Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa

Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa is a distinguished venue nestled in 500 acres of majestic English countryside yet within easy reach of London. It is a rare gem with a history dating back almost a millennium and visited by dignitaries and royalty, including Queen Mary, grandmother to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Today, it is one of the best venues in the Cotswolds and perfect for special events. Lucknam Park is intimate, yet it provides a comprehensive proposition for exclusive buyouts. It features opulent spaces for celebrations, grand suites to relax in, a spa that unwinds the mind, beautiful walled gardens to celebrate in, a cookery school to boost innovation and a high calibre equestrian centre that sparks reconnection with nature and the spirit of adventure. The dining at the estate is of course Michelin-starred. Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa is a unique home and an establishment nurturing memorable moments and successful events to cherish for a lifetime.

Surrounded by 500 acres of majestic English countryside, Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa is the perfect natural setting for exclusive events. The hotel provides a comprehensive proposition for events, making it one of the best venues in The Cotswolds. The key to the proposition begins with the setting and location of the estate - just minutes from Bath and less than two hours from London. The venue’s extraordinary setting is evident from the moment you turn into the mile long sweeping tree-lined drive. Lucknam’s event spaces look onto its walled gardens, avenues of beautiful trees and manicured lawns. It is an ideal venue for intimate business meetings as it offers a distraction-free setting with a range of on-site activities during leisure time. Activities include horse riding, cookery classes, wine tasting, clay pigeon shooting, falconry, duck herding, archery and more.

Lucknam also offers opportunities for private dining in the Michelin starred restaurant, named after its Executive Chef Hywel Jones. Hywel Jones creates tailored menus to suit the occasion and the head sommelier assists with selecting the finest wines to accompany any special meal.

Each of the 42 bedrooms are individually styled with unique features and refined quintessentially English decor. Antique furniture is combined with contemporary touches to ensure the bedrooms are true to their past yet come with all the features of a 5-star hotel. The estate also has a charming three bedroom country cottage that is perfect for small groups requiring privacy or seeking an indulgent retreat.

A full equestrian centre, a cookery school and an extensive spa are located within the grounds. The cookery school can host bespoke courses and sessions around a variety of themes. The Equestrian Centre offers group riding and bespoke corporate packages for team building events. The all-weather arena allows lessons to be given in a sheltered environment and is perfect for groups. The spa features a 20-metre indoor pool, 8 treatment rooms and an outdoor saltwater plunge pool.

Lucknam Park is the ideal setting for hosting an event. There are four elegant function rooms that each provide flexible space for meetings, networking sessions, presentations or for private dining. For something truly special, bespoke events can incorporate everything from a private day with a top name in the equestrian world to a ‘Bake off’ hosted by a celebrity chef in the Cookery School.

Lucknam Park is also the perfect setting for weddings, offering intimate outdoor ceremonies and exclusive opulent celebrations. Romantic receptions, luxurious rooms and attention to detail create the perfect backdrop. A civil ceremony and a wedding reception can be held at Lucknam Park on a non-exclusive basis. Wedding ceremonies can take place in the Walmesley Room, Music Room or outdoor arboretum. The Music Room is also perfect for smaller wedding breakfasts whilst the elegance of Restaurant Hywel Jones is ideal for a grand wedding party.

Lucknam Park is also available for exclusive-use events. Exclusive-use includes the 42 elegant bedrooms and suites as well as maximum flexibility for dining, entertainment and activities across the entire property. When hiring the venue exclusively, the maximum capacity for dinner is 110. The Drawing Room and Library are ideal for receptions and perfect for relaxed networking sessions during the day. The estate grounds can also host alfresco activities such as drinks receptions, garden dinner parties and team building events. On an exclusive-use basis, Restaurant Hywel Jones can accommodate 80 guests for dinner. The Drawing Room and Library combined, make the perfect pre-dinner cocktail reception venue. A magical setting and high calibre hospitality come together effortlessly to create what is known to be one of the best venues in The Cotswolds.

Lucknam Park country-house was built in the 1680s by James Wallis a wealthy Bristol merchant. This is a special estate, frequented over the years by dignitaries and royalty including Queen Mary, grandmother to Queen Elizabeth II.

It is not known exactly when Lucknam began, but the –ham ending to its original name, ‘Luckenham’ suggests that it was a Saxon settlement dating from before the Norman invasion in 1066. From as far back as 1199 to 1688, there was a farmhouse on the current site of the main house and for over 5 centuries the land was farmed.

The wealthy Bristol merchant Wallis made his fortune trading with Europe and America. James Wallis bought Lucknam and its 100-acre estate for just £500. He built the centre part of the house with the pillared portico and bowed wings being added at a later stage.

After passing through several other families, in 1827 Lucknam Park was bought by another wealthy merchant Andreas Christian Boode. His father was of Dutch origin and had been immensely successful. Andreas married the daughter of the rector of Liverpool and subsequently had two children. The marriage celebration for his son John was held at Lucknam. Eight hundred people sat down at tables to the side of the house and a cannon signalled the start of the feast. An artistic impression of the occasion can be seen today in Reception.

In 1928 Archie Merry bought Lucknam Park estate for his only son Eion Merry as a hunting lodge. When Eion married in 1932 he and his wife Jean moved from Scotland to Lucknam. In 1933 the blacksmith from the nearby village of Crudwell made a pair of wrought iron gates for them and they are still in place in the walled garden today.

During the second world war, the house was transformed into a bustling informal headquarters for airmen from the neighbouring aerodrome. They used Lucknam Park’s Beech and Lime tree driveway to park the Spitfire and Hurricane planes with the huge trees offering the perfect camouflage. History can still be felt in every corner of this extraordinary estate.