The Falcon - a Grade II listed Coaching Inn built in 1594 - has been lovingly transformed and completely reimagined by Lord and Lady Northampton. 

Now a country retreat with 22 bedrooms and a destination restaurant, the Falcon opened this week (Monday September 28th) creating a haven for those in need of rest and renewal.

Drawing upon Lady Northampton’s professional experience as a psychotherapist, counsellor and yoga teacher; as well as their joint personal lifestyle centred around physical and mental wellbeing, they have created a space that marries mindfulness with activity and close links with nature.

Guests can unwind in peace whilst benefiting from special access to the nearby Castle Ashby Gardens (designed by Capability Brown) as well as wild swimming, yoga, cycling and designated private nature walks. 

Under the direction of Chef Mark Lawton, the hotel’s new Restaurant ‘Eyas’ (meaning a young Falcon learning to fly) has 56 covers inside with a further 32 on a large sun-filled terrace, and a private dining room within the restaurant for 16 can be requested. 

Menu inspiration comes from the local Northamptonshire landscape and all that it provides, developed hand-in-hand with local farmers, estate gamekeepers and nurseries, creating a menu that is gentle on carbon footprint and sensitive to its surroundings, wherever possible.

Lord Northampton says, “We hope to give people a new culinary experience. It is not so much about what will be on the menu but why it is on the menu. Wherever possible, the food will be organic and focused around produce with a nutritious value.”

The East Wing is where afternoon tea and cocktails happen, for those looking to indulge. It can be privatised for weddings and events, with stunning floor-to-ceiling windows and views over the rolling landscape. The room leads directly on to the picturesque East Wing Terrace which overlooks a triple-tier lawn, an orchard, woods seasonally scattered with bluebells and tulips. Marquees can also be constructed on the lawn.

The quaint Cellar Bar hidden beneath will hold up to 30 people providing guests and locals with a cosy bolthole, as it has done for generations. The Falcon’s juice bar further connects nature and healthfulness by providing fresh, plant-based juices for guests and locals, that offer the power to reenergise, rebalance, and heal. (Currently closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, the juice bar will re-open when safe to do so.)

The Stables will be a destination for those looking for a restorative yoga session. The Falcon will host a regular yoga programme with private sessions available by request. Lord and Lady Northampton have spent many years gaining invaluable insight into the world of health and wellbeing and felt it was essential to bring this into their vision for The Falcon. Wild swimming also provides healing and health benefits and will be available exclusively to hotel guests in a private lake on the estate.

Through a programme of talks and activities that explore mind-body connections, guests and the local community are encouraged to go on their own journey of discovery. As an extension of this, The Falcon have partnered with the renowned holistic wellness retreats, Silver Linings, to offer their first UK based retreat in January 2021. A stand-alone Wellness Centre is also due to open in 2021.

Lady Northampton says: “I would love people locally and from all over the world to come and enjoy The Falcon. I would like to invite them to experience something new that represents our love of nature, wellbeing and many of the other things we enjoy.”

Lord Northampton says: “I would like guests to come away having discovered something different from their usual experience of life. Whether it is listening to a lecture or experiencing the beauty and sacredness of nature first-hand; attending a workshop or walking round the formal gardens, I want them to have an epiphany moment and see an alternative way of being to the one they are used to. If they go away having experienced that then we will have succeeded!”

The Falcon is a long standing and recognised landmark in the Castle Ashby area and less than a two-hour drive from Central London. Whether guests are looking to immerse themselves in a spiritual journey of renewal or simply indulge in a curative getaway, The Falcon, Castle Ashby is the new destination retreat, offering a physical and mental recharge.