10 Castle Street, Cranborne

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Edward Stillingfleet was born in Cranborne on 1635 and became one of the notable divines of his age, as Bishop of Worcester and as author of Origines Britannicae, then the most important book written on the evolution of the Early English Church. He was notable (and divine) for another reason: he was reputedly so handsome that he had the nickname, ‘The Beauty of Holiness’. Whether the rest of his family inherited his good looks is not recorded but it was one of them who, in about the 1740s, built the core of the house that is now 10 Castle Street.
This Stillingfleet was the agent for the Cecil family’s Cranborne Estate. Cranborne Manor, built originally as a hunting lodge for King John, has often in recent centuries been the home of the Viscounts Cranborne, the courtesy title given to the eldest son of the Marquess of Salisbury. The main family seat is at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, however, so it is perhaps not surprising that there have also been long periods when the Cecils have been largely absentee landlords. It was during one such time that Stillingfleet built the house known then as Cranborne Lodge, in which he lived with his family.

They were not in residence long, because by the late 18th century, the property was occupied by Thomas Erle-Drax, who more than doubled the size of the house by extending a wing in either direction. With so many houses on their extensive estate around Morden, it is something of a mystery why the Draxes wanted another large residence, and some distance away from their main seat at Charborough Park. They were not there long either, and Cranborne Lodge came into the hands of Lewis Tregonwell, a branch of whose family was at Edmondsham House, a few miles away. Tregonwell is credited with being the founder of Bournemouth (he built the first house there on what was then barren heathland in 1812), but Cranborne Lodge was his main residence for much of his adult life.

The Cecils took the house back and used it very much as a family home until the 1970s. It was let briefly to an American family and then to Leonora, Countess of Lichfield. The daughter of the Duke of Westminster, she married the late Earl of Lichfield (better known as the society photographer, Patrick Lichfield) in 1975. They divorced eleven years later having had three children, who were brought up at Cranborne Lodge.

The architecture of the house is difficult to classify: it is a cross between Palladian and early Georgian, without quite achieving the style of either, while the extensive use of brick of a strong red colour means that the overall effect is impressive rather than beautiful. The attention is also distracted on the south side by the exaggeratedly large triple keystones to the windows. This device is echoed more discreetly on the north side, although here the eye is caught first by the four pilasters that support an impressive pediment, while a round-headed window in the centre on the first floor softens the effect. This was originally the entrance front, but now it looks out over the extensive gardens and the house is approached from the south, along Castle Street. Although it is in the centre of Cranborne, when its gates are closed, you would not know the house is there.

In 2014, Alex and Gretchen Boon took a lease on the building, re-named it 10 Castle Street and converted it to what has been called ‘Dorset’s grandest hotel’. It is a bit more than that, because although the ground floor is a bar, restaurant and drawing room open to the public, the first and second floors are devoted to a members’ club, as well as nine luxurious bedrooms. The conversion, which involved completely re-plumbing the building, was a massive exercise, took a year and a half and is rumoured to have cost more than £1m. The Boons previously ran the King John at Tollard Royal, and before that were involved at the Museum in Farnham when it became the country pub-restaurant for trendy Londoners to visit, so they know what they are about and it would be unwise to bet against them recovering their investment.

The building is grade II* listed, so each step in the renovation had to have the approval of Historic England, East Dorset DC or both. Alex Boon found them generally quite helpful and co-operative, perhaps because they were pragmatic enough to realise that otherwise, the future of the building might be seriously jeopardised. Downstairs is the comfortable drawing room, then the bar, which leads into a most elegant restaurant. Off this is what is known as the tasting room, where tasting menus are indeed served. Or it can be converted into an intimate dining space for a dozen people, with a rather funkier and more informal atmosphere than the main restaurant; on one side is a glass wall through which the chef and his crew can be watched at work. The other walls are hand-painted by the immensely fashionable mural artist, Frederick Wimsett.

Upstairs, the main club room is a former bedroom: supposedly, the one in which the Queen Mother would sleep when she came to visit. It is the one room that the Boons did not renovate or even redecorate and looking at its trompe l’oeil wallpaper, its rococo ceiling and its magnificent fireplace, one can see why.
By definition, the members’ club has an air of exclusivity about it, so there is a dilemma between seeking those likely to join and publicising it too widely. However, Alex Boon says that they are happy with their progress towards the target of 1000 members; he expects the new spa, which will include a gym and yoga room and which should be completed in 2018 after a series of planning delays, to provide a boost. There are local members, but a good proportion of those who have joined live outside the county, including overseas, but come to Dorset regularly, perhaps for shooting or golf or other sporting activities, and want a home from home where they can leave their equipment between visits.

A club involves more than just the physical facilities, and events are laid on for the membership: lifestyle occasions with leading brands such as Aston Martin, talks about everything from literature through business to crafts, sporting events, and outings to Glorious Goodwood, for example.

One of the most striking features of the renovation has been the art, a special interest of Gretchen Boon. There are links with London galleries such as Messum’s and the Cob, as well as with closer ones like the Art Stable at Child Okeford, which ensure a constantly changing display of paintings and sculptures, many of which are discreetly for sale. Local artists who have displayed work at 10 Castle Street include Ursula Leach and Hazel Morgan, while among those who enjoy wider national fame are Sally Mclaren and Chris Levene. Sculpture by Simon Gudgeon of Sculpture by the Lakes at Tincleton graces the garden, which has also displayed work by Hamish Mackie, one of the leaders of the younger generation of British sculptors. The only drawback to his pieces is that they are usually so massive that it needs heavy lifting machinery to move them around!

All those with an enthusiasm for Dorset’s architectural heritage – even if belonging to an exclusive members’ club is not their highest budgetary priority – will wish the Boons well in their venture. The county has so many interesting old buildings whose future is at best uncertain that it is good to hear of one that has taken on a new lease of life.