Quintessentially British
Whatley Manor is a grown-up getaway in the heart of the Cotswolds. Set in 12 acres of gardens with 26 distinctly different areas. Come on in and discover a whole new relaxed and very enjoyable experience.
Try the innovative tasting menu with specially selected wines The Dining Room, our One Michelin Starred Restaurant headed up by Ricki Weston. Alternatively enjoy a relaxing evening in Grey’s.
Immerse yourself in tranquillity at Aquarias Spa enjoy relaxing treatments and the soothing ambience of the salt rooms and tepidarium.
Watch your favourite movie in our private cinema with a delicious snack selection.
Explore our 26 individual garden rooms, escape to the Bird Hide or find a quiet spot on the river bank
Whatever you decide to do.
Discover more at Whatley.
Book direct for the best rates
History
Originally named Twatley Manor; an abbreviation of “To the wet lea”, Whatley Manor was originally a farmhouse on a farm estate called Twatley Farm which was rebuilt in the 18th century. The estate was bought in 1857 by Mr T G Smith who from 1871 became the lord of Easton Grey Manor. It is believed that during this time the building was enlarged and several out buildings to the North-West were incorporated or replaced, extending the property. Ownership of the farm was passed onto his sister Honora Wilder and her husband Reverend George Wilder who owned the farm in 1910. Rear Admiral Reginald Neeld, his wife Beatrix and daughter lived in the manor house in the period of 1899-1924. During the First World War, the hall at Twatley became a packing station for boxes of leggings, galoshes and Red-Cross parcels destined for the Front.
The estate was bought from Honora & George Wilders heir, Graham Wilder in 1925 by H.C. Cox, a Canadian; Deputy Master of the Beaufort Hunt who used the estate to hunt and added more land to it. Cox altered the inside farmhouse, added a west wing now called the Tudor wing and greatly extended the stable courtyard and built the coach house. He also laid out ornamental gardens and a small park.
Around 1947 it was sold to Priscilla Coriat, a debutant of her time and her second husband, Harold Isaac Coriat, who owned it until 1957. In 1961 the estate was divided by R.J. Rennie. It was around this time that the estate was renamed to Whatley Manor.
During this time Marco and Alix Landolt stayed at Whatley Manor whilst visiting their son Christian who was competing at The Badminton Horse Trials. The beauty of the place inspired them and when Whatley Manor came up for sale in 2000 they acquired it, restored it painstakingly and brought it back to its former glory. The manor house is a Grade 2 listed building. 12 acres of land has been transformed into 26 distinctive gardens, many of them based on the original 1920’s plans.
Whatley opened its doors on 1st July 2003 and has since been recognised by guests as a peaceful, perhaps even magical place; that continues to develop, its award-worthy appeal.
Meet the team
Eloise Gordon
Sales & Marketing Manager
Eloise studied leisure and tourism and later went on to qualify with a Postgraduate Diploma in marketing. She began her marketing career in the IT industry where she stayed for five years. With the desire to gain further experience in marketing she moved to work for a marketing agency. It was her interest in the hospitality and wellness industry that led her to Whatley Manor. She joined Whatley Manor in December 2003 as marketing co-ordinator reporting to the marketing director and later became Marketing Manager. Eloise combined this role with duty management which gave her direct insight into the guest experience. Eloise now oversees the marketing and PR of the business.
Oliver Harris
Assistant Operations Manager
Oliver Harris
Assistant Operations Manager
Starting his hospitality career in 2009 he quickly developed a passion for the which took him to University of Essex where he studied a Hotel Management Degree at the renowned Edge Hotel School.
After graduation Oliver worked with the Exclusive Collection at South Lodge Hotel where he stayed for 2 years, training in the fundamentals of 5 red-star luxury country house hotels. Oliver was a successful applicant of the Master Innholders Aspiring Leaders Diploma (MIALD) and graduated from this career in July 2021.
In September 2021 Oliver joined Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa as Guest Services Manager with a view to gain more experience in the Front of House ready for the next stage in his successful career path.
Ricki Weston
Executive Head Chef
Born and raised in Storrington, West Sussex, Ricki’s career kicked off in 2010 at Whites Kitchen in nearby Steyning as Commis Chef, progressing to Demi Chef de Partie. He then moved to Wabi, a contemporary Japanese restaurant in Horsham, as Chef de Partie (2011-12). Staying in Horsham, Ricki joined the South Lodge Hotel’s brasserie, The Camellia, as Chef de Partie, with Steven Edwards at the helm (2012-14), before moving to the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant Matt Gillan at The Pass as Chef de Partie (2014-15).
In November 2015, Ricki was appointed Chef de Partie, then Junior Sous Chef, at Michelin two-starred Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham where he spent three years, before joining Whatley Manor as Sous Chef in August 2018. Shortly after joining the team, Ricki took part in the 2019 Roux Scholarship where he was one of 18 young chefs who reached the regional finals of the competition.
Whatley Manor’s General Manager, Sue Williams, commented: “Ricki is a real asset to the hotel – not just as a leader in the kitchen, but in his commitment to sustainability, which is at the heart of everything we do at Whatley Manor.”
Lance Keirle
Commercial Manager
With a keen interest in cooking from a young age driven by his grandparents love of the kitchen and growing ingredients, Lance served his apprenticeship as a Chef under the guidance of 2 Michelin starred Chef Martin Blunos from the age of 16. From here he embarked on a series of culinary & hospitality adventures
After 8 years in the Kitchen Lance made a career change, moving from the Kitchen to hotel operations. Lance joined the industry’s leading independent management programme ‘Ten out of Ten’. Over two years he worked across five of the top hotels in the UK including; Cliveden House, Pennyhill Park & Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.
It was while completing his Sales & Events placements at Belmond Le Manoir he was introduced to the practise of Revenue Management, leading him to complete his degree in Revenue Management a couple years later.
In May 2018 Lance joined the team at Whatley Manor as Commercial Manager.
Kim Cangar
Human Resources
Florence Yu
Sustainability Officer
Florence moved to Malmesbury from Hong Kong less than a year ago. Prior to relocating Florence led the public affairs, communications and sustainability function at the Coca-Cola Company for Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau & Mongolia for over 14 years. Her roles were to build corporate and product reputation, initiate integrated marketing communications campaigns and work with diverse groups of stakeholders to lead the global sustainability journey ‘World Without Waste’. Being the chairperson of the communication committee for the cross-industry coalition ‘Drink Without Waste’, Florence strategised campaigns to raise awareness of how to reduce, redesign, recover and recycle aiming to reduce waste from beverage consumption. Her team was awarded with ‘Best PR Campaign’ on the launch of Bonaqua Water Station (alternative to single-use plastic packaging) by ‘Campaign Asia’.
As Whatley Manor places sustainability at the heart of the business, Florence’s key role is to drive the hotel & spa to net zero emission for energy use by 2028, and the same for supply chain by 2035. Working with the team, suppliers, guests, environmental expertise and hoteliers, Florence will fully integrate environmental best practices into the day to day operations and help drive Whatley Manor's journey to be an environmentally responsible hotel, spa and restaurants.
Michele Mella
General Manager
General Manager, Whatley Manor Hotel & Spa
An industry doyen with over 35 years’ hospitality expertise, Michele Mella’s experience spans the Cotswolds’ Calcot Collection and iconic British hotels such as Claridge’s and The Dorchester. Newly appointed as General Manager of Whatley Manor, Michele brings a wealth of experience to the celebrated Wiltshire hotel, with a fresh perspective to continuing its journey to becoming the UK’s most sustainable country house hotel.
Graduating from hotel school in his native Italy in 1986, Michele’s early years were spent working in five-star hotels across Italy and Germany, before moving to London and eventually settling in the Cotswolds with his young family. From Deputy General Manager at Calcot & Spa to General Manager at Barnsley House, Michele went on to become Director of the overarching Calcot Collection. Following a short sabbatical, Michele has spent the last year as Chief Partnership Office for Celebrated Experiences, one of the most influential destination experts in the US travel sector.
At Whatley Manor, Michele is fully committed to working towards the hotel’s impressive sustainability goals with the support of outgoing General Manager, Sue Williams, alongside exciting plans for the food and beverage offering at the hotel. A proud member of Master Innholders, a leading force and standard-bearer within the UK hotel industry, Michele is passionate about good food and fine wine, with a love of cycling that sees him taking regular riding trips to the Alps, where he grew up.
Sue Williams
General Manager
Sue obtained her HND in Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management at Brooklands College, Weybridge. Following this, she spent two years with Concord Hotels as a Management Intern working across the UK in various four star properties. In 1989 Sue joined Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, completing 12 years’ service, firstly as Guest Services Manager then Operations Manager. Sue joined The Bath Priory as General Manager in 2002 and subsequently took on a group role looking after Sydney House, Chelsea from 2003 and Gidleigh Park, Devon from 2005, overseeing the complete refurbishment and reopening of Gidleigh Park in 2006. In 2009 Gidleigh Park was awarded Hotel of the Year at the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence. Sue was appointed general manager at Cliveden House in the summer of 2012 where she has overseen the refurbishment of this iconic property.
In 2016 when the role of general manager at Whatley Manor became available, Sue threw her hat in the ring. Having lived only a few miles away from the hotel at Grittleton for a number of years she had admired the way the property had grown and developed its superb reputation over the last 14 years. On September 28th 2016 Sue took the helm as general manager taking the hotel into the next phase of its development and consistently striving to ensure Whatley Manor’s success story continues.
Professional associations include;
- Hospitality Action South West committee member
- Member of Hoteliers Charter Council
- UK Hospitality SW member
- Academy of Food & Wine Service member
- Hospitality Diploma
- Master Innholder
- Fellow of the Institute of hospitality
- Originator of the Ten out of Ten, Hotel Management Training Program
- Hotelier of The Year 2017/18
- Freeman of the City of London
- Ambassador for the Gold Service Scholarship Awards
KimCangar
Human Resources
Ricki Weston
Executive Head Chef
Born and raised in Storrington, West Sussex, Ricki’s career kicked off in 2010 at Whites Kitchen in nearby Steyning as Commis Chef, progressing to Demi Chef de Partie. He then moved to Wabi, a contemporary Japanese restaurant in Horsham, as Chef de Partie (2011-12). Staying in Horsham, Ricki joined the South Lodge Hotel’s brasserie, The Camellia, as Chef de Partie, with Steven Edwards at the helm (2012-14), before moving to the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant Matt Gillan at The Pass as Chef de Partie (2014-15).
In November 2015, Ricki was appointed Chef de Partie, then Junior Sous Chef, at Michelin two-starred Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham where he spent three years, before joining Whatley Manor as Sous Chef in August 2018. Shortly after joining the team, Ricki took part in the 2019 Roux Scholarship where he was one of 18 young chefs who reached the regional finals of the competition.
Whatley Manor’s General Manager, Sue Williams, commented: “Ricki is a real asset to the hotel – not just as a leader in the kitchen, but in his commitment to sustainability, which is at the heart of everything we do at Whatley Manor.”
Oliver Harris
Operations Manager
Starting his hospitality career in 2009 he quickly developed a passion for the which took him to University of Essex where he studied a Hotel Management Degree at the renowned Edge Hotel School.
After graduation Oliver worked with the Exclusive Collection at South Lodge Hotel where he stayed for 2 years, training in the fundamentals of 5 red-star luxury country house hotels. Oliver was a successful applicant of the Master Innholders Aspiring Leaders Diploma (MIALD) and graduated from this career in July 2021.
In September 2021 Oliver joined Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa as Guest Services Manager with a view to gain more experience in the Front of House ready for the next stage in his successful career path.
Eloise Gordon
Sales & Marketing Manager
Eloise studied leisure and tourism and later went on to qualify with a Postgraduate Diploma in marketing. She began her marketing career in the IT industry where she stayed for five years. With the desire to gain further experience in marketing she moved to work for a marketing agency. It was her interest in the hospitality and wellness industry that led her to Whatley Manor. She joined Whatley Manor in December 2003 as marketing co-ordinator reporting to the marketing director and later became Marketing Manager. Eloise combined this role with duty management which gave her direct insight into the guest experience. Eloise now oversees the marketing and PR of the business.
Vicki Roberts
Reception Manager
Having studied Hospitality Management at University Vicki worked in several country hotels finishing at The Old Bell in Malmesbury as Front Office Manager. Vicki moved out of hotel operations and became Office Manager for the Head Office of Luxury Family Hotels and Alias Hotels. The next move took Vicki to Office Manager for Meriski, a luxury ski chalet company based in Cirencester. In May 2021, Vicky made the move back to hotels, joining Whatley Manor as Reception Manager.
Florence Yu
Sustainability Officer
Florence moved to Malmesbury from Hong Kong less than a year ago. Prior to relocating Florence led the public affairs, communications and sustainability function at the Coca-Cola Company for Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau & Mongolia for over 14 years. Her roles were to build corporate and product reputation, initiate integrated marketing communications campaigns and work with diverse groups of stakeholders to lead the global sustainability journey ‘World Without Waste’. Being the chairperson of the communication committee for the cross-industry coalition ‘Drink Without Waste’, Florence strategised campaigns to raise awareness of how to reduce, redesign, recover and recycle aiming to reduce waste from beverage consumption. Her team was awarded with ‘Best PR Campaign’ on the launch of Bonaqua Water Station (alternative to single-use plastic packaging) by ‘Campaign Asia’.
As Whatley Manor places sustainability at the heart of the business, Florence’s key role is to drive the hotel & spa to net zero emission for energy use by 2028, and the same for supply chain by 2035. Working with the team, suppliers, guests, environmental expertise and hoteliers, Florence will fully integrate environmental best practices into the day to day operations and help drive Whatley Manor's journey to be an environmentally responsible hotel, spa and restaurants.
Claire Ratcliffe
Food & Beverage Manager
Claire studied Hospitality and Catering at Pembrokeshire College and achieved the WSET level 2 wine and spirits’ certificate; progressing to advanced. Following a stint at Gleneagles Hotel, a brief trip to Marseilles, she returned to Great Britain after being head hunted to work with Andrew Fairlies at his two-Michelin starred restaurant within Gleneagles. The City beckoned and Clare went to Purslane Restaurant in Edinburgh as Demi Chef de Partie, where she worked on each section, eventually taking joint charge of the kitchen. The call to work on an opening in the position of Food & Beverage Manager came when ‘Hotel Mas Du Brulat’, & ‘L’Oliviers’ Restaurant, in Southern France opened in 2018 where she was responsible for all aspects of the menu and wine creation, and the recruitment of international teams and budgets. Clare joined Whatley Manor as Restaurant Manager in 2022.
Kim Cangar
Human Resources
Lucy Bowles-Lewis
Head Gardener
Lucy Bowles-Lewis joined the Whatley team as Head Gardener in April 2023.
Having been a passionate amateur gardener for many years, Lucy decided to pursue horticulture as a career and studied at Pershore College. Whilst Lucy’s move to a horticultural career is relatively recent, she has always worked within the natural environment. After completing a degree in Environmental Science, Lucy worked in practical conservation for many years managing environmental projects with volunteers, everything from tree planting and hedge laying to building ponds, she is no stranger to rolling up her sleeves.
Prior to joining the Whatley team Lucy worked at Barnsley House Hotel, the garden here was originally designed by acclaimed garden designer Rosemary Verey and her garden design has been the inspiration for gardens all around the world including King Charles Garden at Whatley’s near neighbour, Highgrove.
Lucy brings her knowledge and passion for horticulture and conservation to Whatley and looks forward to developing the garden to be managed using sustainable and regenerative gardening principles.
Florence Yu
Sustainability Officer
Florence moved to Malmesbury from Hong Kong less than a year ago. Prior to relocating Florence led the public affairs, communications and sustainability function at the Coca-Cola Company for Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau & Mongolia for over 14 years. Her roles were to build corporate and product reputation, initiate integrated marketing communications campaigns and work with diverse groups of stakeholders to lead the global sustainability journey ‘World Without Waste’. Being the chairperson of the communication committee for the cross-industry coalition ‘Drink Without Waste’, Florence strategised campaigns to raise awareness of how to reduce, redesign, recover and recycle aiming to reduce waste from beverage consumption. Her team was awarded with ‘Best PR Campaign’ on the launch of Bonaqua Water Station (alternative to single-use plastic packaging) by ‘Campaign Asia’.
As Whatley Manor places sustainability at the heart of the business, Florence’s key role is to drive the hotel & spa to net zero emission for energy use by 2028, and the same for supply chain by 2035. Working with the team, suppliers, guests, environmental expertise and hoteliers, Florence will fully integrate environmental best practices into the day to day operations and help drive Whatley Manor's journey to be an environmentally responsible hotel, spa and restaurants.
Lucy Ross
Event Co-Ordinator
Lucy studied at Solent University gaining a degree in Illustration. With a Diploma in Event Planning & Management from ‘The Wedding Academy’ it was a natural progression to go into training hospitality professionals and event organisers for Whitbread. The next move for Lucy was to go client side, which led her to organise events and weddings at the Aztec Hotel & Spa in Bristol. In May 2020 Lucy set up a Virtual event planning business to help clients from across the world celebrate what would have been a special celebration, meeting or gathering on the virtual platform. Then it was at Wookey Hole Caves where Lucy evolved the wedding side of their business, and in under a year achieved the 2022 & 2023 Hitched wedding venue award, as well as increasing interest and traffic to the Wookey Hole Caves website. Lucy joined Whatley Manor as Events Manager in January 2023.
Gardens
The Whatley Manor gardens have been developed to create a pleasurable environment with a sense of fun, adventure and understated theatre. The gardens combine classic style with more contemporary touches, recreating an English Country house garden, complete with rose and herbaceous gardens and beautifully manicured lawns. The gardens are divided into 26 distinct ‘rooms’. Natural elements of the garden itself and its surroundings, such as wonderful vistas, the river and woodland, have been sensitively incorporated into the more formal elements of the gardens for maximum effect.
The Kitchen Garden
Surrounded by borders filled with fragrant herbs and vegetables that are used in the kitchens to add finishing touches to freshly prepared dishes. The Kitchen Garden Terrace is the perfect setting for alfresco summer dining.
The Stable Courtyard
The Stable Courtyard has a neatly mown lawn proudly displaying three bronze donkey sculptures by renowned European sculptor Edouard-Marcel Sandoz – Christian Landolt’s (the owner) Great-Grandfather.
The Herbaceous Garden
The Herbaceous Garden has manicured lawns flanked by stone paved pathways drawing guests past a fountain and pool to a Cotswold stone gazebo.
The Rose Garden
Enclosed within stone walls featuring an elegant central fountain providing movement and two corner arbours, this garden provides an ideal hideaway for a quiet moment during a warm spring or summers day.
The Loggia Garden
Simon Allison, sculptor and pool designer, was commissioned to create a contemporary sculpture for the centre of the Loggia Garden pond making this the ideal spot to take in the stunning vistas of the surrounding Wiltshire countryside. The Loggia Garden is also licensed for weddings.
The Hot Garden
Inspired by more tropical climates and sun-seared landscapes, in the Hot Garden you will find vibrant colour combinations including hot reds, burnt oranges and dark chocolate.
Cinema
Our cinema is perfect for enjoying your favourite film. Luxurious suede lined interior with Italian leather custom finished seating (40-seats) by Poltrona Frau and controllable ambient lighting all add to the experience. Combined with the acoustically controlled environment specifically designed to create a higher quality of sound. Choose a film from our DVD library or bring one of your own. Just let reservations know at the time of booking of during your stay and we will make the arrangements for you including any drinks and nibbles. The hire of the cinema is £50.
We also show a varied programme of films combined with lunch on our Sunday cinema screenings. See our events page for a list of the forthcoming films.
FAQs
We look forward to welcoming you from 3.00pm on the day of your arrival and ask you to vacate your room by 11am on the day of your departure. You are welcome to make use of the spa facilities from 1pm on the day of arrival and until 12 noon on the day of your departure. We can store your luggage whilst your room is being prepared.
Yes we most certainly can and we endeavour to meet all reasonable special requirements. Where possible, advanced notice is greatly appreciated. We cannot take responsibility for the presence of ingredient traces that may affect guests with dangerous allergies.
We welcome children from the age of 12 in the hotel and The Dining Room. For health and safety reasons the minimum age for the use of the spa and gym facilities is 16. Whatley Manor welcomes children in the hotel and in The Dining Room from the age of 12. Children of all ages are welcome in Grey’s Brasserie and The Sitting Room for afternoon tea.
We have seven rooms and suites that are dog friendly and we ask that you inform us at the time of booking that you will be travelling with your well behaved dog. This is so we can get everything ready for you in advance. A supplement of £30 per dog per night will be charged in order to cover additional cleaning requirements. Useful information about the local area, a luxury dog basket, poo bags and a toy for your companion will await you in your room on arrival.
Helicopters cannot land at Whatley Manor. We ask that you contact Cotswold Airport who caters for the landing of private jets and helicopters.
Our nearest train station is Chippenham train station (18.5km) and Kemble (19 km).
We have two charging points available to our guests, Porsche and Tesla.
Both charging stations can work with adaptors to enable other vehicles to be charged.
Please note that to use the chargers you will need to speak to a member of our team and there is a small charge to use this facility.
Porsche destination charging points located in the guest car park. Porsche is investing in establishing a global charging network: The “Porsche Destination Charging” programme includes a total of 1,035 AC charging stations of which Whatley Manor is one of them. Porsche charging points are located in 20 countries.
Tesla’s destination charging programme provides convenient charging at premium destinations around the world exclusively for Tesla owners. Their charging technology can add up to 68 miles/100 km range pre-hour of charge for visiting Tesla owners. We are a proud partner with Tesla and contribute to sustainable transportation.
Partnerships
Whatley Manor are proud to be a member of the Pride of Britain hotels.
Pride of Britain Hotels
Whatley Manor is proud to be a member of PoB Hotels, a collection of carefully curated rooms, the finest restaurants and spas, and the most authentic regional experiences across the British Isles.
PoB Hotels only invite the very best independent hotels to join their collection – but there’s much more to it than that. Think of PoB Hotels as the key and each hotel as a door to new experiences. Each completely unique. Each hand-picked. Each the Pride of Britain.
Established in 1982 by a group of 12 passionate hoteliers, PoB Hotels today has grown to over 50 city-based, countryside and coastal locations. The essence of PoB Hotels is built on its British heritage, honouring provenance and sincere, authentic service. They love the independent nature and unique culture at each property. What ties the hotels together is not being the same but celebrating individuality with a common vision- offering guests the best experiences.
They’re all about pairing each guest with an experience that’s extraordinary and unique, so all members are inspected annually to ensure they live up to the PoB standard. Plus, admission of new members is subject to successfully passing an anonymous overnight inspection and a ballot of the membership.
In 2022, PoB Hotels partnered with EarthCheck, the leading global sustainability certification programme. This step formalises an ongoing commitment to responsible travel and an effort to promote sustainable practices across its collection.
It Must Be Now
We are very proud to be members of NOW Force for Good Alliance. An affiliation of extraordinary places to stay around the world all with a commitment to care for people and the planet.
Awards
We are delighted with our most recent achievements. These recognition’s undoubtedly inspire and motivate the whole team.
During 2022 we gained our EarthCheck Silver accreditation which is incredible recognition of our team efforts across every part of the business to deliver a sustainable business model and work towards our business goals and achieve carbon neutrality. In 2023 after our annual EarthCheck audit, we are delighted to retain our silver accreditation.
In 2021 we were amongst the first UK properties to be awarded a Green Michelin Star in recognition of our sustainable practices and we retained this in 2022. The Green Star recognises restaurants offering dining experiences that combine culinary excellence with outstanding eco-friendly commitments and are a source of inspiration for the hospitality industry as a whole
We were also given a gold award from the Sustainable Spa Association for Aquarias Spa and a prestigious Catey Award for our sustainability in 2021.
