Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United Kingdom / Evesham / The Wood Norton
The Wood Norton
Evesham, England, United Kingdom · Independent · Near Luxury
This Grade II hall above Evesham was a French court in exile, then the BBC's wartime station. The Duc d'Aumale bought the estate in 1872. The Duc d'Orléans finished the house, settled there in 1898, and in 1907 saw his sister Louise married here to Prince Charles of Bourbon, with King Alfonso of Spain and Queen Amelia of Portugal among the guests. The BBC bought the hall in 1939. By 1940 a dozen studios were sending out 1,300 programmes a week. It became a hotel in 1980: fifty rooms, five of them suites.
- 50 rooms
- Opened 1980
About The Wood Norton
- He shared Wood Norton with Princess Marie-Dorothée of Austria. The suite named for him was their bedroom and sitting room, and the hotel says the oak panelling in it is original.
- Doctor Who filmed here on two occasions while BBC engineering training still used blocks in the grounds. The family had left for France in 1912. A British lawyer held the house until the BBC arrived.
- Linguists, many of them foreign nationals, sat in the grounds listening to European broadcasts. The hall was a secret wartime base as well as a studio factory. The present owners have had the house since 2012.
History
The Duc d'Aumale bought the Wood Norton estate in 1872 as hunting ground in exile. The Duc d'Orléans finished the hall, lived here from 1898 with liveried servants, and in 1907 hosted his sister Louise's marriage to Prince Charles of Bourbon, with King Alfonso of Spain and Queen Amelia of Portugal among the guests. The family returned to France in 1912. The BBC bought the hall in 1939, built a dozen studios, and by 1940 was putting out 1,300 programmes a week, with a monitoring service listening to Europe. After the war the grounds stayed an engineering school and a Doctor Who location. The BBC sold the house in 1980 and it opened as a hotel. The current owners have run it since 2012. Fifty rooms, five of them suites.
The setting
Worcester Road, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 4YB, on the A44. Evesham station is about 2.4 miles away, with direct trains to London Paddington.
Experiences
- Glynn & Tonic evening — Intimate evening by Glynn Purnell, Culinary Director, with a guided gin tasting in the Terrace Lounge and dinner in the Boardroom; limited to 20 guests.
- New Year's Eve House Party — Champagne and canapé reception, six-course gourmet dinner by Culinary Director Glynn Purnell, casino tables, resident DJ and midnight Champagne.
Amenities
- Free Car Parking
Open The Wood Norton in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.