Nutfield Priory Hotel & Spa

Location: Redhill, Surrey

Nutfield Priory Hotel & Spa, which dates back to 1872, is an idyllic country mansion set high on Nutfield ridge and enjoys breathtaking views of the Sussex and Surrey countryside.

You'll find plenty of time and space to relax and unwind in this imposing country house. You can sit back and enjoy afternoon tea in one of the elegant Victorian lounges, or curl up in front of a roaring log fire in the grand Library and immerse yourself in a good book. Or, on a fine day, you can simply enjoy the fresh air and panoramic views across the countryside from the terrace.

For more information about the hotel please visit their web site

Nutfield Priory Hotel & Spa Photo

Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th October 2024

Event type: Murder Mystery Weekend
Plot: (New Autumn Weekend)
1 Night Stay: From £255 per person

These prices are based on two people sharing a standard double or twin bedroom

History

The original mansion was built sometime between 1849 and 1854, when Thomas Fowler Wood owned the land, this was added to in 1855-59 for the Quaker banker Henry Edward Gurney. He later became bankrupt, and so the house and lands were sold to Joshua Fielden MP of Todmorden in Lancashire. The architect John Gibson built the present mansion.

In Gurney's time, one of the popular events of the year was the "Festival of Ragged School Teachers" for which he invited teachers from the East London Schools to meet at Nutfield Priory. A staunch advocate of education for all, he paid for special trains to bring them to Redhill and they dined and "enjoyed the gardens and grounds". The lake (no longer within the grounds) was put in by Gurney.

When Joshua Fielden purchased the house, he set about pulling down and rebuilding most of it. The tower was of his choosing.

The bosses, wood and stone carvings, wood panels etc are all original, as are the beautiful marble fireplaces. The organ is also original, built in 1874 and has been carefully restored by the Shepherd Brothers of London and sings as sweetly today as it always did.

Married to Ellen, Joshua Fielden MP was very much a family man (11 children) and cared deeply for the welfare of others. It was his father "Honest John Fielden, MP" who was responsible for passing the Ten Hours Bill in 1847. This limited the hours of women and children in the textile industry to ten hours a day. The remarkable aspect was that the Fieldens were one of the largest textile mill owners in the country. His father and brothers were also socially minded. It was Fielden who had taken a larger part in advocating and assisting the passing of the Ten Hours Bill, which greatly improved working conditions in the manufacturing industries. He was also very involved with the repeal of the Malt Tax and many other social and industrial reforms. He was gradually to be looked upon as the "poor man's social friend".

For the last ten years of his life his constitution had not been particularly strong, and he had on a number of occasions travelled to Cannes in France for the healing properties of the air and sea. It was here on 9th March 1887 that he sadly passed away: the day after his 60th Birthday. When Joshua died, he left Nutfield in trust for his wife Ellen for her lifetime. She lived on for another 40 years and stayed at Nutfield for almost all that time until 1920, when she sold the house and moved to London.

By this time Nutfield Priory had been sold to a Mr. Ferris and stayed a private residence until 1930 when Mr. O Picton Davis purchased it and turned it into a luxurious, very expensive hotel with a 9 hole golf course around the lake. The hotel brochure mentions the "medieval monks" who used to apparently walk along the Cloisters and angle in the lake on Thursdays. Needless to say, Nutfield has never been a Priory in the true sense but one can dream.

During the Second World War, the mansion was commandeered and Canadian soldiers were stationed here. Later Nutfield was a base for the ATS Personnel and NAAFI Training.

The years rolled on and Surrey County Council purchased Nutfield Priory, later to open it as the first Secondary Modern Boarding School for severely deaf children in England . The first Headmaster was Mr. S.J Blount, who through his knowledge, expertise and love of children made the school a success and also a happy home.

With the school's closure in July 1987, the house reverted to its 1930's usage as a hotel, reopening a year later. Following sympathetic renovation, restoration and refurbishment the house has now been restored to its former glory and as a country house hotel, many people can now share in its beauty.

Click on a photo below to see the full size image

I attended the Dead Ringers murder mystery weekend on 4th/5th June and wanted to thank you for a wonderful experience. The actors were absolutely superb. I was completely out of my comfort zone but despite this they were so entertaining and professional and funny!! The whole weekend was surreal and I loved it. The hotel and staff were excellent, what a splendid venue.
Having just got back from an evening at the Nutfield Priory where we took part in the murder mystery called Terminal Velocity, I just wanted to thank you all for a fabulous evening. I cannot tell you how much we all enjoyed the evening, it being part of the celebrations for my brother's 60th birthday. The actors were superb and we thoroughly enjoyed the plot, even though having got the right answer we promptly changed our minds and altered it!! Well done to everyone concerned. You can be assured that we are all of the same opinion that we will be joining you again, and now looking forward to coming to another one.
Thank you so much to all the amazing actors and staff on this weekend's Murder Mystery at the Nutfield Priory hotel. It was awesome, amusing, great fun and blimmin difficult (but our table won and guessed all the murderers and some of the motives). Once again, a big thank you to everyone involved for such a great time and we'll definitely be back.
Myself and husband have just returned from a fabulous weekend event at Nutfield Priory and wanted to let you know how impressed we were. Your team of actors were superb and ensured we had a brilliant time. We were amazed that they stayed in character the entire time, despite some serious questioning from the guests. The entire team worked so hard and certainly ensured a return visit from us.
We attended the Murder Mystery "Home to Roost" last weekend at Nutfield Priory. We would like to thank everyone involved for such a fantastic time. The venue was perfect and the hotel staff entered into the spirit of the event. The food too was very good and the service excellent. The actors were great fun and we were very impressed how they stayed in character... We will definitely do this again and maybe we'll do better next time.
I used the Killing Game for my sister's hen weekend last weekend. I cannot recommend them enough. Nothing was too much trouble. The booking process was slick and easy and they made organising 19 hens so much easier!!! We ranged in ages from mid twenties to early 60s and everyone had a brilliant time!
Yet again BRILLIANT !!! Not our first weekend but our first fancy dress weekend and what a total hoot it was!! Me and mum brought my sister this time and it was one of the best, the hotel (Nutfield Priory Hotel and Spa) and the spa facilities and food were just great and the rooms were spacious and comfy. The actors (some we have got to know and some new) were just great and worked so well together. We've booked the next one already although with my now legendary ability to find the murder victims I may be banned from attending soon (which I hope not).We will be back in November so please please carry on the great service you provide I can't compliment you enough.
Just returned home from a fantastic Murder mystery weekend stay at Nutfield Priory Hotel & Spa in Redhill. We had a great afternoon and evening of entertainment laid on by The Killing Game Ltd. Thanks to all the actors involved in the plot (Bury The Hatchet), along with them and the great couples that shared our table, we had such a laugh. A great, fun event, that we will be sure to book again.
My friend and I have just returned from our murder mystery weekend at Nutfield Priory. We felt we had to contact you to say how we enjoyed the whole experience once again, we love this location it seems so perfect a setting for a murderous weekend! The actors and actresses were very convincing in the characters they were playing! The food was of exceptional standard, we loved everything from the cream teas in the afternoon through to the outstanding evening meal and lastly the full english breakfast and all that was included! Thank you all very much we will most certainly be back again!
My partner and I went to your Murder Mystery evening at Nutfield Priory Hotel on Saturday. Just wanted to tell you that we had a wonderful time. The actors were great and were so convincing we believed them all and did not manage to pick the murderer. Thank you for making it such a lovely evening
Thank you for a brilliant night at The Nutfield Priory. The actors were fantastic and the hotel and staff were superb. Was a laugh a minute for the entire weekend and a good way to met new interesting people. I can't wait to book up again.
I have been to many different types of Murder Mystery Weekends over the last few years with my friends and this was the first time ever I had booked with 'The Killing Game'. We were lucky enough to actually guess it correctly on this occasion. We won the Champagne as well as a valued Sherlock Holmes certificate! Marvellous! We had such fun it was amazingly well done, the actors and actresses taking part were great. The venue was wonderful and the accommodation excellent, what a fantastic to set the scene! We wanted to say our thanks to you for our first experience with 'The Killing Game' we will tell all our friends about you and we will be back for sure!
I just wanted to write a short note to thank you for the brilliant murder mystery weekend that was laid on at the Nutfield Priory... Everything ran really smoothly, the food was lovely and the staff were really helpful at the hotel - the hotel itself was a beautiful setting with great rooms and facilities. I didn't really know what to expect having not been to a murder mystery event before, but the actors and the storyline were brilliant. It really showed that the actors enjoyed what they did as they were full of enthusiasm... I wouldn't hesitate to recommend you or come to one of your events in future. Thanks again for a wonderful weekend.