On Your Doorstep: Barnett Hill

In the latest instalment of our series which looks at places to stay right here in Surrey, Rebecca Younger visits Barnett Hill, the home built by Thomas Cook’s grandson in the early 1900s

- Rebecca Younger

STARTING life as a mere wooded hilltop – albeit with remarkable views of the Surrey Hills – near Wonersh Village, Barnett Hill has a fascinating history dating back to the early 1900s. Frank Cook, the grandson of the famous travel agent Thomas Cook, purchased the 26-acre site in 1905, thinking that it would make the perfect setting for a stunning Queen Anne-style manor house, which he went on to build for the grand sum of £35,000.

During the Second World War, the house was passed over to the British Red Cross and became a convalescent hospital, where both soldiers and civilians were cared for and rehabilitated with the help of the St John War organisation. The Red Cross continued to make use of the house after the war as a training centre and, in more recent years, the house has been used as a conference centre, hosting the occasional wedding and individual guests at weekends.

Last year the Utopia Spa Hotels group, which also owns Langshot Manor in Horley, purchased the property and has been splashing the cash in a bid to return it to its former life as a stately country home.

Having visited Barnett Hill a few years back, prior to the refurbishment, I was well aware of its spectacular setting but hadn’t quite expected the transformation that would welcome us inside.