Cowley Manor
An Italianate nineteenth-century house enlarged in the Horlick period, now operating as a country-house hotel.
An Italianate nineteenth-century house enlarged in the Horlick period, now operating as a country-house hotel.
Register entry — COWLEY MANOR. National Heritage List for England reference: 1340155. Recorded designation: Grade II listed building.
First listed: 1960-07-04. This is the listing date, not a construction date.
Source: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1340155
The register identity was cross-checked against the official record name, coordinates and grade on 21 October 2026.
An English editorial overview and visiting guidance are available in this dossier. Check the linked official information for current opening times, access and booking arrangements.
Record
- Italianate country house adapted as a hotel
- United Kingdom
- Cowley
- South West England
- other
- 1960-07-04
Editorial reading
Historic England distinguishes an earlier house of 1695 from the Italianate building designed by G. Somers Clarke around 1855. It allows that some earlier foundations or walls may survive, rather than asserting that the entire present house dates to the seventeenth century.
Sir James Horlick enlarged the main range and service accommodation in the late nineteenth century. The listing records colonnades, balustrades, decorated window surrounds and substantial later interior changes. Its descriptions reflect the survey period and should not be treated as a current room inventory.
The operator now presents Cowley Manor Experimental as a hotel, restaurant and spa in a landscape of gardens and lakes.
Our editorial reading: the layered architecture provides a setting for contemporary hospitality, with continuity expressed through reuse rather than an unchanged historic interior.
Sources: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1340155 and https://www.experimentalgroup.com/cotswolds/cowley-manor-experimental (checked 21 October 2026).
Recommendation
Check directly with the hotel for accommodation, dining, spa and garden arrangements. Confirm any specific access needs; a hospitality booking is distinct from a guided architectural tour or unrestricted entry to every part of the property.
Location and visiting
Confirm current opening times, access and reservations with the place itself. These details follow the source record.
Sources & credits
Source record: Wikidata
Source record: Eigen redactie
Source record: Eigen redactie
Source record: National Heritage List for England (Historic England)
Source record: Wikimedia Commons
Explore the region
Based on the recorded country and region. Europe’s regional grouping is an editorial choice. Open the English regional collection to explore places across the Mondes and linked publications.