The Report

This venue is VRV (Venue Report Verified); Venue Report Correspondent Knot & Pop has personally visited this venue. When the talented Susie & Claire from Knot & Popreached out to us to let us know they had visited a spectacularly remodeled historical Boutique Hotel/Venue space in the Cotswolds, we threw our reporter pens up in the air with excitement! The beauty they were speaking of is Dormy House, which recently underwent a massive refurbishment. Think modern English countryside meets contemporary design.

HISTORY LESSON: Dormy House started life as a 17th Century Cotswold farmhouse, complete with flagstone floors, warm log fires and acres of rural land. The hotel today has retained many of its original features, such as the same welcome crackle of a real log fire, sumptuous wood-paneled walls and agonizingly, gorgeous sweeping views of the lush Cotswold Hills. Yet it is certainly so much more than a stunning 17^th century farmhouse with spectacular views, it’s a lesson in fine design. The original house was called Willersey Hill Farm and the owners farmed the surrounding land themselves. In the mid-1940’s, the house was bought by the Broadway Golf Club and given it’s new name: Dormy House. Dormy is a term for an “unbeatable” round of golf.

The Dormy House of today is a 40 bedroom hotel with two restaurants, The Garden Room & The Potting Shed. The Garden Room proves fine dining doesn’t have to be fussy to be formal and you can expect a clever re-working of English classics. Did we mention wall-to-ceiling glass windows that flood the room with afternoon light in the summer and provide a cosy retreat in the winter? The other on-site restaurant, The Potting Shed is relaxed, unpretentious and charming, championing the best of English cooking. Both are ideal for dinner parties and private dining use! Fun fact: the wine list at Dormy House was selected with the help of Corney & Barrow – who hold two royal warrants. They say if its good enough for the Queen and Prince Charles, it’s good enough for them. Sip, sip hooray!

The Scoop

"Our House – Your Rules". That is the motto for hosting an event here. The newly-refurbished Dormy House has been designed with generous hospitality in mind. Alongside quiet corners and old fireplaces, there are modern, open spaces that are perfect for groups and celebrations. Four decades of experience in hosting functions, weddings and parties of all kinds, means smooth sailing at this venue.

Events + Weddings: With sweeping views of the Cotswolds, stunning countryside chic with a modern twist, it is the absolute perfect setting for any intimate wedding. Moments seared in one’s memory and heart. Due to the size of Dormy House, when it comes to weddings, they only offer exclusive. Ideal for intimate weddings of up to 80 guests, although they can also cater for up to 200 guests in a marquee option. The garden has been designed to take a marquee that can seat up to 200 guests, and this can be attached directly on to the Garden room doors as a seamless walk through. If you are looking for private dining room options, they also have a plethora of those which do not require exclusive use.

Exclusive Use prices range from £16,000 to £25,000.00 including VAT (depending on the time of year and day of the week). Some of the elements included are: 40 luxurious bedrooms and suites, The main Farmhouse, Danish Court, The Garden Room Restaurant, The Potting Shed Bar, three beautiful lounges, gardens and more. The Potting Shed is perfect for relaxed British pub style food and The Garden Room for a more of a fine-dining experience, that overlooks a gorgeous English garden with pagoda, licenced for outside wedding ceremonies.

Dormy House lends itself to Summer with the outside garden and terrace, and also the Winter months too with their real open fires, cosy corners and the most welcoming of feelings. History is written into the bones of Dormy House and like the sweet, soft pages of a well-worn classic, yours will inevitably become a part of it as you give yourself over to it’s comforting, stylish embrace. Collections of vintage mirrors set against dramatic black walls are a delight to the senses while aubergine carpets and eiderdown comforters envelop so completely one can imagine happily spending the rest of life in bed. Each detail is so sweetly subtle and the design so magnificently cohesive one hopes all roads will lead back to a return to this spectacular retreat. Your guests will never forget their experience here.

Bonus

The final touch on this elegant cake is surely the Spa, so special in it’s design and artful thought it has to be seen and felt to be believed. With the help of award-winning spa consultants, luxury indulgences are par for the course. Don’t feel like a pamper sesh? How about a few laps in the 16-meter infinity pool? Yes, please. While the Spa would keep anyone busy whiling away their hours in sumptuous comfort and complete relaxation, for those who prefer to get their heart beating a bit faster there’s circular walks and mountain biking as well as a manicured 18-hole golf course as well as traditional English pursuits: hunting, riding & fishing.

Not your bag, baby? How about a quick trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of the Bard himself? Take in a lunchtime tragedy or a suppertime satire.

STYLE FOR YOUR SETTING

We of course asked Knot & Pop to tell us what design direction they would implement at an event here. Susie and Claire said "Mixing new modern touches, with the old character and charm, Dormy House is the perfect country retreat for weddings and celebrations. Dormy House is infused with rich, sumptuous and relaxing tones and textures, so an inky colour palette would lend itself perfectly to the surrounds of this most beautiful of boutique hotels."

1. Inky Color Palette: We love the contemporary and clean tablescape that Knot & Pop created. The inky blue dyed table runner mixed with black candle holders and white modern chairs would be a stunning direction for an event at this venue.  2. Guest Welcome Gifts: Knot & Pop recommends wine bottles in Dormy House blue paired with a hand calligraphed welcome letter to be placed in each guests room upon arrival. 3. Place Settings: Simple black and white menus outlining the delicious feasts served by Dormy Houses team, and accented by the roaming deer you will find in the Cotswolds.

Inside Scoop

Knot & Pop gave us these inside tips for hosting an event here: 1. With exclusive use of the house, give your guests a warm welcome with a wedding day breakfast in The Potting Shed. All good brekkies are accompanied by a flick through a newspaper, so place out tailor-made newspapers with stories from the happy couple, and tales from close friends and family. Include fun cross-words and a few puzzles to keep guests busy, as you prep and pamper yourself and your maids in the Spa that morning. 2. The Garden Restaurant is the perfect setting for the wedding reception, so take inspiration from the name and bring the outdoors in for your great garden style dining. 3. Continue the garden theme, with a Gin Garden welcome drinks station, complete with edible flower garnishes to dress those delicious drinks.

Highlight Reel

Around Town

The Birthplace of Shakespeare:

The birthplace of William Shakespeare is only 25 minutes’ drive from Dormy House. Stratford is glowingly proud of its famous son William. A stay at Dormy House is not complete without a visit to his Birthplace. The Royal Shakespeare Theatre has also been refurbished to give visitors the chance to see a Shakespeare play almost every night of the week.

Girl & Guy About Town.:

Take one of the maps provided by Dormy House and go on a walk, a cycle or a drive! Dormy House will get you a bike or perhaps a classic car, so that heads turn as you spin through country lanes. Go in the direction of horse-riding, historic houses and some of the prettiest villages in the north Cotswolds where you can picnic or eat at a cafe.

Cook at The Farm:

A mere 20 minutes from Dormy House is Daylesford Organic Farm. This legendary organic foodstore & cookery school offers visitors the option to pick organic food straight from the field, in the farmshop or simply taste it at the café. You may also learn how to produce your own organic food at the Farm School, where a range of traditional crafts are taught, from hen-keeping to hedge-laying.