Gravetye Manor to close for restaurant refurbishment

Gravetye Manor in West Hoathly, West Sussex, is to close for four months in the new year for a "significant" redevelopment of its Michelin-starred restaurant.

Set to reopen in May 2018, the newly designed restaurant will be located in an extension featuring floor to ceiling glass walls which will provide uninterrupted views of the hotel's Grade II-listed 35 acre gardens, originally designed by William Robinson, who owned Gravetye Manor from 1884 until his death in 1935.

George Blogg, who joined the Grade I-listed hotel in 2014 from Terra Vina in the New Forest, will continue to oversee the restaurant as head chef, while Andrew Thomason will oversee the project as managing director.

Architect Sir Charles Knowles is working in collaboration with interior designer Claire Nelson, whose recent projects include Elystan Street and the Ledbury in London, to create the contemporary new look for the restaurant within the four-red-AA-star, 17-bedroom hotel. Banquette and free-standing seating will be surrounded by bespoke artwork, reflecting the natural theme of the gardens.

Elizabeth Hosking, owner of Gravetye Manor who acquired the Grade I-listed property out of administration with her husband Jeremy in 2010, said: "By marrying contemporary design with a historic building and showcasing the beauty of our iconic gardens, the new space will bring the outside in and offer the perfect stage for George's modern British food, that puts the spotlight on seasonal, homegrown produce from the Manor's 1.5 acre Victorian walled kitchen garden."

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