CLIVEDEN, CREATING A NEW MOMENT IN HISTORY

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "CLIVEDEN, CREATING A NEW MOMENT IN HISTORY"

Briana Thornton
6 years ago
Views:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY 8 TH SEPTEMBER 2015 CLIVEDEN, CREATING A NEW MOMENT IN HISTORY Cliveden, the iconic 17 th century stately home, and now one of the world s finest luxury hotels,

Throughout its lavish history, no one was ever able to resist an invitation to visit the house from Churchill to Chaplin and Lawrence to Lennon, fortunes have been made, plots hatch and history

1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY 8 TH SEPTEMBER 2015 CLIVEDEN, CREATING A NEW MOMENT IN HISTORY Cliveden, the iconic 17 th century stately home, and now one of the world s finest luxury hotels, celebrates 350 years of making history with the completion of a meticulous restoration programme within the main house. Throughout its lavish history, no one was ever able to resist an invitation to visit the house from Churchill to Chaplin and Lawrence to Lennon, fortunes have been made, plots hatch and history changed. But how do you bring back to life a grand country house that is not only a listed property, but also a hotel and a National Trust treasure? The answer is carefully, very carefully. You also need interiors specialists with vision and passion; but then Cliveden House does inspire passion. Interior designers Mario Nicolaou, Sylvie Le Maitre and their team of experts willingly admit to falling in love with Cliveden.

2 Mario and Sylvie started with an understanding of this iconic house and its history. They both agree that the refurbishment is not about making a design or fashion statement. We wanted to retain the historic feeling, the essence of Cliveden. Cliveden is very unique; we wanted to keep that uniqueness. The approach was also very much about the guest experience and creating the impression that guests were visiting a wealthy friend s grand country home rather than an hotel, that is the real charm of Cliveden. It is partly for this reason, and partly as a celebration of Cliveden s uniqueness, that each suite is bespoke; no two rooms are the same. For inspiration Mario and Sylvie visited Paris researching archives of fabrics and designs from the period which gave them the courage to be bold with patterns and colours. The balance between European influences and English tradition also reflects Cliveden itself. Many of its features were introduced from Italy and France by Cliveden s then owner William Waldorf Astor, who purchased Madame de Pompadour s gilded dining room from the Chateau d Asinieres, reinstating it as the French Dining Room, as well as buying many classical pieces of statuary, including the Fountain of Love. This has been everyone s journey, says Sue Williams, General Manager, describing the ongoing refurbishment of Cliveden. Project management was critical: everything was carefully coordinated to meet deadlines. During the two-year restoration, the house was only closed for three-weeks in January During those three weeks we had teams working 24/7. Scheduling was very tight, but there has been such excitement about working on this project. It really has been a labour of love. Mario and Sylvie brought in a lot of grey hair experience to fuse together a seasoned team. There was an architect with a specialism in historic buildings and a historic building consultant to make sure details were spot on, and specialists all the way including French polishers, embroiders, upholsterers, painting specialists, and a curatorial level of cleaning. The tortuous logistics required were challenging including replacing windows with facsimiles while the originals were being restored.

3 And it all had to be done while ensuring the intrinsic character and fabric of this National Trust owned, Grade I listed, national treasure were not compromised. The result is glorious. It is still the Cliveden of old, only better. The Great Hall is a treat. Mario explains: We deliberated over the Great Hall because this is a key space; on arrival there is anticipation about what Cliveden is and the Great Hall has to deliver that. We wanted to celebrate its character and evoke something luxurious. The elements were all there, the high panelled ceiling, magnificent ornate fireplace, Nancy Astor forever glancing over her shoulder in John Singer Sargent s portrait, the series of tapestries (given to the Earl of Orkney by the Duke of Marlborough for his services in the Battle of Blenheim) that dominate the Hall... but they needed to be brought together in a quietly grand scheme that united past and present, with subtle twists which included the bespoke embroidered curtain panels at the entrance with its intricate central motif referenced to the Cliveden crest. During the day the Hall is warm and welcoming, but in the evening it positively glows. Unobtrusive extra lighting has been introduced to create depth; the effect is glamorous and entrancing. Opening off the Great Hall, the new bar in the Library is another success. The addition of the red and gold bar has transformed its use. The Library has turned into a bit of an after dinner drinking den and includes chairs in plush burnished gold and olive herringbone against a backdrop of honey coloured wood panelling. Downstairs is a departure for Cliveden with the creation of three new, interlinked, multifunctional spaces incorporating 21 st century technology - ideal for presentations, entertainment spaces, or an area to dress up and theme for events and celebrations. Bedrooms in the East Wing were completed at the beginning of 2014, followed by 10 more in the West Wing finished in time for Christmas. The remaining 13 bedrooms and suites in the West Wing and the Main House were refurbished in spring 2015, along with the creation of four new bedroom suites. Cliveden s signature en suite bathrooms are created from beautiful Carrara marble with basins embellished with the Cliveden crest. Every room is different and that has been both a joy and a challenge.

4 The intention was to be true to Cliveden s heritage as a stately home. There is no corporate uniformity here; no simple one-scheme-suits-all design rolled out. Instead careful consideration has gone into every decision and there is a focus on bespoke high end detail with many of the fabrics, carpets and pieces of furniture designed specifically for Cliveden. Drama abounds as every room has its own character, as Mario explains. The quality of light unique to each room as well as inherited works of art and original features, such as fireplace surrounds and panelling, have provided inspiration. The intention was to capture the spirit of Cliveden. This is surely the original party house, having entertained royalty and politicians and great writers and thinkers, from Swift to Shaw, over the centuries. Neither do designers normally have to run decisions past the National Trust. Cliveden presents difficulties not normally encountered when designing a hotel primarily keeping the feel of a stately home while meeting guests expectations of a luxury hotel. Thinking about guest experience and the comfort of our international travellers, we negotiated with the National Trust to bring in air conditioning. It is discreet and in 21 of the rooms and suites. Summing up the restoration of Cliveden Mario says: We have created a new atmosphere and a little bit of fabulousness. Make that rather a lot of fabulousness. It is very exciting to give Cliveden a second life, a second breath. We did not want to change Cliveden, it is a fabulous place, it is unique and that is its charm. We are creating our moment in history! For further press information, please contact: Angela Day Head of Public Relations, Cliveden & Chewton Glen Mobile: Telephone: aday@clivedenhouse.co.uk

5 EDITOR S NOTE Cliveden House is a five-star luxury hotel owned by the National Trust and operated under a long lease arrangement by the owners of its sister property Chewton Glen in the New Forest, Hampshire. Less than 45 minutes west of London and 20 minutes from London Heathrow Airport, the hotel has 44 rooms, including 9 spacious suites, a luxurious cottage on the banks of the River Thames, together with boathouse and boats, heated pool, spa and a range of sporting, leisure, conference and meeting facilities. Over the years, the culinary pedigree of Cliveden has included numerous well-known chefs, such as Gary Jones, John Wood, Daniel Galmiche, Mark Dodson, Robert Thompson, Paul Hollywood (pastry chef), and Albert Roux, who was a commis chef for Lady Astor in 1956 and our current Executive Head Chef is André Garrett whose restaurant has been voted by the 2016 Waitrose Good Food Guide as one of the Top 20 Restaurants in Britain. Cliveden s Grade 1 listed estate and gardens boast panoramic views over beautiful countryside and the Thames. The 376 acres of National Trust gardens feature the celebrated parterre, season-long floral displays, distinctive topiary and an outstanding sculpture collection. The former privately owned stately home hosted political and celebrity figures, from Winston Churchill to Charlie Chaplin, with some notorious scandals from the upper echelons of Britain s high society (including the Profumo scandal ).

CREATE YOUR MOMENT in HISTORY

CREATE YOUR MOMENT in HISTORY 350 YEARS of HERITAGE When a house is as beautiful as this it s only right that it has been at the centre of so many moments in history. With distinguished guests from Queen