Champagne celebrations for Bovey Castle refurbishment

A marching band, waving union jack flags and plenty of Champagne marked the completion of the first phase of a five-year renovation project at Bovey Castle in June.

The Eden Hotel Collection embarked on the £2 million restoration and refurbishment in January, less than six months after acquiring the iconic hotel with the aim of restoring it to its former glory.

Sir Peter Rigby, owner of the Eden Hotel Collection, was joined by the group’s directors and 150 guests for the special event on 18th June. The evening culminated in a performance by The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, from the Commando Training Centre in Plymouth.

Guests were given a tour of the refurbished areas, including the spa, and enjoyed Champagne and ‘tasting bites’ from the hotel restaurants’ new menus.

Eden has spent £700,000 on initial restoration work to the hotel and ploughed a further £1.3 million into renovating the entire ground floor, transforming the restaurant, bistro and public rooms. A boutique shop has been added and the spa has been refurbished with an Art Deco feel.

The Edwardian Restaurant has been gutted and redesigned to introduce a Champagne bar, along with new panelling, drapes and soft furnishings. In a nod to Bovey Castle’s rich history and heritage, it has been renamed Great Western Restaurant in honour of the Great Western Railway, the first owners who opened Bovey Castle (then called the Manor House Hotel) as a golfing hotel in 1930.

At the other end of the hotel, the Castle Bistro has been transformed into Smith’s Brasserie – named as a tribute to one-time owner and pioneering 19th Century entrepreneur WH Smith – and now boasts a striking fire pit at its centre, a theatre kitchen and cosy corners for couples.

This blog and photographs are with thanks to Julia Wherrell - www.jwalimited.co.uk  or find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JWALimited