Following a lengthy and extensive programme of refurbishment, Old Thorns Golf & Country Club now has an enviable reputation as one of the south of England’s finest golf, leisure and wedding venues. Located near Liphook amidst 400-acres of rolling Hampshire countryside, it now offers relaxing health spa facilities, fantastic cuisine and an outstanding 18-hole Peter Alliss-designed championship golf course.To help owners, the Shaw family, achieve their ambition to develop such an enviable leisure venue so close to London and the international airports of Heathrow and Gatwick, they enlisted the help of specialist interior contractor Andy Thornton Ltd, who they have worked with on many ventures in the past. Over the last two years Andy Thornton has been responsible for manufacturing and installing key features in the bar areas and decorative architectural lighting throughout the hotel, during a carefully planned programme of improvements.
The first area to receive the Andy Thornton treatment was the Atrium Champagne & Cocktail Bar where the clients wanted to create a sophisticated function area, suitable for events such as glittering champagne receptions and marriages. They commissioned one of Andy Thornton’s signature bars, the classical ‘Triple Arch’ design, evocative of Prohibition-period Chicago, is identical to one they had purchased for another hotel.
The bar, which creates a stunning centrepiece to the large room, is an impressive 4.25 metres in height and 9.2 metres in length. It comprises an imposing mahogany back bar with three mirrored and arched reveals between ornately carved columns. The curved panelled bar counter, also in solid mahogany, features a granite worktop and solid brass lions head handrail and Pegasus foot rail.
Above the bar counter hang two enormous cast brass chandeliers and a number of inverted tiffany-style pendants are positioned above the seating area. In fact, Andy Thornton supplied a considerable amount of decorative lighting around the public areas, including sixty torchere wall lights with flambeau shades and more tiffany-style pendants in the reception and link corridor, plus drum pendants in the Kings Brasserie Restaurant.
Every sportsman’s dream is the new Sports Bar, which is the latest area to be worked on by Andy Thornton. Here they installed a stylish oak bar counter featuring raised and fielded panelling, granite bar top and stainless steel handrails and foot rails. It works well with the simple but elegant oak back bar and overhead glass racks.
What creates the unique sporting ambience is the inclusion of themed sport memorabilia, carefully selected by Andy Thornton to blend in with the furnishings and multiple flat screens. What better combination, a truly electric atmosphere within a cosy pub environment.
In all, the work undertaken by Andy Thornton represents a £200K investment in key revenue generating public areas within the hotel and the Shaw’s are now in discussion with the company to involve it in their latest development, the addition of a new bedroom block, to add to the existing 83 rooms.
The hotel has come a long way from its origins as a 17th century farmhouse.
