Cowdray Estate

Cowdray Estate: a 16,000-acre country estate in West Sussex

Cowdray Estate presents itself as a dynamic and progressive 16,000-acre estate in West Sussex. Its offering combines accommodation, dining, outdoor sports, wellbeing and spaces for celebrations, with the stated aim of maintaining a balance between the old and the new through good landscape management, holistic land management, wildlife conservation and the creation of an estate community.

Accommodation on the estate

The estate has several stay options. Costers Lodge is a recently refurbished country retreat, sleeping up to six guests, ideal for families and groups of friends. Challens Yarde is a Grade II listed luxury holiday cottage, formerly a wheelwright's shop and three cottages, sleeping up to eight people, with a private garden and off-street parking. Apsley Cottage, located just outside Bepton and a short drive from Midhurst, is a luxury short-term rental with three bedrooms. The Benbow Pond Holiday Cottages are four luxury cottages behind Benbow Pond, designed for couples and families. The Golf Lodge & The Bothy offers bed and breakfast with en-suite rooms, open to everyone, not just golfers, sleeping up to 16 guests and with views over the polo fields and the Cowdray ruins.

Dining and local produce

The food offering includes the Farm Shop Café, which serves homemade food with locally sourced ingredients and makes its own cakes on the premises. Cowdray Express, located opposite the Farm Shop & Café, offers healthy snacks and refreshments for those in a hurry, with opening hours that may vary by season. At the Cowdray Golf Clubhouse, The Clubhouse restaurant is open to everyone, not just golfers, and serves breakfast, lunch and brunch seven days a week; in summer, enjoying the terrace with views over the Cowdray ruins and the South Downs is recommended. The Griffin offers a Sunday carvery from 12:00 to 15:00 at Cowdray Golf Club in Midhurst, priced at £25.50 for two courses and £11.50 for a children's meal with dessert (up to 12 years old). The estate also has The Yellow Kitchen, which offers dinners and picnic hampers, and the Farm Shop, which includes a traditional butchery, a deli counter and a wide selection of artisan products from local suppliers and other producers further afield. Cowdray Lifestyle complements the offering with homeware, gifts and Cowdray branded products.

Sports and outdoor activities

Cowdray Park Polo Club is the home of British polo: the sport has been played at Cowdray for over a century and more than 400 matches are played each season, with the British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup as the highlight. The polo season runs from April to September and spectators are welcome. Golf has been played at Cowdray Golf for over a century; the course, considered a Sussex sporting institution, combines sandy soil with modern irrigation and sprinkler systems that keep it in good condition all year round. Hownhall Shooting, an award-winning shooting school located in the woods north of Midhurst, offers professional experiences from beginners to experienced shots. The Cocking Shoot, included among the country's top ten, is known for its high birds in the South Downs setting. The estate also offers fly fishing on the river Rother, walking, cycling and horse riding, as well as guided running, foraging, the maize maze and sunflower picking, wildlife tours, the Bear Grylls Survival Academy and the Polo Academy.

Weddings, events and corporate spaces

Cowdray House, at the heart of the estate, is offered for exclusive use with complete privacy, and hosts weddings, celebrations and corporate events, as well as private stays. The Walled Garden, a historic walled garden next to the Cowdray ruins, is available for weddings, ceremonies, birthdays and various celebrations. The estate also organises Christmas events: a special three-night stay was held at Cowdray House from Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th December, with the possibility of booking individual rooms for the first time. In addition, a wedding open day was held at The Walled Garden on 17th October, and a Halloween trail took place at the Cowdray ruins between 28th October and 1st November.

Wellbeing and filming

Cowdray Hall hosts inspirational workshops and events, weekly classes and one-to-one therapy sessions focused on personal development, with yoga, pilates and mindfulness classes. Next to Cowdray Hall, the Therapy Rooms offer a private and accessible space for therapists, consultants and their clients, with services such as shiatsu, osteopathy and nutritional therapy, among others. The estate also offers itself as a filming location: it welcomes film crews of all sizes all year round and has an in-house team dedicated to facilitating shoots, with numerous private locations, access for large vehicles and space for unit bases.

Location and contact

Phone: 01730 812423