Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United Kingdom / Lyndhurst / Lime Wood
Lime Wood
Lyndhurst, United Kingdom · Lime Wood Group · Grand Luxury
A New Forest country house on a site occupied since a 13th-century hunting lodge in medieval Lyndhurst Old Park, Lime Wood dates from the 1740s and reopened on 23 November 2009 after chef Alex Aitken and INEOS founder Jim Ratcliffe spent roughly 30 million pounds transforming the former Parkhill hotel. Chairman Robin Hutson, co-founder of Hotel du Vin, renamed it for the literal meaning of nearby Lyndhurst, and the Herb House Spa was the first outside Daylesford Organic to offer Bamford treatments.
- 33 rooms
- Opened 2009
- Neighborhood: New Forest National Park Hampshire
- Architect: Ben Pentreath and Charles Morris
- Interiors: David Collins Studio
About Lime Wood
- The site has been occupied since a 13th-century hunting lodge in Lyndhurst Old Park, a deer park more than 700 years old, before the current 1740s house was built.
- Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, was connected to the estate when it operated as a boys' preparatory school.
- Chef Alex Aitken and INEOS founder Jim Ratcliffe bought the derelict property in 1999, closed it in 2004 for a 30-million-pound transformation, and reopened it as Lime Wood in 2009.
- The Herb House Spa was the first location outside Daylesford Organic to offer Bamford spa treatments.
History
Lime Wood is a five-star country-house hotel in the heart of the New Forest near Lyndhurst, on a site occupied since a 13th-century hunting lodge in the medieval Lyndhurst Old Park; the current Regency house dates from around the 1740s. Over the centuries the estate served as a boys' preparatory school (with links to Alice Liddell, Lewis Carroll's muse) before becoming a three-star hotel called Parkhill, home to Michelin-starred chef Alex Aitken's restaurant Le Poussin.
Aitken and INEOS founder Jim Ratcliffe bought the property in 1999, closed it in 2004 for a roughly 30-million-pound transformation and reopened it as Lime Wood on 23 November 2009, with chairman Robin Hutson (co-founder of Hotel du Vin) renaming it after the literal meaning of nearby Lyndhurst. The restoration and new buildings were designed by architects Ben Pentreath and Charles Morris, with interiors by David Collins; the hotel holds five AA Red Stars, houses the Hartnett Holder & Co restaurant and the Herb House Spa - the first outside Daylesford to offer Bamford treatments.
Restaurants and bars
- The Kitchen Table — Restaurant
- Hartnett Holder & Co — Restaurant · Italian-inspired · Chef Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder
Experiences
- Kitchen Table Suppers — Dinner for up to eight seated at the antique kitchen table in the hotel's kitchen, with chefs cooking seasonal local produce during service.
- Hosted by HH&Co kitchen table supper — Intimate four-course Italian-inspired supper in the HH&Co Backstage Kitchen for one private group of up to ten guests.
- Tavolo Cucina sharing menu — Relaxed shared-plate Italian feast chosen by the team on the day, priced seasonally from £150 per person excluding beverages.
- Italian Classics private dining menu — Three or four courses of HH&Co favourites such as vitello tonnato, agnolotti and tiramisu, available all year from £95 per person excluding beverages.
- Festive private dining and Let Us Host Your Roast — Five-course festive feast in the Backstage kitchen hosted by Development Chef Iain, with two seasonal menus for private groups.
Amenities
- Sommelier wine pairing from £95 per person
- Choice of wine from extensive cellar list
Awards
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
- AA Five Red Stars (2025)
Open Lime Wood in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.