Nice for MICE: Meeting in Sumptuous Syon Park

One of the joys of English stately homes is that while set on vast landscaped estates, there are often smaller or secret garden areas or temporary shelters near the main house where guests can access the outdoors during summery intervals, then beat a quick retreat inside when the weather changes. And with histories and interiors as colourful and ornamental as the grounds, the settings guarantee a constant wow factor, whatever the season or forecast.

Syon Park, one of the last surviving great houses of London, is the impressive, country-style residence of the Duke of Northumberland. It is set on attractive, 200-acre landscaped grounds offering all the comforts of a rural retreat, yet conveniently within 10 miles of both central London and Heathrow Airport.

The original house was built on the grounds of the Bridgettine Abbey of Syon, an important site of Medieval pilgrimage. Henry Vs brother, the Duke of Bedford, laid the abbeys foundation stone in 1426, and the abbey retained close links with the Tudor dynasty until the 16th century, when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and religious houses. The building and lands then passed to Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, who set about transforming the abbey into a grand residential house with extravagantly laid-out botanical gardens. In 1594, Elizabeth I granted the lease to Syon House to Henry Percy, the 9th Earl of Northumberland, and he subsequently gained the freehold from James I in 1604, after which the property remained within the Percy family ever since. The Percys surrounded the house with grand, formal French-style gardens and refurbished the house extensively, with successive family members continuing to refine and extend the estate. Later, during the First World War, the house was used as a hospital; it also suffered bomb damage during WWII's Blitz.

With its vibrant history, royal associations, and elegant neoclassical rooms designed by Scottish architect Robert Adam, Syon House is a popular setting for period dramas scenes for Downton Abbey and period films Gosford Park and Belle were filmed here. One of the most notable features is the awe-inspiring grandeur of its Great Conservatory (pictured above) a huge, elaborately structured glass building with large wings either side of its domed central atrium, set amid 40 acres of botanical gardens filled with rare plants and trees (available for hire for up to 50-160 guests (seated, with 200 for a standing/dancing reception) and its parkland, which was designed by famous 18th century landscape architect Capability Brown. The parkland comprises the South Lawn, Helicopter Field, Twenty Acre Field, and the stunning Garden Room Marquee, set within a walled garden to the side of the house (available for hire from May to September for 200 up to 600 guests). The house itself offers several memorable meeting facilities for corporate dining and entertaining events, including the sumptuous State Apartments the magnificent State Dining Room (50-80 guests), Great Hall (up to 120 guests), and Dukes Private Dining Room (30 guests) and the lavish ornamental gardens of the Inner Courtyard (ideal for outdoor receptions for up to 160-350 guests when the weather is fine). 

Situated within Syons 200-acre parkland, Hilton London Syon Park  features stylish contemporary residential and meeting/function rooms and suites offering exquisite views over the house and grounds of Syon House. These include the larger, multi-function rooms such as the Grand Syon Ballroom (for up to 480 guests seated/700 standing), the Syon Ballroom (for up 400/500 standing), and the Empire and Astor rooms (three each, with space for between 10-60 people each) which can all be configured to suit either smaller, more intimate gatherings or large events as well as relaxed areas such as the 100-capacity Clubhouse, which can be hired separately along with 40 bedrooms, and smaller rooms/meeting spaces such as the Dukes Parlour games room (up to 30), Boldt (20) and Deck (70). All rooms include state-of-the-art audio and digital systems, and as well as high-speed Internet access, widescreen HDTV, flipcharts, and other meeting essentials as required. The Dukes Terrace offers plenty of opportunities for networking and al fresco dining, care of the Hiltons Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill.

The hotel grants guests access to its Kallima Club and Spa, as well as opportunities to enjoy activities such as golf, clay pigeon shooting, archery, yoga, and trout fishing on a six-acre lake stocked with brown and rainbow trout. It can also provide help with arranging bespoke team-building events via Eventurous.

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