COUNTRY GOINGS-ON

in this new series, we seek out unique events and launches, and meet the People Behind them

Interior designer Francesca Rowan-plowden transforms Leeds Castle’s Battel Hall

estled in the

North Downs,

Leeds Castle’s newly restored Battel hall is open to stay in for the first time in its 700-year history.

This beautiful manor house renovation was overseen by interior designer Francesca Rowan-plowden. We headed to Kent to see how she took an historic hall and turned it into a luxurious home from home for special gatherings and weddings...

NHOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH RENOVATING BATTEL HALL?

my look is English eclectic and I’ve got a good understanding of heritage and listed buildings having lived in a National Trust property, Lamb house in Rye. Debbie matthews, head of hospitality at Leeds Castle, visited the stately home Goodnestone Park in Kent, which I decorated, and asked me to pitch for this project.

HOW DID THE HISTORY INFLUENCE YOU?

I researched a lot about Leeds Castle, from henry VIII up until its last private owner, Lady Baillie, a glamorous 1930s American heiress. She loved chinoiserie, so I included plenty of this style in the house like the bespoke handpainted de Gournay wallpaper in the morning room. Lady Baillie also had a passion for birds, so all around Battel there are bird prints, birds in the fabric, pictures of birds. In the master bedroom, I used Lewis & Wood’s Doves wallpaper because it felt like a modern version of Lady Baillie’s own bedroom, but I added the dark chinoiserie, and Lewis & Wood Alhambra curtains. It made it feel modern day and spiced it up.

HOW DO YOU SOURCE FOR YOUR PROJECTS?

I like to find individual pieces from antique markets, like Ardingly and Newark. Sometimes I look for a specific piece, but mostly I just see what I like. Clients can find it a bit alarming when I spot something and I say, ‘It’ll go somewhere, trust me!’

TAKE US THROUGH THE PROCESS...

There are five en-suite bedrooms and three reception rooms here. I start with the colours, then move on to fabrics, then when I get to the furniture I think about what I’ve bought and what will fit, so there is an element of instinct. I was bold in my colour choices, like the Farrow & Ball Book Room Red walls in the Peony bedroom. I find when people stay in these places they like dramatic hues – it’s escapism.

WHAT ABOUT THE FINAL STAGES?

Once I’ve bought everything, I’ll stay in the property for about a week, and I just keep moving the furniture around the rooms.

So, for Battel, I imagined I was a bride and think, ‘Where would I hang my wedding dress?’, and ‘Where would I have my hair done?’. I want it to feel like a home away from home, but with five-star luxury.