Chateau Impney

Chateau Impney Hotel & Exhibition Centre is a Grade II* listed[1] 19th-century house built in the style of an elaborate French château near Droitwich Spa in Worcestershire, England.

Of the large mansions in Worcestershire supported by industrial fortunes, Sir Nicolas Pevsner judged Impney to be "the showiest of them all in the county".

The hotel is also home to a number of conferencing facilities, including the Regent Centre, which is one of the largest exhibition spaces in the West Midlands.

Situated in extensive landscaped gardens, Impney Hall, as it was previously known, was designed from 1869 onwards and built in 1873–75[4] for local industrialist the saltworks magnate John Corbett in the style of a Louis XIII château.

It was a gift for Corbett's wife, Hannah Eliza O'Meara, who was of mixed French/Irish descent and had been raised in Paris, where her father was secretary to the Diplomatic Corps.

After Anna left, Corbett opened up the parkland and gardens that surrounded Impney Hall to the public every Wednesday, so that they could enjoy strolling through the estate and view the wildlife.

The library was turned into L'Aperitif, a grillroom that served traditional English food, and the basement area became the Corbett Tavern (now the Impney Restaurant and Bar), which was used as a venue for parties.

The Chateau also hosted "all-niters", where up-and-coming bands such as The Drifters and Jimmy Cliff and the Shakedown Sound, Katch 22, played to hundreds of fans.

[14] In 1971, Eric Pillon purchased Chateau Impney, but within 48 hours of becoming the new owner, he sold the property to Ken Jackson and Stephen Joynes from Develop and Prosper Holdings Ltd, who planned to refurbish the hotel, with aims to create more bedrooms and improve the facilities.

[citation needed] Across 2014, Chateau Impney embarked on a tree planting scheme to restore its 110 acres of parkland to Corbett's original intentions.

[19] In March 2020, at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic resulting in the closure of public buildings including hotels, the Chateau was temporarily closed.

[citation needed] On 4 December 2013, the hotel held a gala to celebrate the original speed trials, and to gauge public interest in the potential return of the hill climb.