Hawkwell House Hotel

Location: Iffley Village, Oxford

Dating back to the 19th century, Hawkwell House Hotel blends tranquility with contemporary elegance, making it the perfect venue. It is located in the leafy village of Iffley, just two miles from the historic city of Oxford and just a stone's throw from the river Thames. The hotel seamlessly blends character with contemporary design and boasts three acres of private gardens for guests to enjoy.

For more information about the hotel please visit their web site

Hawkwell House Hotel Photo

History

Hawkwell House Hotel is misleadingly named. First there was the field called Hawkwell; then at inclosure it was divided into plots; then John Parsons, the Oxford banker, built a house on one of them, and called it Hawkwell backing onto Tree Lane. He never lived there but had a summer home at 'The Cottage', Tree Lane. Then another grand house was built on the plot between Parsons' land and Church Way; that was called The Elms; the Strong family lived in it and, later, the Allens; the last Iffley Allen died in 1970 and the house became The Elms Hotel, the purchasers also acquiring Hawkwell which they used as an annexe. The hotel changed hands, has been greatly enlarged over Hawkwell grounds and has taken the Hawkwell name. Hawkwell does not deserve to be elbowed out, being a fine house from the early 19th century, with a Grecian-style portico; it was the centre of Parsons' country estate where he farmed and where he shot pheasant; it has a surviving game store beside the house, for hanging the birds. The Elms was a more conventional and less elegant house, but surrounded by fine gardens and having a commanding presence above Church Way.

Hawkwell House itself was originally a nursing home. It was then turned into a Children's Home during World War 1, then after the War was converted into a Hotel.

The famous explorer Francis Howard Bickerton was born here. Bickerton (1889-1954) served as mechanical engineer on Sir Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition between 1911-1914.

Bickerton was responsible for converting a smashed Vickers D-Type monoplane for use as an 'air-tractor sledge' in the Antarctic. He also shared responsibility for the expedition's pioneering use of wireless telegraphy and led the three-man Western Sledging Expedition which, between December 1912 and January 1913, explored 160 miles of uncharted territory and discovered the first Antarctic meteorite - which led to Antarctica being recognised as the world's richest meteorite field. For his services, Bickerton was awarded the prestigious King's Polar Medal, and Cape Bickerton (6620S, 13656E, five miles ENE of Gravenoire Rock) was named in his honour.

Bickerton was also recruited by Sir Ernest Shackleton for the Endurance expedition of 1914-1917 and served as a fighter pilot with the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. Post-war he joined the colony of British war veterans established in Newfoundland by Captain Victor Lindsay Arbuthnot Campbell of Scott's Terra Nova expedition and explored in Central America and Africa. He died in Borth, Ceredigion, in 1954.

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Hi, would to say thank you for great evening at Hawkwell Hotel Iffley Oxford. Really enjoyed scenes and plot. Also enjoyed the group of people who were on the same table - was a great laugh. Would recommend to anyone looking for a fun night and something different.
On Saturday the 16th of March I attended the "Nursing a Grudge" game at Hawkwell House Hotel in Oxford and I was amazed! The dedication of every character certainly impressed me and my partner. The food was utterly delicious, the company on our table were friendly and inviting and the actors stuck to their roles never slipping. All in all it was a fantastic night! I'm going to be doing this again I can promise you that, Keep up the good work
I just wanted to quickly email you to say a big thank you for such an enjoyable evening. We will definitely be in touch soon to book another murder mystery with you, we had a fantastic time.
I just wanted to say thanks - we had a great night, the hotel was smart and a lovely location. The food was tasty and the evening was fun. Your actors were all very good and I felt sorry for them the way our team was questioning them...
Myself and my husband have just come back from your murder mystery... and would like to say what a wonderful evening and how very professional and enjoyable it was, so much so we are now planning our next one!!
Just wanted you to know how much we enjoyed this event. I was a little worried that the two of us would feel isolated but we shared a table with three other couples and we had a great time. Everyone joined in the spirit of the event and there were some wonderful arguments at the end. It was our first experience of such an event but I doubt that it will be out last. Many thanks for your splendid efforts.