Keythorpe Hall

A fabulously comfortable English country house and a superb gastronomic experience, Keythorpe Hall was recently opened after a multi-year restoration of the house and walled garden. Inspired by the amazing resources of this old estate, the walled garden, the farms and a home built for generous entertaining, the owners of this great home set about unlocking forgotten history, discovered hand painted wallpapers, bricked up doorways, derelict glasshouses, lost paths and overgrown fruit trees whilst creating their dream and vision for a relaxed, yet indulgent home.

The owners philosophy was based on combining a sustainable and a comfortable private home with an extraordinary gastronomic experience that respects the seasons and the local terroir. The estate grows their own vegetables and cut flowers in the rejuvenated walled garden without the use of any nasty chemicals, and work closely with local farmers and small artisan businesses to find the best produce around us. the chef’s prepare meals based on what’s available when it’s at its best.

Keythorpe Hall is a truly unique holiday experience which was built and created in the hopes of imparting lasting memories, fun, warmth, and culinary excellence to all their guests with an in-house team on call to guide and provide guests with a completely personalized stay.

Keythorpe Hall was built for entertaining by Hon. Henry William Wilson, 11th Lord Berners, starting in 1783 and completing in 1843, sitting on an outcrop enjoying distant views over the old estate and beyond.

Sleeping up to 14 guests in the main house (with the ability to accommodate an additional 6 guests in the adjoining apartment), the Hall’s many rooms are all wonderfully proportioned with its formal rooms, including the grand reception hall with twin fireplaces and grand piano, a dining room to seat up to 20, fully appointed family kitchen and a spectacular double drawing room, all with floor to ceiling windows to maximize light and the sweeping views over the rolling hills.

Upstairs, guests will find 7 large uniquely decorated bedrooms. Five rooms enjoy an en-suite bathroom while the further 2 bedrooms can be used as a separate suite, sharing a large bathroom. All bedrooms have sumptuous super king beds, and two of the rooms can be arranged as twins.

There is a further 3 double-bedroomed apartment in the east wing, which is a perfect getaway for those in the travelling group with young children or teenagers, or for nannies and other private staff.

Property Layout

Reception Rooms

• Reception Hall: Huge reception space featuring a grand piano and floor to ceiling windows to maximise light and the sweeping views over the gardens and rolling hills beyond

• Double Drawing Room: two adjoining rooms with far reaching Southerly views, open fire and comfortable seating for all

• Dining room: East and South facing - perfect for the morning sun with an impressive 17 foot dining table to seat up to 20 guests

• Family kitchen: for clients use, fully appointed with Miele appliances and an Aga, with a smaller table for more informal dining.

• Entertainment room: with projector for film and TV

• Wine cellar: which can be used by arrangement for pre-dinner drinks, tastings or dinners for smaller groups

The Principle Bedrooms

There are 7 bedrooms situated in the main house on the first floor, accessed by the main staircase.

• Bedroom 1: Super king four poster bed, South facing far reaching views. Adjoining large bathroom with freestanding bath and separate double shower.

• Bedroom 2: Super king bed, dual aspect with views over the gardens to the East and far reaching views to the South. Adjoining bathroom with freestanding bath
  and separate shower.

• Bedroom 3: Super king bed, dual aspect with far reaching views to the South and to the West. Adjoining large bathroom with freestanding bath and separate shower.

• Bedroom 4: Super king bed, large ensuite bathroom with a walk-in shower. Dual aspect with far reaching views over the front lawns to the North and the hills beyond and over the formal gardens to the East.

• Bedroom 5: Super king bed, large ensuite bathroom with a walk-in shower. Far reaching views over the front lawns to the North and the hills beyond.

• Bedroom 6 and Bedroom 7: These are arranged as a two bedroom suite, sharing a large bathroom with freestanding bath and separate shower. Both enjoy far reaching views over the front lawns to the North and the hills beyond, and both have super king beds or can be arranged as twins.

The Apartment

This three bedroomed, one bathroom apartment is situated in the East wing on the first floor above the kitchen, boot-room and pantry, and can be flexibly arranged on request. The bedrooms all have high vaulted ceilings and share a bathroom which has a bath with shower. All rooms adjoin a large central family entertaining space which has a projector used to watch films or television.

• Apartment Bedroom 1: Super King sized bed, can be arranged as twin, dual aspect with views over the gardens to the East and far reaching views to the South.

• Apartment Bedroom 2: Double bed with far reaching views to the South.

• Apartment Bedroom 3: Double bed with views over the front drive and lawns.

Garden & Grounds

Keythorpe Hall has over 20 acres of grounds, with 10 acres of formal gardens, and woodland, all with paths and walks close to the house.

There is a tennis court, croquet lawn and wood-fired cedar hot tub with spectacular views. In addition, there are lovely countryside walks - the Midshire Way runs through the village.

Activities such as horse riding (there are stables, paddocks and a manège on-site if you’d like to bring your own horses), cycling, sailing and water-sports on Rutland Water and country sports can be arranged.

Location:

Keythorpe Hall is situated in the heart of the English countryside on the Leicestershire - Rutland border, easily accessible by road, rail or air. Just over an hour’s travel from London by train, under 2 hours to York by train and just over an hour by car to Cambridge and Stratford upon Avon, Keythorpe Hall is surrounded by long reaching views over rolling hills with a fantastic network of footpaths and bridleways. Close to the market towns of Uppingham, famed for its antique shops and galleries, and Oakham, which offers a great mix of high quality high street and independent shops, this is a great jumping point for all the exploring one would want to do!

Rutland Water, one of Europe’s biggest man-made lakes, is also just a 10 mins drive away. There you can find nature reserves, bird watching, fly fishing, sailing, safe cycling and walking paths and plenty of other activities both on and off the water.

The beautiful town of Stamford, only a little further, is widely regarded as one of the finest Georgian towns in England.

Additional Information:

• Please note that outdoor footwear such as muddy wellies, hiking boots, etc are not permitted inside and are guests are kindly requested to leave these items outside or in the boot room.

• A maximum of two well behaved dogs are permitted with prior written consent. Dogs must be kept under control at all times and should not be left unattended in the house at any time, apart from at night when sleeping. Dogs can be housed in the dog area only, with their own bedding. Dogs are not allowed upstairs, or on the furniture. An extra £500 Dog Security Deposit will be charged and will be deducted if dogs are found upstairs, due to the deep clean that will be needed to protect other guests with allergies.

• Live music is only permitted by prior agreement with The Owners. Music systems may not be set up outside, and it is requested that music played inside the property cannot be heard outside.

• Silent fireworks are allowed but with the prior approval.

• Please note that day events can be help here for corporate bookings.

• Please note that while the chef is included in the price, all meals by the chefs and drinks are charged extra

Minimum Stay Requirements:

• 2 nights minimum at the weekend

• 1 night during the week

• 3 nights on bank holiday weekends

• 4 nights for Christmas

• The house is staffed with 2 chefs, house manager, housekeeping, waiting staff & use of our wine concierge.

• Whilst staying at Keythorpe Hall, guests will enjoy a carefully curated menu from elegant family meals to refined feasts, featuring fruit and vegetables picked from our walled garden, wild herbs and plants sustainably foraged from our woodlands, and meat, dairy and fish sourced from surrounding farms and artisan producers. With a focus on modern sustainability and food, the chefs will work to develop a menu that celebrates ingredients in their prime. At hand to cook these spectacular feasts are culinary stars Peter Johansen and Bent Varming. Pete perfected his skills working for a string of highly acclaimed restaurants; The Harwood Arms in London (1*), Maaemo in Oslo (3*), Brae in Australia (3 Hat) and Relæ (Worlds top 50) and Bæst in Copenhagen. Bent spent most of his career in London, beginning at Sketch (3*) before working at St.John (1*), the forerunner of nose to tail eating, and then moving to renowned Lyle’s (1*) where he was senior sous chef. Please note that all meals by the chefs and drinks are charged extra

• Alongside the sublime food, Keythorpe Hall has teamed up with award winning sommelier and author of ‘Which Wine When’, Bert Blaize. Bert honed his skills at La Belle Epoque in Manchester and Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, before taking the reins at the Clove Club in Shoreditch, East London, and more recently opening an award winning fine food & wine shop in North London. Bert will be guests wine concierge - available to create a personalized wine and drinks experiences to match the menus and the occasional.

As each stay is completely customized, before guests arrival, the management team will discuss the menus with clients to take into account all allergies and preferences and then the drinks, wines & champagnes will then be chosen to pair with each meal.

• Keythorpe Hall is a fully staffed property with someone on-hand at all times to make sure guests stay is as comfortable and as enjoyable as possible.

• Guests can make full use of the fully stocked house kitchen where drinks and snacks will be available all day. Late night snacks will also be available on request.

• There is daily housekeeping and turn-down.

In addition to the included services, guests have an array of activities that can be planned and executed by the Keythorpe team on a request basis. Here is but a sample of activities that can be organized for children and adults alike!

• Please note that all meals by the chefs and drinks are charged extra

• Harvesting tomatoes and herbs in the walled garden then making pizza’s with them with one of the chefs

• Picking daisies and blossom with our florist to create real flower crowns.

• Inside the house there is a cupboard bursting with board games, a grand piano and a table tennis table that can be set up on request.

• There is a small library of books to enjoy during your stay.

• Outside in addition to the tennis and croquet, there are lovely countryside walks -the Midshires Way runs through the village.

• Horse riding – there are stables and a manège on site.

• Cycling

• Sailing and water-sports at Rutland Water and country sports can all be arranged.

• Cooking: We can arrange for tutorials in the behind-the-scenes techniques and preparation that you would see in a world class restaurant or ask for a masterclass in bread making or the perfect mayonnaise.

• Wine Tasting Masterclass with Bert Blaize who can create a bespoke wine tasting, from verticals of Burgundy to a English sparkling vs Champagne competition.

• Gin Making: Begin the day foraging for botanicals, then head over to our friends at Brenting by Gin in Melton Mowbray. Here we can arrange a tour of the distillery and to learn about the process of gin making using the freshly harvested botanicals and making your own gin.

• Learn how to grow fruit, vegetables, and flowers in the walled garden from Claudio, the head gardener and wild food expert. He can guide guests on a sustainable foraging expedition or show guests what wild foods the season has in stock or taste your way around the walled garden and learn about the history of what we grow and why. For a more energetic activity you can even harvest the ingredients for the chefs to prepare for you later!

• Our in house florist is proud to share her experience to help you in honing your sustainable floristry skills. Enjoy picking your own flowers from the garden and spend time creating glorious table arrangements, flower crowns or the perfect hand-tie bouquet.

• Fly fishing at Rutland Water or the Eyebrook reservoir

• Leicester Tigers rugby (if playing at home!)

• Golf

• Visits to the local historic towns and markets – Uppingham, Oakham and Stamford are close by and worth a visit.