Cowdray House is set in a stunning 16,500 acre estate in West Sussex, overlooking the beautiful South Downs National Parks, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The house, as it is seen today, dates back to 1875, when the Keeper’s Lodge was rebuilt as Cowdray House. The estate was purchased in 1909 by Sir Weetman Dickinson Pearson, who became Viscount Cowdray in 1917. The Estate remains in the Pearson family to this day, most recently the family home of the 4th Viscount and Viscountess Cowdray, who have extensively restored and refurbished Cowdray House to become one of the most luxurious exclusive-use venues in the South West.
At Cowdray House, you can enjoy superb cuisine, fines wines and attentive yet unobtrusive service, coupled with a wonderfully relaxed, welcoming atmosphere that can only be found in a private home. It is your own private country playground for as long as you wish to stay, away from the rules and regulations of a five star hotel. Only available on an exclusive use basis, guests can enjoy this fabulous home and its exceptional leisure amenities in complete privacy. Whether you are looking to host a private party, a premium product launch or an elegant wedding, you can be assured of the utmost in discretion.
The sweeping driveway, manicured grounds and the magnificent exterior of the House gives guests a breath-taking first impression. This is country living at its finest. Once inside, the beautiful interiors offer all the warmth of a family home combined with sumptuous grandeur, with the breath-taking baronial Buck Hall taking centre stage at the heart of the house. Its glorious double height vaulted ceiling, vast stone fireplace, stained glass windows and beautiful arched minstrels’ galleries to three sides of the upper level create a truly spectacular setting for elegant drinks receptions, lavish Gala dinners, presentations or product launches. The house offers space for up to 150 guests for formal dining in Buck Hall, and up to 300 guests for drinks receptions, along with space in the lawn for a marquee for up to 350 guests.
The house has a wonderful flow, with all the ground floor rooms leading off from this central space, making it ideal for celebrations and events. The grand wood-panelled dining room with its beautiful ceiling and fireplace has lovely views, while the elegant Drawing Room has a beautiful marble fireplace and French doors leading directly onto the terrace and croquet lawn, making this an ideal setting for summer cocktail parties in the beautiful grounds.
The lovely split level Morning Room is beautifully furnished with elegant wood panelled walls, sumptuous seating and a stunning chandelier, and is a wonderful space to relax and soak in the beautiful surroundings with delightful views over the grounds. Also on the ground floor is the Library with its extensive book collection, comfortable seating and desk, the Billiards Room and the Family Room, offering plenty of space for guests to relax and entertain in beautiful surroundings.
All of the rooms at Cowdray House have been lovingly restored and upgraded under the watchful eye of Lady Cowdray, who has ensured that the heritage and character of the house has been carefully preserved while offering guests a truly indulgent experience. There are elegant antique furnishings, beautiful original art work and stylish touches throughout this historic home, along with luxurious bedrooms and bathrooms.
The 24 lavish bedrooms at Cowdray House are individually designed and offer comfortable super king or king size beds and opulent bathrooms, and many offer beautiful far reaching rural views. Guests’ needs have been at the forefront of the bedroom designs, with luxury toiletries, soft fluffy robes and slippers, high speed Wi-Fi, televisions and telephones in every room. There are 22 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, while the two remaining single bedrooms share a bathroom. There are 18 fixed doubles, 4 bedrooms that can be arranged as twins or doubles, and two single bedrooms.
The superb leisure facilities include a large indoor pool with bi-fold doors opening onto a terrace, a relaxation area and a lovely glass atrium roof, an additional outdoor swimming pool with a pool house, sun terrace and loungers, a tennis court, croquet lawn, Billiards Room with a full size snooker table and a private ten pin bowling alley with electronic scoring system. The Cowdray estate extends to 16,500 acres and offers numerous recreation opportunities, with golf, polo, clay pigeon shooting, fly fishing and off road driving all available within the estate.
The grounds immediately surrounding Cowdray House total over 100 acres and offer complete privacy, with beautiful formal landscaped gardens with a fountain and water features, manicured lawns, terraces, a private lake, Capability Brown parkland and woodland, along with a croquet lawn, tennis court and the outdoor swimming pool. The gardens are beautifully maintained and are a superb setting for garden parties and drinks receptions, and offer space for a large marquee of up to 600 guests for larger celebrations on the old cricket field, with far reaching rural views towards the South Downs National Park. Also within the estate are the famous Cowdray Ruins, along with paddocks, farmland, rivers, and forests, as well as the Cowdray Park Golf Club and Cowdray Park Polo Club.
The Cowdray estate is widely regarded as the home of British Polo, otherwise known as the sport of kings, but you don’t need a title to enjoy this wonderful sport with the recently launched Polo Academy providing the opportunity to learn to play polo in the summer months. The Cowdray Polo Club hosts around 450 matches a year including the prestigious Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup. Guests are welcome to watch this exciting tournament and take part in one of high society’s most important social events.
Cowdray House is a magical setting for weddings, exclusively yours for the duration of your stay you can enjoy complete privacy and a true country house experience. Cowdray House offers superb flexibility with a choice of recommended suppliers, and can welcome up to 150 guests for a formal wedding breakfast or up to 300 guests for a standing buffet or drinks reception. Alternatively a marquee can be arranged on the croquet lawn for up to 350 guests. Cowdray House will be licensed for civil ceremonies, or you can get married in nearby Easebourne Church. The grounds and ruins of the ancient Cowdray House make a romantic backdrop for wedding photographs, and the ruins can even be floodlit for a spectacular setting.
The unique architecture, total privacy and the estate’s diverse settings makes it a wonderful choice for filming and photo shoots. The estate includes the magnificent Cowdray House, along with formal gardens, woodland, lakes, rivers, forests, heath, parkland, agricultural buildings and farmland, an arboretum, a Lime tree avenue, one of the oldest and largest oak trees (the 1,000 year old “Queen Elizabeth Oak”) and sweet chestnut trees in the country, romantic ruins, a vaulted wine cellar, a Tudor kitchen, a disused quarry and a vacated primary school, along with the golf course and polo club. Please contact us to discuss filming opportunities and see the full filming locations photo gallery.
Whether you are looking for a spectacular event venue, a luxury board retreat, an international product launch, an inspirational team building venue or simply a luxurious family holiday, Cowdray House is sure to deliver an unforgettable experience and exceed all your expectations.