Sopwell House
| Sopwell House | |
| Hertfordshire | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sopwell House | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TL15630534 |
| Location: | 51°44’6"N, 0°19’37"W |
| History | |
| Country house | |
| Information | |
| Condition: | Converted to hotel |
Sopwell House is a historic Georgian country house, now a luxury 128 bedroom hotel, country club and spa, to the south of St Albans in Hertfordshire, along Cottonmill Lane, just outside the edge of the little city's townscape.
The name 'Sopwell' is derived from the estates of Sopwell Priory. The priory itself stood further up Cottonmill Lane, on a site now within the town, until it was dissolved under Henry VIII, after which in the 16th century a private house, also called Sopwell House, was built on the site: the ruins of the latter remain today along Cottonmill Lane.
Sopwell House hotel has gained some tabloid fame as the gathering place for the England football team before international football events. It has also hosted other club and international football teams.
History
Though mention of buildings on the site goes back to 1604, it was not developed as a country house until the master mason Edward Strong built his home here in the 18th century. Strong's career included work on St Paul's Cathedral and Blenheim Palace.
During the mid-19th century Sopwell House known then as New Barnes (or New Barns) was the seat of the philanthropist Mrs. Isabella Worley. Amongst the many donations to St Albans from this benefactor were Christ Church on Verulam Road and the Wooden Room in Lattimore Road.
The house was extended in Victorian times and in 1900 was leased to Prince Louis of Battenberg, an Admiral of the Royal Navy who made it his family home. The family changed their name from 'von Battenberg' to 'Mountbatten' during the First World War. His four children grew up here, Alice, Louise, George (later 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven) and Louis (later 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma).
The young Louis, like his father, had a distinguished Royal Navy career and was to become the last Viceroy of India. Alice married Prince Andrew of Greece and their son is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The proposal of marriage was made in the grounds of the house. Louise Mountbatten went on to marry and become Queen of Sweden.
The home passed to the Earl of Verulam and his family after the Second World War and was sold to become a hotel in 1969.
Hotel
The hotel was bought by a family in 1986 and is still run as a family business today. It is part of the small AB Hotels group consisting of two hotels in the southern counties; Sopwell House and Five Lakes Resort.