Haunted Hosts

Down Hall stands on land with a documented history stretching back nearly seven centuries. Records indicate the site was held by Hatfield Broad Oak Priory as early as the 1320s, placing its origins firmly in the medieval period when monastic houses controlled vast swathes of English countryside. The estate passed through various hands over the centuries, evolving from ecclesiastical property to private residence. The grounds received notable attention around 1720 when the celebrated landscape designer Charles Bridgeman created park designs for the property. Bridgeman, who served as Royal Gardener to George II, was instrumental in developing the English landscape garden style, and his involvement at Down Hall speaks to the estate's significance among the gentry of the period. The current Italianate mansion largely dates from 1871 to 1873, when architect F. P. Cockerell undertook a comprehensive rebuilding programme. Cockerell transformed the property into an elegant Victorian country house, incorporating the fashionable Italian architectural influences popular among wealthy Victorians. The building work during this period was extensive - and at least one worker did not survive it. The twentieth century brought dramatic changes in use. During the First World War, the mansion served as a hospital, its grand rooms converted to care for wounded soldiers returning from the Western Front. The 1930s saw another transformation when the property became a girls' school. These varied incarnations - from aristocratic retreat to wartime medical facility to educational institution - left their mark on the building before it eventually became the luxury hotel it remains today. Historic England recognises the property's architectural and historical importance with a Grade II* listing, placing it among the top 5.8% of listed buildings in England.