Sussex is home to a few fantastically splendid venues, and Buxted Park Hotel in East Sussex is definitely one of them. And how about combining the hotel’s Georgian style, with an outrageously hedonistic weekend of 1920s glamour?
Set in 312 acres, Buxted Park on Ashdown Forest in East Sussex is an elegant, Palladian style country house which combines Georgian grace with modern luxury. The hotel dates back to the 12th century but the current building was built in 1725 by Thomas Medley, whose family had been keepers of the Privy Purse in the reign of Henry VIII.
In the 19th century, Buxted Park was home to Lord Liverpool II, the then Prime Minister and saw such prestigious guests as Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert. More recently, in the 20th century, guests included George V and Queen Mary as well as Churchill and Browning.
The Great Gatsby extravaganza
The folks at Buxted Park definitely know how to throw one heck of an event and they recently combined fun, luxury and incredible flair to host an exclusive Great Gatsby-inspired extravaganza.
Imagine arriving in front of their impressive facade, to be met by not one, but two vintage Rolls Royce and a red carpet rolled out just for you!
Attention to detail is clearly their thing, with vast plumes of feathers, 1920s luggage, Great Gatsby ice sculptures and a welcome that said, “Be prepared to be wowed”. And we were.
Champagne Afternoon Tea with live jazz
After dropping off our luggage and admiring the view from our balcony, the hotel staff charmed us into the hedonistic atmosphere of the era, with an afternoon that started with jazz from a Saxophonist and a champagne afternoon tea and finished with us all dancing the Charleston!
This was an afternoon well spent sipping on bubbles in 20s splendour. Professional Charleston dancers were on hand to take up the pace as slowly us glamourous ladies and gents of the decade decked in Flapper dressers, feathers, sequins and boaters took to the floor to try our hand, or rather our feet, at the Cha Cha Cha (OK, so that was a 1950s dance but you get the picture). Daisy Buchanan, eat your heart out.
Champagne, oysters and fireworks
As the day wore on, we slipped into a sparkling array of Coco Chanel inspired dresses and enjoyed Champagne, canapés and an oyster bar as we spilled out onto the terrace and garden in the evening sunshine.
Dancers kept us entertained and the bar staff couldn’t be more charming or better company as we moved on to a four-course 1920s banquet in the ballroom with four carefully paired wines while jazz singers and more dancers set the tone.
And of course, Gatsby loved lavish, so as the sun set, our party drifted onto the steps of the hotel overlooking the lavish lawn to watch a firework display light up the night before the evening whirled into a dancing spectacular. Think jazz trio including vocals, double bass and piano, dancing to the sounds of a six piece band and of course, tap dancing. And, in true Gatsby style, we all finished the night at the casino table.
Stay a little longer
With a room and balcony overlooking the lawns and with fantastic views, every last drop of this chic experience felt sublime, and an overnight stay in one of the beautiful bedrooms, led to a lingering breakfast. The staff here had clearly thought of every detail and pulled out all the stops to make this a once in a lifetime event.
Buxted Park host a number of different events. You can find out more about future events here: Buxted Park
