Beaverbrook Surrey – the house that ran Britain's Spitfires

Thirty minutes south-west of London, folded into the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, stands a Victorian mansion that once doubled as an annexe of wartime government. As Churchill's great friend and wartime Minister of Aircraft Production, who famously trebled Spitfire production and helped Britain survive the Battle of Britain, Beaverbrook turned the house into a gathering place for the political and literary elite of the twentieth century.

01The house

The mansion at the centre of the estate began life as Cherkley Court, built between 1866 and 1870 for the wool manufacturer Abraham Dixon. Churchill stayed many times over the decades that followed, as did Kipling and other friends from politics and letters.

As Churchill's wartime Minister of Aircraft Production, Beaverbrook trebled Spitfire production, a contribution credited with helping Britain survive the Battle of Britain, partly through the 'Saucepans for Spitfires' campaign that asked households to melt down kitchenware for aircraft aluminium. He and Churchill would retreat to the house's cinema to watch wartime newsreels, and down by the gallops the two would share a whisky under a yew tree.

The house passed to Beaverbrook's widow after his death, and later lay quiet until new owners set about reviving it; the plan for a luxury hotel and golf club initially met opposition from local environmentalists. The gardens were redesigned by Richard Bisgrove, an authority on Gertrude Jekyll, and include an Italian Garden with a sunken pond reached by steps. Interiors throughout are by Soho House designer Susie Atkinson, who gave the Grade II-listed Victorian mansion a modern take on the country house look that now earns it Two MICHELIN Keys.

02Rooms and suites

The House holds 18 bedrooms across five categories — Classic, Turret, Studio Suite, Suite and Dowager Suite — each named after one of the guests who once stayed under this roof, among them Elizabeth Taylor, Rudyard Kipling and Ian Fleming, alongside Rose Kennedy and Jean Cocteau, regulars during Beaverbrook's decades at the house.

Insider tip

Access is for registered overnight guests only, with advance booking required.

Beyond The House, the Garden House overlooks the estate's walled kitchen garden with farmhouse-inspired furnishings for a quieter stay, while the Coach House offers a third character altogether. Furthest from the main house, the Village's 21 storybook cottages are each named after a literary or artistic great, built for families or longer stays. Across the four areas, the estate now counts 56 rooms in total.

03Where to eat

The Dining Room, in The House, serves sushi, sashimi and nigiri alongside meat and fish from the Josper grill. It is led by Wojciech Popow, who built his technique working for Gordon Ramsay and at Noma before becoming deputy chef at London's Yashin; his dishes include a toro tartare with yuzu miso and fresh truffle, charcoaled Wagyu with juniper miso and sansho pepper, and turbot nigiri.

The Garden House restaurant turns to Anglo-Italian cooking, pairing views of the grounds with dishes such as gnoccillini with goat's cheese and pistachio, or open ravioli with crab and squid-ink pasta. Mrs Beeton's serves British classics, and The Deli offers stone-baked pizzas and seasonal fare, alongside the open-fire cooking of The WildKitchen.

04The bar

Sir Frank's and Robin's Nest are the estate's two bars, the former bringing art-deco polish to The House and named for Sir Frank Lowe, the creative director behind its art collection; the latter offers a more relaxed spot for a drink. Close by sits the library of Beaverbrook's own leather-bound books and the wood-panelled room that holds one of Britain's first private cinemas, still used for film nights today.

05Spa and wellbeing

The Coach House Spa offers a fitness gym, treatments, and both indoor and outdoor pools, alongside a programme of Visiting Masters brought in for specialist treatments, set beneath stained-glass ceilings by artist Brian Clarke. Elsewhere on the estate are tennis, pickleball and paddle courts, a private cinema and outdoor challenges from the Bear Grylls Survival Academy.

In 2026 the MICHELIN Guide confirmed the house's Two Keys for another year, while Condé Nast Traveller's Readers' Choice Awards named Beaverbrook the UK's third-best hotel and the Coach House Spa its second-best destination spa.

06The neighbourhood

Beaverbrook sits in the heart of the Surrey Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a little over 20 miles from central London. It is roughly 40 minutes from Heathrow and under an hour from Gatwick, workable for a half-day escape or a longer stay. Beyond the estate's own 470 acres of gardens and grounds for walking and cycling, the slopes of Box Hill and the North Downs lie within easy reach.

07Making the most of a stay

Families are well catered for: the Sharky & George kids' club runs alongside the estate's courts, and outdoor challenges from the Bear Grylls Survival Academy give older children something more adventurous. Inside, the walls carry a collection overseen by creative director Sir Frank Lowe, taking in works by Jean Cocteau, Marianne North and Gerhard Richter alongside Brian Clarke's stained glass — worth an hour's wander before dinner. Shareholders include the tennis players Andy Murray and Tim Henman, a detail that explains the quality of the estate's courts.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.