Gravetye Manor

About the venue

Elizabethan manor of 1598 in 1,000 acres near West Hoathly, home to William Robinson's natural gardens and a Michelin-starred restaurant. Exclusive-use weddings for 70, with 20 more in the evening, and panelled rooms for meetings and private dinners of up to 22.

Richard Infield built Gravetye Manor in 1598 for himself and his bride, Katharine Compton. Their initials, R and K, are cut into the stone above the entrance from the formal garden, and their portraits are carved in oak over a bedroom fireplace.

William Robinson, one of the most influential gardeners there has been, bought the manor and its 1,000 acres in 1885 and lived here until he died in 1935. Gravetye is where he worked out his ideas for the natural English garden, and his book The Wild Garden describes the meadows he planted in the 1880s. They still flower each spring, and the walled kitchen garden he made still supplies the kitchen. Once a year the village school comes to practise country dancing on the croquet lawn.

Peter Herbert turned the house into a hotel in 1958 and ran it for nearly 50 years. Jeremy Hosking bought it in 2010 and has restored the house and gardens, adding a glass-walled dining room in 2018. The Dining Room holds a Michelin star, with menus by Executive Chef Martin Carabott, and the hotel has two Michelin Keys. Gravetye has been part of Relais & Châteaux for 50 years.

The 17 rooms and suites are named after trees on the estate and dressed with flowers from the garden. The manor is 12 miles from Gatwick and about 30 minutes from London. Children under seven dine only as part of a private party in one of the private dining rooms.

Elizabethan manor built in 1598

William Robinson's gardens in 1,000 acres

Michelin-starred Dining Room

Exclusive-use weddings for 70

20 more guests in the evening

17 rooms named after estate trees

Panelled Room for 9 to 22

12 miles from Gatwick