Stoke Park

An historic site with the most luxuriously appointed leisure facilities.

Stoke Park takes your breath away the moment you enter the driveway and it just gets better, as the majestic setting unfolds a magnificent seventeenth century mansion, sitting amidst a stunning golf course, with the new sympathetically designed Pavilion Hotel alongside, complete with leisure suite, indoor tennis court complex and spa. But the estate has had several changes in its fortunes over the last few hundred years, and even in the period since golf was first played at Stoke Park, just over a century ago. Founded as the very first country club in the UK by the remarkable Pa Jackson, Stoke Park was a top venue from the start. Pa Jackson was one of the last great sporting gentlemen. He was a founder member of the Football Association and the Lawn-Tennis Association. He also founded the greatest amateur football club of its era - The Corinthian Football Club - in 1882.

Having taken the Corinthians on a football tour of the U.S.A. in 1903, Pa decided he should form a country club for the Corinthians along the lines he had seen in America. After a long search he secured a lease at Stoke Park. Pa formed the Stoke Land Co. Ltd. and the Stoke Park Club was formed in l908. The main sports at the club were tennis, cricket and golf, with 45 holes of golf along with additional croquet lawns and a rowing club.

The original course was designed and constructed by Harry Shapland Colt, who landscaped many of the worlds finest golf courses and was club secretary at Sunningdale until his course design business became too all- consuming. The course is still delightful to this day and makes best use of the water features and gently undulating parkland. During and following the First World War, it was difficult to continue running the Club, so when Sir Noel Mobbs made an offer for the estate in l928, it was with regret that Pa (then aged 79) and his fellow-directors accepted. The site, which has a clearly defined history for almost the last thousand years, has been home to some of the most prominent and historic figures. The Penn family, who were responsible for much of what can be seen at Stoke Park today, including the mansion, had founded the US state of Pennsylvania. The acclaimed landscapers Capability Brown, and later Humphry Repton, both worked extensively at Stoke Park, creating as the poet Alexander Pope describes As near an approach to Elysian, as English soil and climate will permit. For centuries, the beauty and tranquility of Stoke Park were enjoyed by the fortunate owners who, for the main part, all strove to continue to improve and enhance the estate. Vast mature cedars and oaks pepper the site and lend it an air of majesty.

The golf course winds around this exquisite estate 27 holes of full championship length and quality take full advantage of this historic landscape, and the superb water features and views that the site has always offered. Designed in 1909 by acclaimed architect, Harry Colt, it bears similarity with many of his other great parkland courses and is always in superb condition. The course has generous fairways and a spacious feel that invite the uninhibited drive. The greens are superb and have subtle borrows and lightening pace and provide their own defense mechanism for the course. There are not many estates that were modeled extensively by Capability Brown, and then reworked by his successor Humphry Repton a few years later. With this heritage, it would have been difficult to make a bad course, but the Colt design, resurrected recently under the current ownership, is indeed a gem.

The practice facilities have already been thoroughly updated, with the introduction of the new club fitting area and indoor analysis room. There is a 15 bay driving range (including all year round grass and Huxley Golf all-weather surfaces), and a Tour standard short-game area is nearly finished, complete with five bunkers. The putting green is one of the best places to hone your putting stroke taking pride of place between the first tee and the clubhouse.

The course had been originally developed as a 45-hole venue, but after the Second World War only 18 holes remained, with much of the land being used for agriculture in the war effort. The estate was still grand, but the upkeep too high for many of the owners, so South Buckinghamshire Council eventually sold the estate in the mid nineties to the King family, as the Council had no funds to make the necessary re-investments that the mansion and grounds demanded. The price was a mere 2million, but the 30million re-investment was another matter altogether and few would argue that the renovations programme has done precisely what was needed restoring the estate to that of one of the finest country clubs in the world. A grade 1 listed mansion is not cheap to restore and the work is time consuming and only possible by experts well versed in the exact materials and building methods that comply with the listing buildings authority. Very little could be done to some of the principle suites within the mansion, as the structures and internal layout were dictated by the original layout, which luckily was a near masterpiece of design and style. The accommodation is now divided into two distinct styles, both the highest standards you would expect from a 5 star hotel. The traditional rooms have all the finest trappings that you would expect from such a setting and have open fires in the winter.

The Pavilion, which opened in 2002, had a further 28 guest rooms and suites created in 2008 while these are equally luxurious in style, they are radically different from those in the mansion. The interior design of the new Pavilion was spearheaded by Roger King, who has managed to equip the new rooms and suites with a comfortable and elegant funkiness. A contrast between the two sets of rooms is truly appealing, with some guests splitting their stay between the traditional suites and the modern and contemporary styling of the Pavilion.

The dining experience is a delight and a perfect match for the delicious views and grand surroundings. Perhaps best of all, though is the service all the staff are unfailingly polite, well informed and helpful. The emphasis is on the guests enjoyment and all members of staff are briefed to make that their main focus in their working day. They carry this out in an enjoyable and engaging way. There is no longer a need to wear a tie in the clubhouse the ambiance is such that all guests, members and visitors dress appropriately without being forced into any particular attire.

Tennis is another key sport for Stoke Park and few resorts anywhere can boast such facilities. The tennis courts are set within and around the Spa, Health and Racquet Pavilion. There are four all-weather hard courts, three indoor carpet courts and six Wimbledon specification grass courts, ensuring that the game can be played and enjoyed all year round. Stoke Park hosts The Boodles Tennis Challenge Tournament each June in the run up to Wimbledon, where previous players have included Pete Sampras, Andy Roddick, Mark Philippoussis, Goran Ivanisevic, Tim Henman, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi and many more. The surfaces are the perfect way to warm up for the most important tennis event of the year, but it is such a winner with the players due to the oasis of luxury and calm that it affords their busy schedules, in the lead up to one of the most important weeks of their year.

Hollywood films such as Layer Cake and Goldfinger were filmed at Stoke Park and many of the ultra famous movie stars use the resort regularly. Tom Cruise and his then wife Nicole Kidman were temporary members while filming Eyes Wide Shut and greatly enjoyed the relaxed elegance, the absence of too much bowing and scraping, and the fact that they could just be themselves.

The business at Stoke Park takes in golf, tennis, leisure, accommodation, fine dining, retail sales and functions of all types. It has eight magnificent function rooms, all with glorious views across 300 acres of sweeping parkland estate. Each room not only provides a professional, five star atmosphere for board meetings, training seminars and conferences, but also has the added benefit of giving these events a breathtaking backdrop. The site is also a glorious setting for a wedding and can accommodate up to 120 guests in a variety of differing styles. The Pennsylvania Bridal Suite is the same bedroom that was used in the film Bridget Jones's Diary, where a bottle of chilled Champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries awaits the happy couple. The Stoke Park Spa is an area for perfect pampering, using the luxurious Thalgo product range. The Spa is a perfect fit for the other activities on site and gaining a deserved world-wide reputation.

Stoke Park, Europe's leading five star Hotel, Spa and Country Club, is set among 300 acres of glorious parkland, lakes, historic gardens and monuments created over the past one thousand years. Stoke Park is the perfect place to enjoy life in a friendly atmosphere. It provides a unique combination of the traditions of an exclusive members club and the best of today's sporting, leisure, entertainment facilities, in one of the most convenient locations in Britain - only 35 minutes from London and 7 miles from London Heathrow.

Stoke Park has always had a close relationship to Pinewood Studios (four miles away) and the British film industry. Two James Bond movies, Goldfinger (1964) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) were filmed at Stoke Park. The epic duel between James Bond (Sean Connery) and Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) is still considered to be the most famous game of golf in cinematic history.

All guests enjoy complimentary use of the Health and Racquet Pavilion, featuring a state of-the-art gymnasium with a fitness studio hosting up to 40 classes a week and 13 indoor and outdoor tennis courts. The 10 treatment room Spa offers rest and rejuvenation as well as a relaxation room, atrium, heated indoor pool with hydro-seats, and recently refurbished changing rooms with a steam room.

Stoke Park has 49 bedrooms and suites - 21 in The Mansion, a Grade I Palladian house and 28 in The Pavilion.

The Mansion hosts 21 bedrooms of a quintessentially British style, many with private balconies where guests can enjoy breakfast or evening drinks overlooking the 300 acres of beautiful parkland and gardens. All rooms have striking marble bathrooms with under-floor heating, sumptuous fabrics and antiques. The carefully selected paintings and prints echo the Mansions 1790s origin. The Mansion rooms are a masterpiece of luxurious indulgence.

The Pavilion hosts 28 bedrooms designed in contrast to the Mansion, each individually styled with an elegant finish. Adorned with antiques, bespoke furniture, hip and iconic paintings and original prints, each room also features a superb marble en-suite bathroom with walk-in shower.

The hotel offers three dining options, the 3 AA Rosette-awarded Humphrys serving modern British with a twist cuisine, the relaxed yet elegant Orangery, and the Italian brasserie, San Marco's.

Humphrys - Humphrys offers ala carte and table dhote lunch menus, as well as a three course dinner menu offering Modern British cuisine with a twist, featuring Chris signature dishes. The stunning decor, luxury ambience and panoramic views of the estate and lake deliver the perfect setting for a lasting experience.

San Marco - San Marco provides a relaxed Italian experience with an array of classic dishes, extensive children's menus, smoothie specialties and alfresco dining in clement weather.

The Orangery - The Orangery offers an array of delicious meals and indulgent afternoon teas to be enjoyed overlooking some of the finest views in Britain. Enjoy Afternoon Tea at Stoke Park in The Orangery with delicately hand-made sandwiches, cakes and scones served with delicious clotted cream, along with your choice of a wide range of teas and coffees, all the while surrounded by breathtaking views of the estate. Traditional English for those wanting to enjoy a time-honored classic, Champagne for those celebrating and Chocolate for those wanting a little bit of indulgence.