Warren House Heritage

Warren House, a Grade II Listed building set in four acres of stunning gardens, has a quintessentially English appeal.

The 19th-century Victorian mansion, now converted into a stylish venue, boasts individually-decorated bedrooms and conference suites and serves as an elegant wedding venue also.

Warren House, located on Warren Road, the Coombe Estate near Kingston Upon Thames, has been a firm favourite with royalty and today, if Gladstone, Edward VII, George V, George VI, Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary (or any of the other famous guests who visited) could return to it, they would find it virtually unchanged. ICI and the current owners have made a point of maintaining it in all its original beauty. This philosophy extends throughout the grounds: the unique garden is thought to be the oldest Japanese garden in existence today in the British Isles. Now in maturity, it is even more beautiful than when first planted all those years ago.

The land surrounding Warren House has seen its fair share of controversial action and local feuds. 1853 saw the magistrates returning The Warren (Warren Road, as it is now called) to the local people after the Duke of Cambridge declared the path, the very track that led the way through to Richmond, Wandsworth, Wimbledon and Putney, private property. The result was a miniature civil war in Kingston Upon Thames. Today, the path is still somewhat prohibited to vehicles and still guarded; however, pedestrians can wander through at their will as granted by the courts. The whole affair became known as The Battle of Coombe Warren and was reported in The Times.

In the 1860s, when Hugh Hammersley took over ownership, Warren House was commissioned. In 1907, after changing hands several times, Warren House was acquired by General Sir Arthur Paget, GCB KCVO and remained in the Paget family. Following the First World War, Lady Paget converted the house into a military convalescent home, supervising and financing the domestic arrangements herself. She reluctantly sold the house and moved to Soames House in Coombe Hill Road; it was purchased by ICI in the autumn of 1954, for use as a conference and training centre.

Warren House, ‘the fine Victorian mansion that still survives in Warren Road’, reopened in 1988 after a major refurbishment and is now one of the most sought-after conference venues in the world. It has a busy schedule of exclusive events but remains one of southwest London’s hidden treasures. Warren House also offers guests romantic charm: their special Valentine’s Dine and Stay – red roses, champagne and an intimate dinner overlooking the Victorian fountain – will have you falling in love all over again.