Horwood House has been part of the Buckinghamshire landscape since the 18th century, although the current manor house was built in 1911, adjacent to the original rectory.
The house visitors see, as they arrive along the magnificent driveway, was designed by renowned Arts and Crafts architects, Blow and Billerey.
Horwood remains an important example of the Arts and Crafts style and is now a grade II listed building. Our recent £6 million renovation was carefully managed to preserve the unique features of the manor house and surrounding courtyard of thatched cottages.
The contemporary extension, which houses most of our bedrooms, has also been designed with the original vernacular dictating the style and decor.
We are privileged to be the new custodians of Horwood House and we considered every detail throughout the renovations in order to preserve the atmosphere for our guests.
The grounds are also a significant part of the Horwood experience, also an example of early 20th century Arts and Crafts style gardens and park.
One of the original architects, Blow, designed the layout: a series of formal gardens, including a Lilypond, walled garden and woodlands.
The structure and a great deal of the planting has been preserved, most likely due to the head gardener, Harry Thrower, who was responsible for maintaining the grounds and managing the allotment which supplied the kitchen all year round with seasonal fruit and veg - a philosophy that continues in our own kitchens, where we use local, seasonal produce wherever possible.
Perhaps the most famous resident of Horwood House is Harry’s son, Percy thrower, who was the first ‘celebrity’ TV gardener and who popularised the past time in the UK throughout the 1950s and beyond.
The interiors at Horwood, both old and new, reflect the botanical heritage with delicate prints on a backdrop of earthy tones. We’ve taken great care to create a luxurious, modern environment which provides every comfort for our guests, while retaining Horwood’s ‘deep rooted’ (couldn’t resist that), heritage.