Stoke Park Country Club, Spa & Resort in Buckinghamshire, one of the UK’s most iconic golf venues, has been put up for sale by the King family.
The International Group, which is run by King brothers Hertford, Witney and Chester, has instructed property management company CBRE to bring the luxury Stoke Poges-based resort to market, although a guide price has not been published.
Hertford King, the eldest of the three brothers, and chief executive of the International Group, said that after 25 years of ownership the family has decided to focus on other business interests.
“We have been very fortunate to be one of the owners of Stoke Park during its 1,000 years of recorded history. After a quarter of a century as the privileged custodians of this unique estate and club, our family has decided that it is time to focus on our other business interests,” he said.
“The opportunity to work for three decades with a talented group of people on the conservation of the historic landscape, gardens, monuments and buildings at Stoke Park and to build on the club’s magnificent legacy with new facilities and services, fit for the 21st century, for the benefit of its members and guests has been a great privilege and we look forward to handing it to new owners with a shared vision for the future of this magnificent estate.”
The International Group’s other business interests are spread across six different sectors from sports hospitality and motorsport to hospitals and healthcare, and it operates in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Far East, as well as the UK.
Stoke Park was initially built as a private home by George III’s architect James Wyatt between 1790 and 1813. After several changes of ownership, it was transformed from a private residence into the UK’s first country club in 1908, and was bought by Roger King in 1993.
The resort now features 49 bedrooms, a health and wellbeing centre, indoor swimming pool, three restaurants and bars, two 18-hole golf courses, a driving range, a David Leadbetter golf academy and a wide range of grass, clay and indoor tennis courts. All 27 holes on the club’s Colt, Alison and Lane Jackson courses have recently undergone a complete renovation, the cost of which ran into seven figures, while the amount spent on the resort since the 1990s is estimated at over £40m.
Tom King, senior director at CBRE, added: “Stoke Park is a highly regarded country club and resort and presents a fantastic opportunity to invest in an impressive hotel and estate and we are anticipating high levels of interest.”