under the stewardship of their son, James, and daughter in law Fjona, today it runs as a Restaurant with Rooms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Aikens</span> English Michelin-starred chef

Tom Aikens, also named Tom Aitkens, is an English Michelin-starred chef. Aikens briefly worked for chefs in London and Paris restaurants. Under his tenure from 1996 to 1999 as head chef and then chef patron, Pied à Terre earned its two Michelin stars in January 1997.

References

  1. "Full list of Michelin stars in Britain and Ireland". The Daily Telegraph . 24 January 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  2. "Gravetye Manor – East Grinstead - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant". Michelin Guide. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  3. Historic England. "Gravetye Manor (1182310)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  4. Historic England. "Gravetye Manor (1000158)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Peter Herbert - obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 11 December 2013.
  6. "Former Gravetye Manor owner Peter Herbert dies". The Caterer. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  7. "Herbert to sell Gravetye Manor". The Caterer. 3 June 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  8. bighospitality.co.uk (8 January 2010). "Gravetye Manor looks for new owner after going into administration". bighospitality.co.uk.
  9. "Hosking stokes up luxury hotel purchase". The Times. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  10. "Gravetye Manor Hotel". The Daily Telegraph. 3 October 2017.