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MENUMENU
  • Celebrating 40 Years
  • Stay With Us
    • Rooms
    • Tariff
    • Gift Vouchers
  • COVID-19
  • Dining
    • Book a Table
    • Gift Vouchers
  • Offers
  • Events
  • House & Garden
    • Exclusively Yours
    • Grounds & Gardens
    • Gallery
  • Occasions
  • News
    • Past Newsletters
  • Contact Us
  • Gift Vouchers

History

Hambleton Hall was built in 1881 as a hunting box by Walter Marshall.

Marshall’s fortune was derived from a brewery business of the same name, but he came to Rutland to enjoy the fox hunting.

Tim and Stefa Hart bought Hambleton Hall in 1979 and opened as a hotel and restaurant in July 1980. Tim had spent 10 years in finance after taking a philosophy degree at Cambridge University. The move to Rutland enabled him to indulge his enthusiasms for food, wine, gardens, country living and hospitality.

Tim is still closely involved with the hotel. His wife Stefa practices as an interior designer but in 1980 was too busy with small children to undertake the Hambleton project, and instead asked her friend Nina Campbell to take charge. Nina’s schemes still survive in the bar and private dining room. Elsewhere Stefa’s touch is evident throughout.

History Stefa

It is hard to imagine today that in Walter Marshall’s time Rutland and Leicestershire had something of the atmosphere of a resort area. Melton Mowbray, the Mecca of fox hunting, meant the same to enthusiasts as St. Moritz might to skiers or St. Tropez to beach-lovers in modern times. Hambleton Hall provided an ideal base for hunting with the Cottesmore, Quorn, Belvoir or Fernie hounds, and participation in the intensive social activities centred on Melton, Market Harborough and outlying estates and houses.

Noël Coward

Some time ago Tim Hart had the good fortune to receive, on loan, Walter Marshall’s scrap book. This document consists of a compilation of clippings mostly of a scandalous or scurrilous kind reflecting his interest in gossip, scandalous divorces, demi-mondaine girls (some revealing their arms and ankles) and spicy tales from the ‘pink-un’.

Marshall remained a bachelor and when he died seems best remembered locally for the excellence of his table and cellar, and the convivial if slightly ‘racey’ company he kept.

He left his house to his younger sister Eva Astley Paston Cooper. Although Eva started life as a keen devotee of the chase, from the age of 50 onwards she presided over a salon of bright young things including Noël Coward, Malcolm Sargent and Charles Scott Moncrieff.

In his autobiography ‘Present Indicative’ Noël Coward describes Mrs. Astley Paston Cooper in the following terms: "Mrs Cooper was gay company. Her principle pleasure was to lie flat on her back upon a mattress in front of the fire and shoot off witticisms in a sort of petulant wail."

History Forest

Mrs Astley Patson Cooper’s granddaughter has suggested that Noël Coward’s rather uncharitable remarks about his benefactor were somewhat influenced by the fact that the young Noël was made to spend most of his waking hours here chopping down trees for the good of his health!

After Mrs Cooper’s death Lord Trent, Dr. Brockbank and Major and Mrs Hoare enjoyed the house in their turn until the 1970s brought two big surprises. The creation of Rutland Water in 1976 (to provide water for the inhabitants of Peterborough and Northampton) transformed the outside environment, while Tim & Stefa Hart transformed the inside in 1979/80.

The house has come full circle. As a small hotel and restaurant for discriminating diners and travellers, the house has returned to a very similar convivial use to that for which it was built.


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Our latest Instagram posts, visit our Instagram page for more.

The Guardian ran an insightful feature today on sh The Guardian ran an insightful feature today on short breaks in five of England’s less visited counties. Naturally Rutland was one of those. 📷 credit to Discover Rutland which is another excellent resource for local knowledge. #theguardiantravel #fivelessvisitedcountiesinEngland #discoverrutland #oakham #stamford #uppingham
Priority Booking for NHO's Summer Opera Festival 2 Priority Booking for NHO's Summer Opera Festival 2021 opens to Members from the 4th March. Public Booking opens at 10am on the 1st April.

Where will you stay?

https://www.nevillholtopera.co.uk/visit-us/where-to-stay

📷 credit NHO
Have you watched Edward Hall's recent adaptation o Have you watched Edward Hall's recent adaptation of Blithe Spirit starring Judi Dench and Dan Stevens?

When Hambleton Hall was owned by Eva Astley Paston Cooper, she regularly presided over a salon of bright young things including Noël Coward, Malcolm Sargent and Charles Scott Moncrieff.

Find out more about the history of the house here: 

https://www.hambletonhall.com/history/

and browse the interiors of our intermediate rooms here, one of which is named after Noël Coward. 

www.hambletonhall.com/intermediate-rooms

#historyofhambletonhall #hambletonhall #prideofbritainhotels #historicalhouses #playwright #composer #producer #actor #singer #JudiDench #DanStevens #EdwardHall #theatrelife #performingarts #thearts #scriptwriter #noelcoward #houseparty #literarysalon
The view from Fern rarely disappoints. Some of o The view from Fern rarely disappoints. 

Some of our team returned to work this weekend in preparation for reopening, making us feel positive and hopeful for a Spring and Summer busy with happy guests once more.

#preciousmoments #romanticescape #romanticweekendaway #springinengland #summerinengland #visitengland #hambletonhall #rutland #discoverrutland #rutlandwater
With Mother’s Day on the horizon, plan your spec With Mother’s Day on the horizon, plan your special gift ahead of time by choosing a luxurious gift voucher for a memorable experience at Hambleton Hall when we reopen in May. Order within a few clicks from our website 🎁
Further to yesterday's positive announcement by th Further to yesterday's positive announcement by the Prime Minister, we are hopefully opening on 17th May. 

If your booking has affected, we will be in touch with you as soon as we can. Please bear with us, our phone lines are exceptionally busy at present as many of you seek to make or change plans. 

Feel free to email us at hotel@hambletonhall.com and we will reply to you as soon as we possibly can.
Dogs are always very welcome at Hambleton Hall. So Dogs are always very welcome at Hambleton Hall. Some of our regulars, Molly and Lucy, love to explore the Croquet Suite and the grounds. Their only wish is that Aaron offered a Michelin star menu for dogs! Thanks to @daveclarke_photography for these gorgeous pictures! #dogfriendlyhotels #dogfriendly #dogsofinstagram #smallluxuryhotels #luxuryhotel #countrylife #countrystyle
Aaron is often complimented on the visual joy of h Aaron is often complimented on the visual joy of his plates.

This dish of marinated scallop with yuzu, fennel and cucumber gazpacho is testament to this fine art.

Everyone at Hambleton takes immense pride in the quality of their work, with finishing touches expertly crafted in all areas. If you were to walk into the laundry you would find the same dedication to excellence, the same with the reception team as they print out menus or hand-tie the ribbon on a gift voucher box.

It is the one the great privileges of providing five star hospitality.
Regularly cited as one of our guests' favourite ba Regularly cited as one of our guests' favourite bathrooms, this one is the en suite from the master bedroom in the Croquet Suite. We posted about the Croquet Suite last weekend so it seemed fitting to follow with this glorious shot.

Not long now till we can welcome back to this gorgeous cottage, and leave you in peace to sink into this deep tub filled with aromatic bath salts after a long walk around Rutland Water.

https://www.hambletonhall.com/rooms/
One can enjoy views of Rutland Water when you choo One can enjoy views of Rutland Water when you choose the Croquet Suite. This two bedroom, two bathroom cottage has a living room and kitchen diner too. Highly sought after for young families, it is 50 steps from the main house along the croquet lawn. You don't need to know how to play to stay!

Have a look at the rooms and layout by copying and pasting this link into your browser: 

http://www.hambletonhall.com/the-croquet-suite/

#luxurycountryhotels #croquetsuite #rutlandwaterviews #2bedroomsuite #familysuite #familyhotel #relaischateaux #hambletonhall
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MichelinStar 1

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    Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland
    LE15 8TH, United Kingdom
    +44 (0) 1572 756 991
    hotel@hambletonhall.com
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Hambleton Hall Limited Registered Office: The Old Hall, Market Overton, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 7PL
Registered in England No.1125993

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