T
en minutes from the Cotswold
town
of
Cheltenham,
Ellenborough Park sprawls
in 90 acres of parkland
conveniently located adjacent to the
famous Cheltenham Racecourse. The
hotel opened in 2011 after an extensive
and expensive facelift, and was rewarded
with a coveted AA Five Star rating. It’s
the ideal spot for a romantic weekend
break, a family get together or a base
from which to enjoy the picturesque
local area. Horse racing enthusiasts
will be impressed by the private drive
linking Ellenborough Park directly to the
racecourse, and the four suites named
after famous racehorses.
The 15
th
century manor house at
the centre of the property has been
gradually expanded and added to over
the centuries, first as a private home,
then a girls’ school, and lastly a 3-star
hotel before being sensitively remodelled
into its current incarnation.The heart and
soul of the building remains, and the new
accommodation wings echo the main
house, and are built in the same warm
yellow Cotswold stone. In fact the stone
has been taken from the same quarry
that much of the original building came
from. Give it a few more years of sun and
weather and you won’t be able to tell the
difference!
The interiors are designed by Nina
Campbell, and are a pleasing mix of
old and new. The house was home
to the Earl of Ellenborough, a former
Governor General of India, and this
history has received acknowledgement
from Campbell with colonial and Indian
touches throughout, just as the Earl
would have added Indian features and
artefacts to the property in his time. My
favourite space within the hotel has to
ANNABEL GOLDIE-MORRISON
VISITS ELLENBOROUGH PARK,
AN IMPRESSIVE ANCIENT HOUSE RESTOREDAS AN EXCEPTIONAL HOTEL
NEARTHE COTSWOLDTOWN OF CHELTENHAM.