Hartwell House & Spa Hotel, Aylesbury

History

Hartwell House was first mentioned in the Doomsday Book as belonging to William Peverel, a natural son of William the Conqueror. Between 1809 and 1814, during his exile from France, Louis XVIII held his court at Hartwell, signing the constitutional document, confirming his accession to the throne, in the library. Today, portraits of King Louis and his Queen, Marie Josephine de Savoie, hang on the main staircase.

Originally built for the Hampden and Lee families, from whom the Confederate General Robert E. Lee was descended. It remained in the possession of the original families until 1938 when it was purchased by the grandson of Thomas Cook, founder of Cook's Travel Agency.

During the Second World War Hartwell served as an Army billet for the British and American troops. Later, in 1956, it was let to The House of Citizenship, a finish school, which remained in occupation until 1983 when the lease was taken by Historic House Hotels. In September 2008 Hartwell House Hotel and the other two Historic House Hotels became the property of The National Trust by donation, with all profits benefiting the houses and the charity. The resulting restoration, of exemplary tact and sensitivity, has set standards for such work in future.

Food & beverage

The principal Dining Room, designed in 1988 in the style of the eminent early 19th century architect, Sir John Soane, is the setting for the imaginative cooking of the chef.

The selections for both A La Carte and daily menus specially feature seasonal local farms and county produce such as the reintroduction of Aylesbury Duck on the menu, together with the hotel's own Hartwell Orchards and Garden fruit, vegetables and herbs to bring the freshest of ingredients to enhance all the true flavours for the dishes. Prices are from £23.75 at luncheon and £23.75 at dinner for three courses to £67.00 for the six course Tasting menu at dinner. Also the A La Carte menu is priced to suit from a one to five course choice.

In addition to dining in the restaurant, Hartwell House now offers guests the option of a more informal, value for money dinner menu every Friday and Saturday night at the Spa Bistro, situated on the first floor of the Hartwell Rooms some 150 yards from the main house. Also available are private dining rooms for that special event, while room service can be delivered to your individual room or suite. Of course, no meal is complete without a glass of fine wine. To that end, Hartwell House maintains an extensive wine cellar sure to contain the perfect wine to satisfy your palate.

Dress code for gentlemen is smart please; trainers, tracksuits and shorts are not acceptable.

Grounds & Gardens

Hartwell House stands within ninety acres of gardens and parkland.

The garden was laid out, at the start of the 18th century, in the formal style with allées and garden buildings: temples, columns, an obelisk, garden statuary, canals and an amazing yew tree exedra. The designer was probably James Gibbs, who certainly designed the garden buildings, several of which are extant. By the middle of the 18th century most of the formality had been swept away and the garden landscaped by a follower of Lancelot (Capability) Brown, one Richard Woods.

Other facilities

The Hartwell Spa is situated close to the Hartwell Rooms and Hartwell Court, about 100 yards from the hotel. Swim in the warm inviting pool, relax in the steam room, saunas and the bubbling waters of the whirlpool bath and enjoy the gymnasium, tennis courts, the Spa Café and Bar. Experienced therapists offer a wide range of beauty treatments using Clarins, ESPA, Jessica and St Tropez products.

Children of residents, between the ages of 4 and 16, may use Hartwell Spa between the hours of 9.00am-10.00am and 4.00pm-5.00pm, when accompanied by an adult.