| The Grove | |
|---|---|
 The Grove, Watford, Hertfordshire | |
  Location of the Grove in Hertfordshire | |
| Former names | La Grava |
| General information | |
| Status | Hotel |
| Type | English country house |
| Architectural style | Palladian |
| Location | Chandler's Cross, Hertfordshire |
| Address | Langleybury Lane, Chandler's Cross, Hertfordshire, WD3 4TG |
| Town or city | Watford |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°40′39″N0°26′11″W / 51.6774°N 0.4364°W /51.6774; -0.4364 |
| Construction started | c.1720 |
| Renovated | c.1780, c.1870–5, 1996–2000 |
| Owner | Ralph Trustees Limited |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Red brick |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Sir Robert Taylor |
| Designations | Grade II* listed building |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect(s) | Matthew Brettingham,Edward Blore |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Grove is a large hotel inHertfordshire, England, with a 300–acre (1.2 km2) private park next to theRiver Gade and theGrand Union Canal. It touches on its north-west corner theM25 motorway and remains a small part inWatford. The estate is situated within three different settlements; most of the land and all of the mansion itself are in thecivil parish ofSarratt, and also in theecclesiastical parish ofLangleybury, while the estate lies within thepost town ofRickmansworth.
Originally built as anEnglish country house on the site of a medievalmanor house, The Grove served as thefamily seat of theEarls of Clarendon (second creation), the Villiers family, from 1776–c.1920. Since itsGeorgian construction, The Grove has been altered and extended four times by a number of noted architects, includingSurveyor of the King's Works,Robert Taylor.
Following the increase inestate duty in 1914, the Villiers Family sold off the house and estate. Today it is in use as a luxury hotel andgolf course. The Grove often hosts major international events, such as theWGC-American Express Championship in 2006, the2009 G20 London summit, the2013 Bilderberg Conference and the2019 NATO Leaders' Meeting.
The majority of the estate, including the mansion is in thepost town ofRickmansworth, having postal prefix WD3. However, the east including the former mill is inWatford's first subdivision of post town (WD17). Watford was the estate's parish in all forms of local geography from 1086 until 1878.[1]
A similar minority is in the ecclesiastical parish of Watford (St Luke), although most of the land and all of the mansion has been inLangleybury ecclesiastically since 1878, when that parish was founded.[2][3] Secularly the mansion is inSarrattcivil parish.[4][5]
The hotel's publicity material makes reference to Chandlers Cross, the nearest settlement, formerly part of another parish and which has anucleus to the west. It has now become the smaller of two settlements in the neighbouring ecclesiastical parish ofChipperfield but is in the same parish in terms of local government.[3]
Excavations on the estate in 2002 revealed evidence from all periods of human cultural development. The earliest evidence of human activity is a Neolithic polished stone axe that was discovered in a small pit with the remains of a pot that appears to be of Middle Bronze Age. The first evidence of settlement consists of traces of oval and circular dwelling structures from the Early Bronze Age (around 4,000 years old). The Iron Age gives some pottery evidence but none of settlement. Two burials have been found dating to the Roman period, although they seem to be in the native rather than Roman tradition. Traces of Saxon settlement, rare in Hertfordshire, have been found. There are remains of at least eightgrubenhause, sunken-floored buildings that are typical of this period. Medieval pottery contemporary with the building of the first manor house have been found in ditches.[6]
In 1294–5 John de Brittewell and Sarah his wife conveyed land and a third part of a mill written as 'La Grava' to Albreda de Brittewell and her two sisters Alice and Ellen. In 1324–5 Thomas de Harpesfield and Joan his wife held land in the demesne ofSt Albans at La Grava in the vill of Cassio, and the abbot released them from rent due for it. There is a monumental inscription in Watford church to John Heydon of the Grove, who died in 1400. John Rayner and Joan his wife conveyed the manor in 1481–1482 to John Fortescue, John Sturgeon, John Forster, and Henry Heydon,for the use of John Fortescue. Upon its administration in theCourt of Chancery the estate passed to John Melksham or Melsam, who died in 1487, leaving John his son and heir, who, in 1503 with his wife Elizabeth, granted it to Reginald Pegge reserving a rent of £10. It passed to his son William, who, with Margaret his wife and the late wife of Pegge snr. (and her new husband Geoffrey Oxley), conveyed the manor in 1518 to William (d.1545) and John Heydon. William's son was Henry (d. 1559) who inherited and left the Grove to his son Francis, who sold the manor in 1602 to Clement Scudamore.[1]
He sold it in 1631 and two water-mills under one roof, called the Grove Mills, to Sir William Ashton who left it to his second son Robert. His son died without issue in 1703 so it passed to Sir William Buck who died in 1717, great-grandson of Sir William Ashton. It passed to son Charles Buck, who had it totally rebuilt (see below) and in 1728 sold it to the trustees ofFulke Greville, born 1717. He in 1743 sold it to Arthur M. St Leger, 3rdViscount Doneraile, who conveyed it in 1748 in legal title notequity to Charles Unwin (as his trustee) — so on death in 1750 without issue, Doneraile's will confirmed his wish it pass to cousin Elizabeth St Leger 'until marriage' — she then married Major Ralph Burton.[1]
On her marriage the estate re-vested in trustees, who sold it in 1753 to theHon.Thomas Villiers, successful diplomat and second son ofWilliam Villiers, 2nd Earl of Jersey.[1] Thomas Villiers married the heiress to thewealthiest branch of the Hyde family whose 1st Earl was a minister underCharles,Charles II and grandfather ofAnne andMary.[1]
Thomas was soon created Lord Hyde (Baron Hyde ofHindon) for his diplomatic services in 1756 and in 1776 the Crown revived the old Earldom and raised him to 1st Earl of Clarendon (second creation).[1]
The fourth earl was a statesman, diplomat (architect of theQuadruple Alliance of 1834),Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,Lord Privy Seal,Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster,President of the Board of Trade,Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and gained non-occupational titlesKG andGCB. Consequently, regular guests in the mid and late nineteenth century includedQueen Victoria, Prime MinisterLord Palmerston andEdward VII.[7]
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In the early 20th century,death duties, a form of taxation introduced in 1894 by theLiberal Government, was placing an increasing financial burden onlanded gentry and was responsible for the breaking up of many large estates across Britain.[8] In the 1920s, in order to reduce their tax liabilities, theVilliers family decided to sell The Grove, downsizing their holdings to their estate atSwanmore, Hampshire. Also at around this time, nearbyCassiobury House was sold off by the widow ofGeorge Capell, 7th Earl of Essex in 1922 due to prohibitive death duties.[9]
After the sale, The Grove was then used as a gardening school, a health centre (National Institute of Nutrition and College of Dietetics), a riding school, and a girls' boarding school.[10] It was the wartime headquarters of one of theBig Four consolidated railway companies. It became a management training centre for theBritish Transport Commission and laterBritish Rail.[11]
In 1996, the estate was acquired byRalph Trustees Ltd, at which time the mansion was extended and converted into a hotel.[12] Jeremy Blake, an architect with listed buildings and sustainability expertise, was appointed to undertake these works. The Grove is a formerAA Hotel of the Year and was voted the UK's Favourite Leisure Hotel byCondé Nast Traveler readers in 2008.[13][14]
The formal gardens were designed by theChelsea Flower Show Gold Medallist and judge, Michael Balston.[12] Other features include an 18-hole championship golf course designed by the Californian Kyle Phillips.[15] The golf course is laid out to the south and east of the house (which is on a low hill above the valley of theriver Gade) with its eastern border reaching to the western bank of theGrand Union Canal (that incorporates the Gade in this part of the valley) and its southern border adjacent to the golf course of the West Hert Golf Club.[16][17]
In 2006, it was the venue of theWGC-American Express Championship golf tournament.[18] It was the venue for the April 2009G20 London summit.[19][20]
The2013 Bilderberg Conference took place in the hotel[21] and in 2016 it hosted theBritish Masters golf tournament.[22] It also hosted the2019 NATO Leaders' Meeting, chaired by the NATO Secretary General, on 4 December 2019.[23]
The main house is ared brick structure with stonequoins, mostly in thePalladian style. The south-facing front of the house is flanked by largeneoclassicalDoricpilasters.[4][24]
The architecture developed as follows:
