From Churchill’s WWII war room to Tom Holland and Zendaya’s private getaway, this reimagined historic mansion ranks among the UK’s most exclusive stays.
The UK’s Beaverbrook collection now combines two very different takes on British luxury: Beaverbrook Estate, a two Michelin-Key country estate on 470 acres in the Surrey Hills; and Beaverbrook Town House, a one Michelin-Key, 14-suite former private residence on Sloane Street in Chelsea. The Surrey mansion was once the home of newspaper baron and cabinet minister Lord Beaverbrook, and hosted Winston Churchill, Rudyard Kipling, Ian Fleming, H.G. Wells, Elizabeth Taylor and other famous figures in its heyday. Its more recently opened London counterpart reinterprets that impressive heritage in two restored Georgian townhouses overlooking Cadogan Place Gardens, and in time will no doubt have an impressive guest roster of its own.
The Surrey estate’s history dates back to 1866, when the original mansion was built in the Victorian Eclectic style. In 1910, Max Aitken, later the first Baron Beaverbrook, bought it and installed electricity, heating, a swimming pool and what the Beaverbrook collection describes as one of Britain’s first private home cinemas. The cinema survives today, along with much of the house’s original character. Lord Beaverbrook subsequently became one of the most powerful newspaper proprietors and political operators in Britain.
His holdings included the Daily Express and Sunday Express newspapers, and his friendship with Winston Churchill helped propel him to the highest echelons of power during World War II. Churchill appointed him Minister of Aircraft Production in 1940, putting him in charge of rapidly increasing production of iconic fighter aircraft including the Spitfire. The estate also had a wartime role of its own; the Beaverbrook collection says the property was occasionally used by the War Cabinet as an alternative wartime base.
The guest list was remarkable even by country-house standards. In addition to Churchill, Fleming —who famously went on to write the James Bond novels—Liz Taylor, Charlie Chaplin, Wallis Simpson, later the Duchess of Windsor, and Joseph P. Kennedy, father of JFK and U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James all spent time there. Many of the mansion’s 18 rooms and suites are named after former guests; the Churchill Suite features his original bathroom and a second exit installed for security. Lord Beaverbrook died in 1964, and the estate changed ownership and underwent extensive restoration before reopening as a luxury hotel in 2017.
Today, Beaverbrook Estate, one of the UK’s most exclusive hotels, is spread across 470 acres near Leatherhead, roughly 20 miles from central London. Accommodation is divided amongst the original House, the Garden House, the Coach House and cottages around the estate. The House (the original mansion) remains the most historically atmospheric part of the hotel, filled with books, photographs, art and objects connected to Beaverbrook and his circle. Alongside this historic artifacts is an incredible collection of modern and contemporary art, curated by the hotel’s creative director, Sir Frank Lowe, including works by Gerhard Richter, Jean Cocteau, and Brian Clarke.
Michelin has awarded the hotel two Michelin Keys, the Guide’s designation for an exceptional stay. Beaverbrook Estate is also a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, joining the collection in 2025. The hotel’s celebrity connection is still going strong meanwhile. Earlier this year, Tom Holland and Zendaya reportedly took over Beaverbrook Estate for a private wedding celebration, putting the estate back in the headlines more than a century after Beaverbrook began entertaining famous guests there.
Dining at the estate ranges from Japanese cooking to traditional British and Italian-influenced food. The Dining Room in the main house serves Japanese dishes including sashimi, tempura and robata-grilled meats and fish. The Garden House, beside the walled kitchen garden, specializes in farm-to-table Italian-style cooking — think Cornish crab risotto and Hampshire pork belly “Porchetta” — and uses produce grown on the estate; while Mrs. Beeton’s concentrates on British standards including sausage rolls, steak and eggs, and sticky toffee pudding.
One of Beaverbrook’s biggest summer attractions is its hot-air balloon dining experience, Balloons in Bloom. Six stationary, vintage-style hot-air balloons, lit from within after dusk, are arranged around the reflecting pool in the Italian Gardens, with private dining tables set inside wicker baskets beneath them. The menu takes inspiration from the Dining Room offerings. Originally striped in pink and red, the balloons’ designs change from year to year, and they’ve become an Instagram favorite.
Sir Frank’s Bar, a beautiful cocktail salon in a grand former drawing room, occupies the main house and takes its name from Beaverbrook creative director Sir Frank Lowe. The Coach House Spa is one of the estate’s most distinctive modern additions. Artist Brian Clarke designed its stained-glass ceilings, windows, mosaics and tilework around the flowers and plants of the estate. Facilities include a 65-foot indoor pool, a heated outdoor pool, six treatment rooms, a thermal suite with sauna and steam room, gym, relaxation areas and woodland walking trails.
Beaverbrook Town House opened in Chelsea in September 2021 as the estate’s first London outpost. It was created in partnership with Cadogan Estates after a £25 million (around $35 million at the time) restoration of two Georgian townhouses originally commissioned by Charles Sloane Cadogan, the first Earl Cadogan, in the late 18th century. While this was not Lord Beaverbrook’s personal London home, Beaverbrook Town House instead interprets his London life and style in a historic Sloane Street setting.
The roughly 15,000-square-foot hotel contains only 14 suites, each named after a famous London theater and decorated with velvet, antiques, theatrical posters and memorabilia. Nicola Harding worked with Sir Frank Lowe on interiors that deliberately depart from trendy hotel minimalism in favor of color, pattern and collected objects. The result feels closer to an elaborate private house, and an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Food and drink provides the strongest connection between the two Beaverbrook properties. The Fuji Grill continues the Japanese emphasis of the Surrey estate in a more contemporary setting, with sushi, sashimi, temaki, sharing plates and omakase menus. In front of it facing Sloane Street is Sir Frank’s Bar, combining lacquered walls, stained glass, leather-lined booths and an extensive collection of 19th-century Japanese woodblock prints.
Both have become a favored spots for guests and stylish Londoners. Michelin has awarded Beaverbrook Town House one Michelin Key, while Fuji Grill is also included in the Michelin Guide. For private dining, the Butterfly Room, decorated with Japanese butterfly prints and lacquered mirrors, accommodates up to 16 guests for dinner, with menus from Fuji Grill. It also opens onto a secluded courtyard garden, a particularly appealing feature in the heart of Chelsea.
