The Grosvenor in Stockbridge is a dream for fishing

26 May 2022 by

The 200-year-old Grosvenor in Stockbridge is a fisher's dream, with ample angling opportunities in the Test Valley and your catch cooked up by the hotel chefs. Here's a look inside the new refurbishment

The Grosvenor in Stockbridge, a scruffy former Greene King-leased inn, has had the makeover of makeovers, with a two-year refurbishment introducing an explosion of colour and whimsical objects.

The changes to the historic hostelry in the heart of the Test Valley appear to be going down well with the locals, thanks in part due to the hotel lease being taken over by one of their own – or rather some of their own. Stockbridge has taken the idea of community-owned pub to a whole new level, with six local families clubbing together to restore this landmark, cleaning the soup off its tie – or rather taking the tie off completely, undoing a few buttons and striking a pose.

At the newly opened 1822 bar at the Grosvenor in Stockbridge, Hampshire, drinkers stand on a reclaimed Spanish tiled floor, while a black feather boa hangs around a mirror above a gold-stuffed pouffe – just some of the distinctive additions introduced by interior designer Lottie Keith.

The multimillion-pound refurbishment, which coincides with the hotel's 200th anniversary, has been led by Simon and Teresa Henderson. "We want to put ourselves on the map as a key new destination for rural escapes," says Teresa.

You may wonder how a group of locals, even well-heeled ones, can spare the money for a project such as this. It turns out Simon runs a private equity fund, and the hotel holds significant meaning for the couple – they stayed for lengthy periods when they were searching for a property to set up home here with their family 14 years ago.

"We weren't intending to buy it, but here was this beautiful building that no one really came to, and nothing had changed. We wanted to make it somewhere people do really want to come to, both in fishing season and outside. The history of the place wasn't being appreciated. Greene King was only too happy to sell us the lease, so that's what we did," explains Teresa.

Persuading the building's owner that they were suitable candidates to run the place was another matter – it took Simon two years to convince the fishing club that owns the Grosvenor. It has up to 12 bedrooms block-booked during fishing season, plus their own meeting/eating room on the first floor, which is accessed via a combination lock, making it strictly off-limits to hotel guests.

"They're all lovely old gents – and one lady member. It's part of the charm of the place. And yes, they love what we've done. In fact, it's the older generation who are the most enthusiastic – they're excited by the colours and the vibrancy," says Teresa.

Fishing at the Grosvenor

Fishing is the number one pursuit in the Test Valley, and the Test River is one of England's greatest trout rivers. The famous crystal-clear chalk stream which runs through the middle of the valley rises from Ashe near Basingstoke and flows south for 40 miles to Southampton Water, much of it a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

It's much-coveted by fly-fishing enthusiasts, who own, or belong to a club that owns private stretches of land along the river called beats, marked by simple wooden huts.

If guests want to add fly fishing to their stay at the Grosvenor, then Simon will hook them up, the hotel chefs cooking their catch on request. He is a keen fly fisherman himself, belonging to one of the exclusive clubs that own beats along the Test River. "We have good relations with the Leckford Estate. In fact, we have scheduled a couple of one-day courses on 20th and 24th May with fly fisherwoman Marina Gibson," he reveals. The courses cost £300 per person, plus dinner for £50 per head, which includes a talk about the issues affecting chalk streams.

Is there a difference in taste between the wild-caught, chalk stream trout and the farmed chalk stream trout? "Not really," says Simon. "Though the natural diet of the wild trout will be more varied than the feed of a stocked trout. This tends to lead to more calcium and iron in the wild trout, but more vitamin A in the farmed. The consensus is that the clarity and cleanliness of the water in which they develop is the most important factor for taste, with the clearer the water, the better the taste."

The hotel serves both wild and farmed Test Valley chalk stream trout year-round, with seasonal green veg and a beurre blanc – wild at the height of the season when it's plentiful (May, June, July, and September are the key trout fishing months), though that's not specified on the menu.

Taste on the Test

Stockbridge is one of the three main towns on the Test, along with Romsey and Andover, and it's by far the prettiest, little more than a single row of handsome buildings on either side of the street, now filled with artisanal coffee shops, a deli, a wood-fired pizza joint, a French bistro, an Indian restaurant, a modern British eatery in the Greyhound, and the newly refurbished Grosvenor.

"We've brought the hotel in line with what else is happening in Stockbridge," says Teresa, showing off another of Keith's colourful bedrooms (this is Keith's first hotel, she focuses mainly on residential properties).

The Cannon Suite, named after a former horse-trainer owner in the 1800s, starts at £300 a night and is one of their three smartest rooms, located on the top floor. Once staff accommodation, it has been transformed with a marble bathroom and a freestanding copper tub, an emperor bed and brightly coloured artwork-adorned dusky pink walls, with views over the rooftops to the marshy meadows beyond, where the river divides into five streams that run under the main road.

There are 34 bedrooms in all (they added four), including a self-contained cottage, with prices starting at £150, many named after the various beats.

There are also plenty of dining options. The Market Room restaurant offers 60 covers and takes its inspiration from the river, with is multi-farious green-hued colour palette, glittering chandeliers and abundant foliage (and disco ball – weddings are big here), plus a grand piano for regular live performances. Meanwhile, the Library offers private dining for up to 12 people and there's the Danebury Room, with its deep sofas and plump cushions, where snacks are taken and afternoon tea is served – created by pastry chef, Holly Maycock.

The head chef was recently replaced and the role is now taken up by Sebastian Smith, formerly of Oakley Hall near Basingstoke.

Outside there is seating for up to 70 on the terrace and in the courtyard garden, with its wood-fired oven and dedicated chef, rustic plateware (made by Teresa – she likes to get behind the potter's wheel to decompress) and a menu of tapas-style dishes and flatbreads, which operates separately from the main kitchen – not a far cry from the Pig in the New Forest down the road. "We love the Pig. If you asked us what we hold ourselves up against then it's the Pig. We have plans to grow our own herbs and have a kitchen garden too at some point," reveals Teresa.

Many guests come from London, but since they have signed up with online agents such as Secret Escapes and Mr & Mrs Smith – and Pets Pyjamas ("we are very dog-friendly here"), they are attracting clients from all over the country. Locals make up 50% of the clientele, more so since they moved the focus of the bar from pub to cocktail, and offered it as a place to eat on quieter nights.

Multi-tasking staff

The business is currently without a general manager, although that is about to change. So just how exactly hands-on are Teresa and Simon? "Simon not so much – he still has his day job looking after his other investments, but I'm here five days a week in the school holidays and two days a week in term-time," replies Teresa, a music teacher at the local prep school when she's not behind reception, or wherever she's needed. This is her first dip, or rather full immersion into hospitality, managing a total of 48 staff.

Neither of us knew anything about running a hotel, and we had to learn quickly. It was interesting times

"We had a manager and a team in place after we bought the hotel in March 2019, but when Covid hit we furloughed everybody and suddenly we were left holding the baby. Neither of us knew anything about running a hotel, and we had to learn quickly. It was interesting times. We have been through various staff, but we've had the same chef throughout until two months ago. But kitchen-wise it has been consistent, we've been lucky. So no, the intention wasn't to get so involved, and we've had our ups and downs, but I have enjoyed learning how it all runs and building the team," says Teresa.

Incredibly, the couple also have eight children – the oldest, Katie, 23, runs the website and social media for the hotel, while her 20-year-old sister has been doing some decorating, and two others have been gardening and working on the restaurant floor.

What do they think of their parents becoming hoteliers? "They think it's great – they love bringing their friends here. Even our youngest, who is 11, understands the hours I need to put in. And there are some good life lessons here for our kids," reasons Teresa.

"I will step back a bit eventually once we get a general manager in place. Now that we have the rooms done, we want to invest in educating the staff in the food and beverage. Managing staff has been the hardest thing, juggling all those different personalities – it's about keeping things on an even keel."

Stockbridge is not the liveliest place and accommodation is hard to come by here, with property prices some of the steepest in the country (The Sunday Times has just named the Test Valley one of the best places to live in the country in its annual report), so how do they attract staff? "Front of house staff come and go like the wind. I tend to have sixth-form college kids who can drive, or have parents who will drive them, and gap year students. Permanent bar staff are much harder to find. We have just rented a house over the road so we can offer staff accommodation, which is helping massively."

What has been the most surprising thing in her hospitality trial by fire? "Working with all these amazing people, who now feel like family. It has given me new respect for the industry. Everybody works so hard – but it's not a career for the faint-hearted.

"Ultimately, it's about keeping the guests happy. And while customer service is not something I've ever done before, it does come naturally to me. Customers are paying to come and eat and drink and stay here, so they deserve the best service we can give them," she says. She breaks off to greet a customer who has walked in, in search of a cushion-filled corner and a cup of Mozzo cappuccino, from a Southampton coffee company that also happens to be one of Simon's investments, along with the company that supplied those Spanish tiles in the bar.

Lottie Keith's design for the hotel

Lottie Keith, interior designer, on how she let her creative juices flow at the Grosvenor.

What was your brief?

To create a contemporary country house hotel that retained an element of connection to its history of fishing and racing. I was keen to spice it up with lots of colour and pattern, which hopefully gives it a unique character and makes it a little bit enticing.

What do you want people to feel when they step into the Grosvenor?

Joyful, comfortable and a little bit surprised.

Any inspiration for the Grosvenor?

I love the escapism of hotels, large and small. Anouska Hempel and Kit Kemp are both inspirational owner/decorators of fantastic hotels, such as Blakes and Ham Yard in London. I also love two hotels in St Mawes, Cornwall – Olga Polizzi's Tresanton and the Idle Rocks.

You normally do residential projects, and this is your first hotel, so how was it for you?

It's something I've wanted to do for the last decade. It has been seriously hard work, but I've been lucky to work with a very enthusiastic and trusting client, so the journey has been a satisfying adventure and I was able to let my creative juices flow. With residential projects, I have personal parameters that I must work within. A hotel has other considerations, but you have relative freedom with the schemes. This gave me the opportunity to create a look and to add something unexpected and fun, which I really enjoyed.

What are your top three design elements at the Grosvenor?

I'm very proud of the new bar. I wanted it to have a bit of wow and I think it gives a real colour punch when you enter, and it offers a very different atmosphere to the other pubs locally. The garden bedrooms were once dingy and tiny but by changing the entrance to each room and incorporating large French windows onto the garden, along with the colourful layered schemes, they are now fresh and sunny. My mission with the walled garden was to link the two buildings with paths and planting so they feel like a whole, whilst also creating a little English oasis in which to enjoy lunch or dinner.

Continue reading

You need to be a premium member to view this. Subscribe from just 99p per week.

Already subscribed?

The Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email

Start the working day with The Caterer’s free breakfast briefing email

Sign Up and manage your preferences below

Check mark icon
Thank you

You have successfully signed up for the Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email and will hear from us soon!

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.

close

Ad Blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an adblocker and – although we support freedom of choice – we would like to ask you to enable ads on our site. They are an important revenue source which supports free access of our website's content, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

trade tracker pixel tracking