With the opening of Cowley Manor Experimental in summer 2023, Experimental Group, together with design collaborators Dorothée Meilichzon and De Matos Ryan and Chef Consultant Jackson Boxer, have breathed new life into the British country house hotel.
Cowley Manor has been a manor house at the heart of England’s history for more than 300 years, with its first iteration constructed in 1695. Once owned by Edward the Confessor, and also widely recognised as the inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, the property entered a new chapter under the tutelage of Experimental Group.
Sat within 55 acres of Cotswolds countryside, the hotel comprises 36 bedrooms and suites, a spa, restaurant, Experimental Cocktail Club Cotswolds Bar, lounge, library and multiple living rooms.
Interior Designer Dorothée Meilichzon has put her spin on the hotel’s storied past, weaving together classical inspiration with contemporary elements, placing baldaquin beds at the heart of each bedroom, complemented by blurred maple and Verdigris. Touches of rattan, mixed with bold colours, glossy lacquer and statement lava stone feature throughout, alongside nods to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland – a small hidden door here, White Rabbit door knockers there, and a bespoke checkerboard carpet throughout.
The new restaurant and cocktail bar at Cowley Manor is helmed by chef Jackson Boxer, who has created a menu utilising local produce and paying homage to Experimental Group’s French heritage.
The hotel’s C-Side Spa has also reopened following an interior refresh. The post-modern building is carved out of the land, flanked by two heated pools, indoor and out, and is also home to a fitness centre, sauna, steam rooms and five private treatment rooms.
