The official reopening of Heythrop Park, the hotel and golf resort located near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, took place last week following the completion of a £40m renovation by owner Warner Hotels, which bought the property in 2018.
The 440-acre estate has undergone a complete transformation over the last four years, with the 300-year-old Grade II-listed baroque manor’s historic features having been fully restored, while the new-look venue now offers 337 bedrooms, six lounges, three restaurants, numerous bars, two theatres, and a spa and wellness centre. It is understood that the opening of the resort has created 300 jobs.
Heythrop Park also features an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Tom Mackenzie, which first opened in 2010.
As part of the official reopening ceremony, Heythrop Park general manager Dean Saunders welcomed a group of invited local business owners, media and council dignitaries to view the newly refurbished resort and offered an insight into its facilities, which now encompasses live entertainment, afternoon tea in the manor house, and activities such as archery and laser clay shooting.
Saunders said: “It was truly special to welcome our neighbours to join us in celebrating Heythrop Park’s grand reopening. We’re so excited to welcome guests through the doors to experience our long-awaited biggest and boldest hotel yet.”
The country escape was officially opened by Enstone Councillors Nikki Knott and Richard Parker, who cut the ribbon and got a glimpse inside the new hotel following its £40m investment. Knott, chair of Enstone Parish Council, said: “Heythrop Park has been such an integral part of our community in Enstone for many years, and local residents have fond memories of the estate in its many forms. We’re delighted to see Heythrop Park restored to its original beauty, and it’s wonderful to be able to celebrate our history for generations to come.”
Heythrop Park was originally built as a private home for the 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, who lived there from 1706-18. In 1831 a fire destroyed the interiors of the house, and it remained derelict until it was bought in 1870 by railway contractor Thomas Brassey, who paid for a full renovation of the property. Decendents of his family lived there until 1922, after which it first become home to a Jesuit education college, and later a corporate training facility after being bought by the Nat West Bank in 1970.
Thirty years later, in 1999, the estate was bought for £15m by local businessman Firoz Kassam. He spent a reported £50m and the next 10 years converting Heythrop Park into a hotel and golf resort, with the hotel and the Bainbridge golf course opening in 2010. Operated as a members’ club and accepting visitor greens fees, golf breaks will be part of the new offering by Warners Leisure.
The acquisition takes Warners’ hotel portfolio to 15 – 14 in England one in Wales – all of which are adults-only. Other flagship hotels owned by the company include the recently refurbished Studley Castle in Warwickshire, and The Runnymede in Windsor, which the group purchased in February this year.
Among the new packages on offer to guests at Heythrop Park is a two-night stay with breakfast, a three-course dinner, free use of the spa and leisure facilities, from £189pp. To find out more, visit warnerleisurehotels.co.uk/hotels/heythrop-park-hotel.