Cowdray House

Cowdray House on the Cowdray Estate in West Sussex, is an extraordinary place to stay. The estate is home to the Cowdray family, and is world-famous for being the center of British polo. The estate has welcomed royalty from all over the world, including our Queen and Prince Philip.

The house is beautifully suited to entertaining of the highest manner, and welcomes both private and corporate guests.

There are 22 bedrooms in Cowdray House, all en-suite, and accommodating up to 44 guests. Each room is very well appointed and most overlook the gardens and rolling serenity of the South Downs.

The reception rooms include a dining room (seating up to 60), a library, morning room and drawing room. Both the drawing room and library open onto the front terrace – perfect for drinks before dinner. There is also the magnificent Buck Hall, with its lofty vaulted ceiling and minstrels’ gallery – the hall can seat up to 150 guests to dine, and 300 for a cocktail reception. It lends itself to all sorts of occasions, from sporting banquets to weddings to charity evenings, and the minstrels’ gallery can be put to full use with some jolly modern minstrels.

The house also has both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, an all-weather tennis court, croquet lawn, and the most fabulous private bowling alley, for high-stakes competition.

The house sits in 110 acres of parkland and private gardens. There’s plenty of space for the greatest of splendid marquees, allowing for up to 600 guests.

NB: Cowdray House is available in its entirety, or divided from its North Wing. The North Wing sleeps 12 and can be self-catered, although guests cannot use the pools and distractions that come as part of the main house.

Edmund’s Choice of Extraordinary Feature

“Polo is known as the ‘Sport of Kings’, and the Cowdray Estate is the home of British polo. Staying at Cowdray House gives you the chance to learn more about such a fantastic, glamorous world, and during the summer season, guests are invited to stomp the odd divot between chukkas.”

About the Estate

Cowdray Estate offers outstanding country sport, as well as polo, including golf, fly-fishing and shooting. Guests can book lessons and hire suitable equipment (and ponies) for each sport.

There are several farms on the estate (and a farm shop, with deli and butchery), and other venues that welcome guests in various capacities (Capron House, Cowdray Hall and Cowdray Golf Clubhouse and Lodge. There are also the exciting art exhibitions, going on in the Tower Room, in the ruins of the Cowdray Tudor mansion).

Guests can lose themselves in the woods and valleys of the estate, or book wild-life tours, and learn how to tickle a brown trout.

There is additional accommodation at the Golf Lodge, which sleeps 16, and four pretty estate cottages, which sleep 13. Across the Estate, over 70 people can be accommodated overnight.

About the Location

The Cowdray Estate is very close to the Goodwood Estate, and both overlook the South Downs.

It takes about an hour and forty minutes to drive from central London, or you can take a train to Haslemere Station (about 15 minutes by taxi to Cowdray).

Weddings at Cowdray

You can be married in both Capron House and Cowdray House, or at the golf club. There is a team on site to help you marshal troops to plan your day.

Photographs can be taken at the romantic ruins of Cowdray’s Tudor mansion, a short drive from the House.