LUX Spring 2018

88 A bastion of true English style and grandeur, Beaverbrook is a late-Victorian mansion that offers guests modern facilities combined with classic charm to create a truly extraordinary experience which cannot be replicated. Following a £90m refurbishment, of which some of the work is still ongoing, this sweeping estate boasts an array of accommodations, golf course, cookery school and even the historic Art Deco cinema, which was the first of its kind when it was originally created. There is still much more to come as the owners continue to adapt the house and grounds to combine history with hospitality. The story of Beaverbrook House is inextricably linked with that of its most famous resident, Lord Beaverbrook. Winston Churchill’s great friend, Lord Beaverbrook was one of the most powerful men in 20th Century Britain. A kingmaker, powerbroker and sometime mischief maker, Lord Beaverbrook was a consummate politician and a publicist of boundless energy. A Cabinet Minister during both World Wars, Lord Beaverbrook also held the title of “First Baron of Fleet Street”. His newspapers could make or break almost anyone, a tool he used to considerable effect to promote his friends as well as undermine his opponents. It was said that if Winston Churchill was Britain’s bulldog, then Lord Beaverbrook, via his Daily Express and Sunday Express, was surely its bark. The media mogul is fondly remembered at his old home, with staff wearing spitfire brooches in honour of his famed ‘Saucepans for Spitfires’ campaign, when Lord Beaverbrook encouraged people to donate old kitchenware to create new aircraft for the war effort. A colourful character who courted intelligent debate as well as beautiful women, Lord Beaverbrook hosted the Great and the Good at Beaverbrook over a period of more than half a century and the Visitor’s Book reads like a Who’s Who of the 20th Century. Today, his former home welcomes guests from around the world to sample its exceptional hospitality, and in reverence to the distinguished visitors that the establishment hosted over the years, each bedroom is named after a dignitary who graced it with their presence during Lord Beaverbrook’s time, to name but a few, Sir Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Rudyard Kipling and even Elizabeth Taylor. Set in 400 acres of beautiful grounds and woodlands, Beaverbrook is a jewel in the Surrey countryside’s illustrious crown. Having played host to some of the greatest minds, visionaries and dignitaries throughout history, today the estate opens its doors to discerning guests who revel in some of the finest hospitality that the region has to offer.