Following her husband’s death in a tragic horse-riding accident, Lady Cromwell put the Manor on the market and on 17th March 1984 Raymond Blanc opened the doors of Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons to the public for the first time.

Lady Cromwell had a premonition that her late husband would not have wished her to sell the house and sure enough several very strange events happened in the master bedroom. Bedding was turned back, curtains pulled and dirty marks were found in the bath and shower. Clearly Lord Cromwell was not pleased, so a local priest was called in to exorcise the ghost. Thereafter all was well.

The business flourished and it became evident that the Manor would soon be outgrown if it was not extended. So, as others had done before him, Raymond Blanc sought out specialists who could sympathetically develop the manor without destroying its character. Symm & Company, an old established Oxfordshire firm, was appointed to add a conservatory, extend the kitchen and transform the Dovecote and stables into bedrooms. Work was also undertaken to restore and re-landscape the gardens, again with specialist help.

Today we feel sure Lady Cromwell would be very satisfied with her Manor House. 32 beautiful individually designed bedrooms, an unbeatable dining experience from the two Michelin starred kitchen and a garden to rival the greatest.