Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United Kingdom / Stratford-upon-Avon / Billesley Manor Hotel & Spa, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
Billesley Manor Hotel & Spa, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
Stratford-upon-Avon, England, United Kingdom · Tribute Portfolio · Accessible Luxury
Sir Robert Lee, knighted as Lord Mayor of London in 1603, had Billesley rebuilt in stone from about 1605. The Grade II* manor still stands in eleven acres where a village disappeared after the Black Death, and Detmar Blow, called in after a trilithon fell at Stonehenge, reshaped the south front in 1906. All Saints is a short lime avenue away. Tradition says Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway there in 1582, though no register survives. His granddaughter Elizabeth Nash did marry in that church in 1646.
- 71 rooms
- Neighborhood: Billesley
About Billesley Manor Hotel & Spa, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
- Above the fireplace in the Shakespeare Suite, a crawl space hides a slit looking down into the room. The house calls it a priest hole, though no Catholic owner is on record. A hide for valuables in the Civil War fits the building better.
- In 1912 the manor went to H. B. Tate, younger son of the sugar merchant Sir Henry Tate. He added the Great Hall stair and a minstrels' gallery where the old range meets Blow's east wing.
- Bernard Whalley bought Billesley in 1689 and rebuilt All Saints in 1692, fireplace in the family pew included. The Churches Conservation Trust has held the church since 1978. The hotel keeps a key.
- Seventy-one rooms joined Marriott's Tribute Portfolio in April 2025. The house stayed independently owned.
History
The Trussells held Billesley from the Norman period. The Black Death emptied the village, and the earthworks still show in the fields east of the house. In 1588 Thomas Trussell forfeited the estate after a highway-robbery sentence, and the Crown sold it on to Robert Lee, a London merchant knighted when he became Lord Mayor in 1603. His son rebuilt the manor in stone from about 1605. Historic England dates the surviving house to about 1610-20, Grade II*, with an eighteenth-century west extension. Bernard Whalley bought it in 1689 and rebuilt All Saints in 1692. By 1906 the house was tired. Algernon Hanbury-Tracy, son of Lord Sudeley, brought in Detmar Blow, who had repaired Stonehenge and who gave the south front the four gables it has now, between 1906 and 1913. In 1912 H. B. Tate, younger son of Sir Henry Tate, added the Great Hall stair and minstrels' gallery. The Shakespeare Suite took its name once the house was a hotel.
The setting
Billesley is a hamlet, not the town of Stratford-upon-Avon. The door is Billesley Manor, B49 6NF, with All Saints at the end of a lime avenue and the deserted medieval village in the fields to the east. Stratford station is a little over four miles off.
Restaurants and bars
- Stuart Restaurant — Restaurant
Experiences
- Walking — Walking in the area, listed under At Billesley.
- Tennis — Tennis, listed under At Billesley.
- Golf at Stratford Park — Golf at Stratford Park, listed under In the area.
- Yoga Retreat and Spa Day — Yoga retreat and spa day listed among upcoming events.
- Festive Wreath Making Workshop — Workshop listed among upcoming events.
- Kitchen herb garden — Kitchen herb garden supplies fresh herbs and vegetables for the kitchen.
Amenities
- Eight 22kw EV chargers
- Business events package
- Celebrations, weddings and meetings venue
- Private patio to the topiary garden from the ballroom
- Dedicated wedding specialists for flowers, catering, décor and entertainment
- Tailor made wedding planning
- Outdoor ceremonies in the Topiary Gardens
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