insideKENT Magazine Issue 86 - May 2019 | Page 129

GETAWAYS
ASHDOWN PARK HOTEL
A Timeless Retreat for Relaxation
THE IMPOSING BUILDING CURRENTLY INCARNATED AS THE ASHDOWN PARK HOTEL IN EAST
GRINSTEAD’S LEAFY FOREST ROW HAS A HISTORY THAT GRIPS ANY GUEST LONG BEFORE
CHECK IN. BUILT IN 1820, THE EXPANSIVE NEO-GOTHIC COUNTRY HOUSE HAS BEEN A HOSPITAL
AND CONVALESCENT HOME FOR FALLEN BELGIAN SOLDIERS, A SCHOOL HOUSE FOR LOCAL
CHILDREN, AND, STEALING A LITTLE SHINE FROM THIS BENEVOLENT PAST, A MANAGEMENT
TRAINING CENTRE FOR BARCLAYS BANK. BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
Most notably though, the hotel was formerly a
convent for the the first Sisters of Notre Dame,
having been bought in 1919 by Sister Marie
Saints Anges of the Order of the Notre Dame.
During a half century spent cultivating the
estate, Sister Marie extended the West Wing,
added the beautiful Church of Our Lady and
St Richard (named after her wealthy older
brother, Richard Towneley, who bequeathed
a considerable sum to her on his death) and
built the entire East Wing, and it is this spiritual
past that most strongly informs the hotel’s
architecture today.
Dominated by an impressive ceremonial hallway
at the heart of the hotel, the first thing you notice
upon entering the three-storey main house is an
enormous stone fireplace, made more delicate by sweet-
smelling fresh flowers and the reassuring elegance of
a baby grand piano. Ancient stone archways with
intricate carvings lead off to various stately drawing
rooms and, of course, The Richard Towneley Suite, a
converted chapel with a vaulted ceiling and Italian
marble detailing that’s lit beautifully by stained-glass
windows. Designed by Harry Clarke, it fills the interior
in rainbow shades of coloured light and is magical to
look at, let alone get married in.
Served in one of the hotel’s grandest period lounges,
afternoon tea, or High Tea as it’s more traditionally
referred to at the hotel, is a huge draw at Ashdown
Park and attracts daytrippers who visit solely to savour
it while overlooking the immaculately groomed lawns.
A selection of homemade sandwiches, cakes and scones
piled high on bone china plates accompanied by heaped
pots of strawberry jam and thick clotted cream, it’s
easy to see how they’ve won over the most critical
judge’s eye and have been the recipient of awards for
the delicious way they taste, as well as the way they’re
prepared and served.
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