Matfen Hall
A New Chapter for Matfen Hall as It Completes Total Transformation
Matfen Hall announces the completion of a six-year transformation, revealing an entirely reimagined hotel following a £50m investment. The opening of The Retreat this September marks the final phase of the project, preserving one of Northumberland’s finest Grade II listed country houses and transforming it into the county’s only five-star hotel.
Dating back to 1836, the Jacobethan mansion has been meticulously restored to balance its historic character with modern luxury. Working with specialist local architects, tradesmen and builders, the extensive restoration spans the hotel, leisure and golf facilities.
The Gothic Great Hall has been returned to its former glory and original role as the impressive principal entrance, complete with historic stonework, carved timber panelling, decorative ceilings and a vast stained glass window taking centre-stage. Ten new guest rooms and suites were created, bringing the total to 63, all of which have been fitted with new furnishings and expansive marble bathrooms complete with freestanding baths. Meanwhile, original features such as fireplaces, mouldings and timber detailing were carefully preserved.
The Retreat
Matfen Hall’s new spa, The Retreat, will open on 15th September within an expansive new wing of the hotel, doubling the footprint of the former spa. At its heart is a serene 18-metre indoor pool set beneath a vaulted beamed ceiling. An extensive range of thermal and wellness facilities include an 18-metre Pool and Jacuzzi Pool, Himalayan Salt Sauna and Traditional Sauna, Aromatherapy Steam Room, Steam Showers, Experience Showers, Sunlight Therapy Room and Red Light Therapy Room and Brass Monkey Ice Baths, Cryotherapy Chamber and a Hyperbaric Chamber. These sit alongside six treatment rooms, dedicated relaxation spaces, including a Relaxation Room, Sun Room and private lounge areas, as well as a TechnoGym-equipped gym with a Pilates and yoga studio.
Dining
Adjacent to the Great Hall is Emerald, the hotel’s fine dining venue and Northumberland’s only AA 3-Rosette restaurant. Formerly the property’s library, its elegance has been retained with oak paneling, book-lined walls, a cracking fireplace and large windows overlooking the gardens and golf course beyond.
Cloisters, a striking new seafood, grill and champagne bar was created by Northumberland-based Doonan Architects. Formerly an open courtyard used for service access, the space has been reimagined as the beating heart of Matfen Hall, enclosed beneath a dramatic glass roof supported by sweeping curved timber structures and finished with brass detailing that plays off the building's historic fabric. A slatted brass spiral staircase leads guests to a glass-floored mezzanine, offering views down the length of the courtyard and up towards the Great Hall's magnificent stained-glass window.
New bars and lounges have also been introduced. 1832 Bar lies at the heart of the hotel, and provides an atmospheric setting from which to enjoy a signature cocktail, or Matfen Hall’s very own special-edition 1832 gin. Cosy in size, yet magnificent in design, the bar itself is fashioned from rich oak and the ceiling bedecked in ornamental plasterwork. The Drawing Room serves the quintessentially British ritual of afternoon tea, featuring a fireplace originally commissioned for Buckingham Palace.
Golf
New for 2026 is The Douglas, Matfen Hall's newly christened 18-hole championship course. Designed to challenge, inspire and reward golfers of every skill level, it combines nine newly-designed greens and green complexes with the classic character of the existing Standing Stone nine holes, featuring dry-stone walls, natural water hazards and the meandering River Pont. Complimentary tee times are included in all hotel stays.
Additional new facilities for the summer include The Academy at the driving range, with a new simulator and teaching bay, a new driving range with 15 Toptracer bays, a short game practice area, an all-weather 18-hole putting course, the Himalayas-style oversized putting green adjacent to the Hall, and a new irrigation system. At the heart of the development is The Keepers, a stylish golf lodge overlooking the 18th green. Home to The Golf Lab, Pro Shop, restaurant and bar, it combines relaxed dining with high-spec performance technology, including the North East's first Foresight Hawk Golf Simulator, championship virtual courses, custom fitting services and PGA professional one-to-one coaching.