LUXURY KILWORTH HOUSE HOTEL THEATRE BREAK IN LEICESTERSHIRE

Looking for a rural escape in the British countryside? Then look no further than a Kilworth House Hotel Theatre Break in Leicestershire. Tucked in the South Leicestershire rolling hills lies one of England’s finest country estates. You can expect an unforgettable blend of Victorian grandeur, delicious dining, tranquil landscaped grounds and the unique experience of enjoying a West End-quality performance in their open-air woodland theatre.

Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion, planning a romantic getaway, or simply looking to treat yourselves with an indulgent countryside retreat, Kilworth House offers an experience that effortlessly combines heritage, luxury and entertainment. With beautifully appointed rooms, exceptional hospitality and exclusive theatre break packages, it’s easy to see why fellow guests we spoke to,  return year after year. The hotel sits within 38 acres of landscaped parkland and is renowned for its elegant Orangery Restaurant and purpose-built outdoor theatre, just a short stroll from the main house in rural Leicestershire. It’s testament to the service and hospitality that many guests return year after to enjoy the Kilworth House Hotel Theatre Break experience.

** We were kindly invited to experience a theatre break package at Kilworth House Hotel & Theatre, Leicestershire with no obligation to write this article. As always, all views and opinions are our own and remain a copywrite of Be-lavie.

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Why Choose A Kilworth House Hotel Theatre Break?

Aside from the elegance and grandeur that many country houses offer in the UK, Kilworth House Hotel offers 38 acres of landscaped gardens and parklands, individually designed luxury bedrooms and four poster suites, dining (breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner) in The Victorian Orangery, where afternoon tea has been served for over a hundred years, relaxing lounges and a library, one of the UK’s most unique open-air theatres, theatre break packages (including dinner, show tickets and an overnight stay) and is easy access from Leicester, Rugby, Market Harborough and the M1 giving it a central location in the heart of rural England.

Kilworth House Hotel is part of a curated PoB collection of over 50 hand-picked, independently owned luxury and boutique hotels, restaurants, and spas located across the British Isles.

How To Get to Kilworth House?

By Car: Kilworth House Hotel is on the A4304 just four miles east of Junction 20 of the M1 and easily accessible from the M69, M42, M6 and A14.

By Rail: Midland Mainline offer a frequent service between London St. Pancras and Market Harborough. Market Harborough train station is around 20-minute drive from the hotel. Rugby station,  has a direct rail link to London Euston, and is also around 20 minutes away from the Hotel. The London to Rugby rail journey takes about 60 minutes.

By Air: Kilworth House Hotel is located within easy reach of East Midlands and Birmingham airports, which are both around 45 minutes by car. Stansted and Luton are approx 1.5 hours away; Heathrow and Manchester, 2 hours.

Arriving at Kilworth House Hotel and Theatre

Arriving for your stay at Kilworth House Hotel, Leicestershire, really couldn’t be simpler or more special! Turning off the main Lutterworth Road through the front entrance, you’re met with a long tree lined path that leads up to the complimentary guest car parking after which you catch a glimpse of the Grade II Italianate Victorian Grade II listed property. It was finished in 1891 as a family home for John Entwisle, the High Sheriff of Leicestershire. After the passing of his second wife in the 1960s the house was acquired by the Snowden family who turned the property into flats.

In 1999, Celia and Richard Mackay bought the house and restored it to its former beauty, after which it opened as Kilworth Hall Hotel in 2003. A few years later in 2007, saw the opening of the Celia Mackay open-air theatre.

Walking through the entrance and into the art-filled hallway the high ceilings and grand artworks were the first things that struck us along with numerous lounges and rooms that veered off the main hall, where we spotted guests reading, sipping on drinks and looking out onto the gardens.

Check-in is a very swift affair and soon enough we were presented our key cards and making our way up the grand dark wooden staircase, with a huge chandelier right above it. 

Rooms & Suites – Which Option is Right For You?

The hotel has 44 rooms in total which are spread across the main house’s first floor, as well as the garden level towards the back and side of the property. Room categories include 33 Garden Rooms,  9 Luxury rooms and 2 four-poster suites.

Garden Rooms: Each of the 33 rooms have been individually styled delivering a peaceful retreat feel and guests can ask for a choice of twin or king sized beds as well as the option of an interconnecting room which would be useful for families. Expect full sized bathrooms, a shower over the bath tub. Some of these rooms have views over the knot garden whilst others look over the landscaped grounds. 

All rooms come with a trouser press, ironing board and in room safe as well as tea and coffee making facilities and flat screen TVs. 

Luxury Rooms: Every one of the nine unique rooms are named  after famous historic writer or poets and feature the most fascinating details. Luxury rooms include The Stevenson, The Oscar Wilde, The Milton, The Keats, The Tenneson, The Shelley, The Bronte, The Sheridan and The J.M. Barrie. All of these rooms are exquisite and feature elegant furnishings in complimentary palettes, luxurious fabrics, spacious bathrooms and thoughtful details that reflect the heritage of the house.

The Four-Poster Suites: These are full of historic grandeur and it doesn’t come better than this, again with a nod to historic literary greats, The Marlowe Room and the Kipling Room, which both come with heritage four poster beds, dolls houses, decadent chairs, tea, coffee making facilities, some of the best views in the house as well as rolled top baths and are noticeabley more spacious than the other rooms.

The Milton Room

During our theatre break we stayed in the pale blue and cream tones of the luxury Milton Room. As soon as we entered, we felt the calming atmosphere notably from the colour palettes and immediately made a beeline for the two large windows with blue draping curtains and pelmits in the room. It’s no wonder The Milton is one of the most sought after luxury rooms at Kilworth House. It’s stylish, yet classy, and is located just at the top of the main oak staircase.

It undeniably has some of the best views in the house of the rear gardens, terrace flowerbeds and parklands. We caught ourselves veering towards the windows to watch the heard of cows crossing the field almost each time we walked past the windows. 

The bedroom has a decorative lamp fitting shaped like a hot air balloon that accentuates the height of the main bedroom.

The room has a very European feel about it with the beautiful blue, gold and cream wallpaper featuring birds contrasting the Victorian styled headboard and complementing wardrobes in which are discretely hidden room amenities. 

A stunning dressing table next to the window allows in the perfect amount of light when sat at the table mirror. The  dressing area leads to the lavish raised bathroom accessed by a few stairs, with a roll top bath and large walk-in shower.

Bath products and toiletries are by Clarins with a plentiful supply of fluffy white towels. There are white cosy robes and slippers in the bedroom wardrobes for guests to slip into for comfort. Always a lovely touch for us to be able to slip into something comfortable after a shower, whilst getting ready.

There are plenty of plug sockets and light fittings in the room as well as ironing and pressing facilities, a safe, tea and coffee making facilities, a teapot and French press as well as sweet treats and fruit to snack on throughout the stay. You can also catch up with any important media with the flat screen TV or have newspapers delivered to you in the morning. 

Be-lavie Tip: We’d recommend stipulating your room choice at the time of booking, if you really want to stay in a specific room. This has to be done by calling the hotel and isn’t possible online.

Following check-in at 16:00, we had a quick cup of tea and indulged in a couple of the snacks left in our room, it was time to get ready for the evening as the pre-theatre dining was scheduled at 17:00.

Pre-theatre Dining Experience

Dinner service starts at 17:00 for guests who are watching a 19:30 performance at Kilworth House theatre. It’s service in the Orangery, a truly stunning location to enjoy an afternoon tea and evening meal, complete with chandeliers. Think lots of natural light flooding in through the glass and the sight of the gardens and rolling green hills in the background. If you’ve read our afternoon tea at Kilworth House article, you’ll know just how light-filled the Orangery is, with beautiful parkland views in the distance. 

We were promptly seated with water poured and drinks orders taken (we opted for a glass of the Merlot, Ladera Verde, Chile, a full bodied red wine.

Menus celebrate locally sourced ingredients wherever possible while delivering beautifully presented modern British cuisine. We loved the menus that were themed for Anything Goes, the show we were watching that evening and we proceeded to choose our starter, main and dessert from a small selection. 

Unfortunately there was only one vegetarian option of each course available so the decision was pretty straight forward consisting of Beetroot Carpaccio (macerated with orange & treacle, pea & mint infusion, puffed quinoa and lemon emulsion). A lovely refreshing start to the meal on a warm evening.

The main was Aubergine Parmigiana with layers of grilled aubergine, baked with sweet herbs in a little  rich tomato sauce and plant-based cheese. A rather light main dish which was cooked uniquely and slightly more al dente than we’ve had previously. 

Dessert was definitely the showstopper for this Bistro-style pre-theatre dining experience. The Kilworth House Strawberry & cream flan with strawberry and mint compote and freeze dried strawberries was the perfect sweet way to end.

Dinner is followed up with tea or coffee with interval drinks orders being taken for the show interval. We opted for a glass of Prosecco which was waiting for us mid-way through the show break at the bar behind the Celia Mackay Theatre.

Be-lavie Tip: Dinner is a pretty well oiled affair to ensure everyone dines and gets to the show on time. It’s easy enough to take the ten minute walk down to the woodland or get on a free buggy outside the main entrance.

An Evening at Kilworth House Theatre 

After dinner we took a stroll down to the the Celia Mackay theatre in the woodland. The ten minute stroll is a great after dinner lift and it was lovely seeing those that were just watching the show enjoying their summer picnics around the designated area.

There is a great buzz heading over the bridge to the theatre woodland complex. It has an element of Scandinavian vibes about it with the canvas theatre covering, wooden cabin buildings and barrel tables with bench-style seating! It’s laid back and a very different atmosphere to the grand house itself. People sipping on drinks at the bar, a little ice-cream stall, the walkways lit up with colourful fairly lights and lamps. There are some pretty plush looking loos too, don’t miss checking those out! 

Opened in 2007, the purpose-built woodland theatre has gained a national reputation for producing professional West End-quality musicals in an enchanting open-air setting. What truly sets this hotel apart is its remarkable outdoor theatre.

Unlike traditional theatres, guests walk through beautiful woodland before arriving at the covered auditorium, creating an unforgettable atmosphere before the performance even begins.

The 550-seat theatre is of an interesting design and covered to keep off wind and possible the odd shower but it was very warm on the evening of our visit. A word for Anything Goes the musical….absolutely fantastic, West -End quality production and a toe tapping score!

The outdoor theatre usually has popular musicals, concerts and live entertainment from mid June right through to the beginning of Autumn so keep an eye out on their upcoming show programme.

After a  wonderful night of entertainment, we took the relaxing walk back up to the house along the bridge and grass looking back to see the fairly lights twinkling behind us. The cabin bar is open until late if anyone fancies a post show night cap!

We made our way up the wooden staircase and were ready to retire for a blissful nights sleep back in the paradise setting of The Milton Room. 

A Slow Morning at Kilworth House Hotel

After the most relaxing nights sleep, we awoke to the sweet sound of birdsong, then treated ourselves to a slow morning with tea in bed and taking in the parkland views from our window seats. The cows really were a memorable fixture, as we saw them making their way across the field.

We showered, wrapped ourselves in the fluffy white towels and made use of the ornate dressing table, which ladies, has the most perfect light to apply make-up.

Dressed and ready for breakfast, the Orangery was calling as shards of early morning light spilled into the room.

Breakfast at Kilworth House Hotel

We sat on a table overlooking the gardens and sipped on coffee and helped ourselves to continental breakfast items like, fruit, yoghurts, cereal, pastries and juices before our cooked to order breakfast arrived. The vegetarian full English was just the perfect portion and included eggs your way, scrambled of course, sourdough with hummus and avocado, a large flat mushroom, beans and a tomato. There was also the choice of toast and a selection of conserves.

Be-lavie Tip: Breakfast the following morning is included in the Theatre Break package.

Exploring the Gardens & Grounds

If you’ve decided to extend your theatre break, you really don’t have to leave the Kilworth estate as there are around 38 acres to explore, although we’d recommend sticking to the dedicated walking paths and trails that are marked with signs in the area. 

If like us you had a wander around the gardens surrounding the property (we checked in a little ahead of time) you’ll have seen the pergola, terrace filled with beautiful flower beds, and the rolling hills in the far distance. Towards the side of the property, where many of the Garden Rooms are, you’ll notice the formal geometric layout featuring low clipped box hedges, colourful seasonal flower beds, and a large central stone fountain. It’s a tranquil place to relax and is overlooked by one of the properties most stunning rooms, The Stevenson.

We would also suggest a longer walk around the lakes, the woodland paths, spotting wildlife or simply sitting on the lawns watching flora and fauna that calls the estate its home.

Behind the car park area don’t miss the small maze which is perfect during the summer months and if you’re looking for a secluded outdoor reading spot, there’s a bench and some wooden pews for some quite time, shhhh, we didn’t spot anyone here so lets keep that between us for now!!

A Farewell To Old World Glamour

After a stroll we headed back to the house and read a little in one of the lounges towards the front of the property! The window seats, lavish fabrics and little Victorian dark wood details and not mentioning the surrounding views make for a fairytale surrounding to get into a couple of chapters of a great book.

Checkout was a seamless affair, much like check-in and before we knew it we were driving down the tree lined pathway after a wonderfully relaxed night away at this magical British country house escape.

What Does the Kilworth House Theatre Break Include?

For a special occasion, or an overnight stay treat for yourself the theatre break package is great value for money for the quality and luxury service and feel of this  country house estate.

• One night stay in a Garden Room (can upgrade to room of choice for extra)
• Two theatre tickets
• Three-course pre-theatre dinner
• Full English breakfast the following morning.
• Drinks are not included in the package
• Package is available Tuesday-Sunday 

The package are priced from £418 and go upto £570 depending upon the day of the week (Saturdays start from £570 and Tuesdays from £418). Luxury Room upgrades are from £75 per room whereas the four poster supplement in £100 based on two sharing a room. 

Who Is this Luxury Country House Hotel Perfect For?

Loved what you’ve read about our Kilworth House Hotel review experience, then don’t sit on the opportunity but just incase you need more convincing this break is ideal for:

• Couples
• Anniversary celebrations (Especially if you got married here!)
• Birthday weekends
• Theatre lovers
• Luxury staycations
• Food enthusiasts (AA Award for Culinary Excellence)
• Romantic getaways
• Special occasion breaks like a girls weekend

Responsible Luxury & Sustainability at Kilworth House

While Kilworth House is known for its luxury, staying in a historic country house also supports the preservation of heritage in terms of its architecture and restoration work. The estate carefully maintains its Victorian character while welcoming visitors who appreciate history, culture and locally inspired hospitality.

The theatre is a great source of entertainment for the local community of villages, not just those visiting or staying for a theatre break.

The award winning food at the estate is locally sourced where possible with the estate employing staff from the neighbouring towns and rural villages. 

Key environmental projects include using a biomass boiler where wood pellets to heat the estate, reducing reliance on traditional fuels and cutting carbon emissions. They have invested in energy-efficient lighting systems across the historic building and grounds. The estate maintains active recycling initiatives across the hotel operations to divert waste from landfills.

When it comes to partnerships, Kilworth House is collaborating with Auditel on a formal carbon footprint audit to guide the property toward certified carbon neutrality and long-term net zero. 

The estate achieved a Silver Tourism Green Award for early environmental efforts as well as protects and maintains the 38-acre Leicestershire estate, preserving natural habitats and local wildlife around its lake and wooded

Events & Weddings

As you can imagine Kilworth House Hotel and Theatre is the perfect location for a wedding, with the gorgeous Orangery being a beautiful space to hold the ceremony. During our visit we saw some of the smaller event rooms and lounges being used for small intimate weddings, perfect if you’re looking for some grandeur yet wanting to keep things low key. If you’re looking to hold a small family or friends gathering or a corporate event, the hotel has some great private rooms, six of them to be precise, named, Shakespeare, Byron, Austen, Dickens, Hardy and Johnson perfect for smaller soirees or gatherings.

Things To Do Nearby

The closest town is Market Harborough, which has a wonderful range of small businesses and places to eat. Wistow Maze is great to keep the children entertained and you can also pop into the Wistow Bistro to fuel up. 

Alternatively head to Leicester, a vibrant city with lots to do including the National Space Centre, which is one of the city’s most popular attractions as well as the King Richard III Visitor Centre charting the story of the last plantagenate king and how his remains were identified. 

The adjacent county of Rutland is packed full of quaint villages and is home to Rutland Water, one of Europe’s largest man-made lakes. Here you can spot wildlife, rent a bike and spend time in nature. 

Rockingham castle is in the small village of Rockingham and was built on the instruction of William the Conqueror and makes for a lovely half day visit.

Foxton Locks is a great spot for walking and is the longest staircase flight of ten canal locks in Britain. 

There are so many more options such as Warwick Castle, Leicester Tigers Rugby Club, Leicester City Football Club, Leicester Riders, Grace Road Cricket, The British Motor Museum  and more.

• Market Harborough – Driving time: 19 mins
• National Space Centre, Leicester – Driving time: 30 mins
• King Richard III Centre, Leicester – Driving time: 30 mins
• Rutland Water – Driving time: 55 mins – Driving time: 50 mins
• Rockingham Castle – Driving time: 40 mins
• Warwick Castle – Driving time: 50 mins
• British Motor Museum – Driving time: 60 mins
• Foxton Locks – Driving time: 20 mins.

You may also want to extend your stay after checkout and experience an afternoon tea at Kilworth House before heading off. We really enjoyed the experience and elegant service of this one. If you’re too full, there’s always the option of taking the delightful sweets and savouries home with you!

Handy FAQs if you’re short of time

Kilworth House Hotel Theatre Break Round-Up

A luxury Kilworth House Hotel Theatre Break, offers far more than a night away, it delivers an experience that blends elegant accommodation, exceptional dining, stunning countryside and unforgettable entertainment. From waking up in a beautifully appointed room to enjoying a leisurely stroll through the estate before an evening of West End-quality theatre, every moment feels thoughtfully curated.

Whether you’re planning a romantic escape, celebrating a milestone or simply looking to indulge in one of Leicestershire’s finest country house hotels, Kilworth House consistently exceeds expectations. Pair your stay with afternoon tea, dinner in the Orangery and a magical theatre performance to create memories that will last long after you’ve returned home.

If you’re ready to plan your visit, check seasonal theatre productions, compare theatre break packages and book well in advance, especially for summer performances, which are really popular. You could also extend your stay by exploring nearby attractions such as Foxton Locks, Market Harborough and Leicester. You can read more about nearby things to do in the related articles below to aid with planning your trip to Leicestershire.

Details

• Address: Kilworth House Hotel, Lutterworth Road, North Kilworth Leicestershire LE17 6JE. England
• Tel: 01858 880058
• Google Map: Location
• Parking: complimentary car parking for all guests on site
• Reservations: Book your luxury stay

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