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hall of fame
Home to ex-Prime Ministers and Lords alike, Brocket Hall has had a salacious past. Now it houses two of the best golf courses in England. By Tony Smart.
Brocket Hall is a scandalous place. The printed history of the 250-year-old country estate is littered with aristocratic shenanigans and financial misdeeds.
Though there has been a house on the Brocket Hall estate since 1239, the existing mansion was built in 1760. Shortly thereafter, the owner, Sir Peniston Lamb, was elevated to the peerage, becoming the first Lord Melbourne simply because his wife was having an affair with the Prince Regent, who later became King George IV.
Lamb’s son inherited the title in 1828 when his wife, the notorious Lady Caroline Lamb (subject of a 1972 movie of the same name starring Sarah Miles and Laurence Olivier), had already had a tempestuous affair with the famous English poet Lord Byron. Once the affair and the scandal surrounding it had died down, the second Lord Melbourne became Prime Minister.
His successor as Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, also lived at Brocket Hall and is alleged to have died at the age of 80 whilst making love to a chambermaid on the billiard table.
But there’s nothing scandalous about Brocket Hall now, except that you could say it’s a scandalously beautiful place with two scandalously great golf courses, named the Palmerston and the Melbourne after the two Prime Ministers who lived here.
Of the courses, I preferred the newer (opened in 2000) Donald Steel-designed Palmerston, but only just. It’s a superb woodland track measuring 6,473-metres from the back tees. The fairways on this par-73 course are lined with forests of rare hornbeam, Corsican and Scots pine trees plus 300-year-old oaks, making a wayward tee shot very costly.
Dangerous fairway bunkers and deep greenside sand hazards also add to the challenge, as do the fast, true but very undulating and difficult to read greens. Get around this course without a three-putt or worse and you’ve done very well. And, without a building in sight save for the halfway house and the clubhouse at the first and 18th, it’s an oasis of peace and tranquility that is a joy to play. And there’s not a water hazard in sight.
The older (opened in 1992) Melbourne course, designed by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark, has one water hazard that comes into play on five holes. And what a water hazard it is. Known as Broadwater Lake, it is totally picturesque, lined with trees like weeping willows, and full of swans.
It comes into play on the first, an almost driveable par-four where the lake runs along the entire right-hand side; the second, a 174-metre par-three played straight over the lake; the fourth, a long par-four requiring a fairway wood or long iron approach over the lake; and the 16th, a 385-metre par-four, again requiring an approach across the lake to a severely undulating green. And then there’s the par-five closer, where long hitters may fancy their chances of carrying the lake with their second shots whilst the rest of us will be laying up short, leaving a wedge or nine-iron third across the water to a green that slopes back to front towards the lake. You definitely don’t want too much backspin here.
The rest of the course is a scenic parkland layout with greens just as tricky as those on the Palmerston course and two par-threes named Byron and Caroline Lamb. Other holes are called Elizabeth I, Prince Regent, Icehouse and Cipriani.
When not playing these two great courses you can work on your game at Brocket Hall’s magnificent Palmerston Golf Academy where there is a seven-hole par-three course running through the woods with holes ranging in length from 53-metres to 144-metres.
Make sure you set aside time to explore Brocket Hall itself, with its luxurious rooms and suites, Prime Minister’s dining table (the second-longest in England), antiques, magnificent artworks and beautifully painted ceilings, somewhat reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel. You can also stay on site in the equally luxurious, 16-room Melbourne Lodge with its views across Broadwater Lake and the estate.
For food during your stay you are truly spoilt for choice with the golf clubhouse and Watershyppes restaurant serving excellent meals. Lovers of fine dining can enjoy the cuisine of Michelin-starred chef Phil Thompson at the estate’s Auberge du Lac restaurant.
Oh, and if you do stay the night you may well be sleeping in the same bed as a famous celebrity. Helen Mirren filmed The Queen here and stars like Bette Davis, former 007 Timothy Dalton, David Frost, Martina Navratilova, Faye Dunaway and Peter O’Toole have all bedded down at Brocket Hall, as have Princess Anne, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and Bill Clinton. Quite a cast, although I’m not sure how many brought their golf clubs… p
Pictures courtesy of Brocket Hall.
at a glance
Getting there: Brocket Hall is in Welwyn in Hertfordshire, a 45-minute drive from central London. Qantas, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Emirates all fly to London.
131-313; qantas.com.au
1300-767-177; britishairways.com
1300-727-340; virgin-atlantic.com
61-3/9940-7807; emirates.com/au
Green fees: Visitors are welcome Monday to Friday (December – February) and Monday to Sunday (March – November). Rates are £75 (Nov. – Mar.); £105 (Apr.); £130 (May-Sep.); £110 (Oct.).
Accommodation: Historic Melbourne Lodge, formerly the Brocket Hall stable-block, has been transformed into luxurious accommodation. All 16 bedrooms are appointed to the highest standard, in traditional country-house style. Prices in October are £125 for a single, £145 for a double.
Stay & Play: Brocket Hall offers a golf package including 36 holes on either of the courses, one night’s accommodation in the Melbourne Lodge, dinner and full English breakfast in Watershyppes restaurant. The package costs £159 per person from November to March (exc. dinner); £199 per person from April to October.
Dining: Under the expert guidance of Executive Chef Phil Thompson, Auberge du Lac, the Estate's former Hunting Lodge, has gained a national reputation as one of the most interesting out-of-London restaurants in the country.
For more information, e-mail
reservations@brocket-hall.co.uk;
brocket-hall.co.uk
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