7 Of the UK’s Most Dazzling Private Party Houses
From grand castles and marvelous manors to luxury lakeside cabins and scenic private islands, these remarkable houses are perfect for your next soirée – and can be claimed as your own for the weekend. By KATIE BERRINGTON
Kin House, Wiltshire
An exquisitely restored Georgian manor house in the Wiltshire countryside, Kin House opened as a unique private-events space earlier this year, and while it’s not a hotel, it does feature all the comforts of one. Set amid walled gardens and woodland, the exuberant interiors by British design studio Barlow & Barlow rival the sweeping views, with 12 beautifully designed bedrooms boasting divinely tiled bathrooms, plus fabric-lined roll-top tubs taking center stage in a fair few of them, too. Downstairs, there’s an intimate dining room, a grand Hearth Room with vaulted ceilings and a 18th-century fireplace, a glamorous speakeasy-style Fitz Bar, and several outdoor areas for alfresco set-ups – including a wooded glade. There’s also a marble-slicked Dressing Room and cool Barbers space for guests to get ready in, plus Kilvert Hall – a large venue space for dining and dancing.
Farmyard at The Newt, Somerset
At The Newt, guests can hire a whole slice of this dreamy countryside estate for themselves. Set on the other side of the cyder orchards, the honey-hued former dairy farm offers a stunning setting for a more laid-back occasion and is just half a mile from the hotel’s main Hadspen House, which can be reached easily by bike or golf buggy. With 17 bedrooms (each designed to celebrate and elevate the original farmstead buildings), a glass-encased pool, bar, snug and all-day kitchen, consider this a private bucolic paradise.
Henry’s Townhouse, London
Once owned by Jane Austen’s brother Henry, from whom the Regency townhouse takes its name, this sophisticated Mayfair sanctuary immerses visitors into its illustrious story and elaborate interiors. Filled with intriguing antiques and artefacts, Henry’s Townhouse offers up a pretty Georgian-style Pantry Kitchen for breakfasts and suppers, a Carriage Snug for cocktail hour, an intimate rooftop terrace, and Jane Austen’s velvet-clad Reading Room, which is ideal for curling up with a book during a quiet moment.
The Lakes By Yoo, the Cotswolds
This Cotswolds estate features a number of contemporary cabin-style houses and apartments that invite atmospheric lake views through vast windows and often offer direct access to the water, complete with rowing boats and paddleboards, too. The Lakes By Yoo’s Beach House is particularly brilliant for entertaining, with its own private beach, games room and cinema, while the ultra-modern Tardis has an infinity pool to impress guests.
Osea Island, Essex
Private islands are few and far between in the British Isles, which makes Osea Island – situated in the Blackwater Estuary near Maldon – all the more magical. Set amid 550 acres of gardens, orchards and salt marshes, there’s a variety of charming cottages, plus a grand Manor House and Hamptons-esque Captain’s House (sleeping 20 and 22 guests respectively, both with expansive living spaces and river views) to choose from. But, for a particularly vast event, the entire island is up for private hire.
Rhapsody, Surrey
A haven of art and architecture, Rhapsody is a setting renowned for championing rural revelry and restoration. Guests stay in six luxuriously appointed bedrooms, but it is the 20 acres of outdoor space where the property really comes alive – cue a magnificent heated swimming pool, yoga studio and sunken hot tub, a floating reading room on the crayfish pond, sculpture garden, and a Moroccan-style pool house with its own kitchen and alfresco dining space.
Thirlestane Castle, Scotland
For a dramatic occasion, look to book 16th-century Thirlestane Castle, which is imbued with splendor and rich in history. Set within the Lauderdale Estate in the Scottish Borders, guests can sleep in the South Wing suites, mingle in the grand drawing rooms, and feast in the striking portrait-lined State Dining Room, while meals are whipped up in the vaulted Victorian Kitchen and paired with wines sourced straight from the castle cellar.