What was once a small rural outpost of farms, mills and ferries in north west Surrey is now the wonderful suburb of Weybridge, a modern town that fuses history with homes for the captains of next-generation industry.
This is where the River Wey meets the famous River Thames and ever since Henry VIII built Oatlands Palace, generations of the country’s elite have followed suit. Weybridge tells the familiar story of a town that exploded in popularity at the advent of the railway, and the architecture of 19th-century villas and terraces, beautiful interwar houses and the contemporary mansions of St George’s Hill are clues to its steady development.
With attractions such as the celebration of aviation and motorsport at Brooklands Museum and the high-octane experience of Mercedes-Benz World, alongside the more sedate river walks, cycle routes and sailing options, this town often sees visitors keen to stay for a day or two.
As a result, there is a small but well-presented collection of hotels to accommodate them during their time here. Here is a guide to the very best among them.
Brooklands Hotel & Spa
The Brooklands Hotel & Spa was created in 2009 as part of an exciting regeneration of the world-famous former Brooklands airfield and motor racing circuit. This fascinating and historic heritage informs the design language of the entire hotel in a direct and engaging way. Aerodynamic lines and sleek contours guide the eyeline across shapes and structures that hark back to a golden age of vehicle development with huge glass panels and metallic finishes. Many of the most impressive rooms and suites at Brooklands even overlook a superbly preserved banked section of the racing circuit that has stood here for well over a century.
There are 131 rooms and suites that all follow this aesthetic through accent lighting and chrome detailing amongst the floor-to-ceiling windows that certainly make the most of the incredible scenery outside. The 1907 Restaurant Bar & Grill focuses on modern British and European cuisine with a seasonal menu celebrating produce from the surrounding areas. Highlights here can range from the robust Dry-aged Big Cuts of steak prepared on volcanic stone to the more light and precise Cod & filo with fennel velouté, shaved fennel, roasted salsify, sautéed kale and salmon caviar. A cocktail and champagne bar here provides a terrace to offer a vantage point of the new Mercedes-Benz World track.
The Spa & Wellness suite, with Sunlight Therapy Room and Mud Rasul Chamber, is also available when guests would like to relax in a lower gear too. This is themed hospitality done extremely well to a very high standard.
Oatlands Park Hotel
The imperious setting of ten acres of private parkland that looks out over Broadwater Lake is home to Oatlands Park Hotel. Almost 500 years ago, this was also home to perhaps the most famous king of them all, Henry VIII. The original estate was built for Anne of Cleves, Henry’s fourth wife, and stayed active as a royal residence until it was destroyed in the English Civil War. The new mansion that rose up in the late 18th Century evolved gently through the generations and is now a marvellous Grade-II listed hotel that has been welcoming guests for over 160 years.
There is a definite feeling of seclusion and remote English countryside about Oatlands Park Hotel that is all the more impressive when you realise that it is only 17 miles from Central London. The manicured lawns, mature trees and lakeside scenery all add to a pleasing formality that speaks to the hotel’s regal past. Architecturally, classical proportions and adaptations that chart Georgian and Victorian tastes are everywhere, with stucco facades and a scene-stealing grand central portico to welcome guests. The interiors and 140+ rooms and suites all carry this design through with high ceilings, marble floors, vast sash windows and period detail touches such as roll top bath tubs.
The Mulberry Restaurant at Oatlands brings an elevated menu of modern British dishes that are served with the ultimate accompaniment of another view of the gardens and lake. Special notice should be paid to the excellent afternoon tea service with sandwiches, scones and patisserie that runs from 2pm to 5pm. Dining like an English king in what was once a royal home is certainly a great way to celebrate this hotel’s enviable history.
The Hand & Spear
Although the grander surroundings of country estate hotels do take up the majority of the headlines, boutique hotels in Surrey are often more than a match for them in terms of style and personality. The Hand & Spear on Old Heath Road is a fantastic example of this idea in action. It was built in the early 1800s as a railway hotel and coaching inn to support the sudden influx of passengers and workers that came to Weybridge as a result of this transformative new mode of transport expanding across the country. The intriguing name is a reference to the coat of arms for the town that symbolises the protection and craftsmanship that these pioneers were offered at all times.
In 2015, the world-famous London brewery Fuller’s added the building to its premium collection of boutique hotels and sympathetically renovated this late Georgian and early Victorian tapestry into a contemporary hospitality delight. 12 individually designed bedrooms deliver on an informal but luxurious brief of patterned period wallpaper and handmade furniture that has a delicate modern vintage atmosphere throughout.
As a fully operating pub, there is a constantly changing energy about The Hand & Spear that takes one from breakfast on the garden terrace through to lively evenings of music and chatter. In such a setting, it would seem a missed opportunity not to try Fuller’s London Pride battered haddock with minted pea puree, chunky chips and tartare sauce. This dish is a refined and elegant version of an English classic, much like the hotel itself.
The residents of Weybridge have been drawn here to its distinct commuter belt charms for many generations now. It seems perfectly appropriate that visitors are doing the same, albeit for a much shorter period. The hotels in this guide demonstrate exactly what is on offer to make the perfect base for exploration in this small and stylish Surrey enclave.
