North East & Yorkshire Premier Hospitality

Rockliffe Hall Spa

Spa Garden Rockliffe Hall
Written by Roma Publications

Spa Garden Rockliffe Hall

Rockliffe Hall Spa, located in County Durham, has seen an exciting new expansion this year, enhancing the award-winning spa facility with the addition of a stunning spa garden.

The brief for the developments was very much about relaxation, rejuvenation and appreciation for the breath-taking views.

Design and architecture company Sparcstudio Ltd, based in Putney, collaborated with the client to discuss various concepts for extending the spa experience onto the landscape, which made complete sense as the Rockliffe Hall boasts an impressive 365 acres of beautiful parklands and gardens.

Sparcstudio specialise in spa design, having been established for ten years now. Many of their projects have notably been award-winning, including the Dormy House Spa – which won the Mr & Mrs Smith Award. Others include the spa developments at the inviting Calcot Manor and heavenly Pennyhill Park.

Spa Garden Rockliffe Hall

Premier Hospitality spoke to Beverley Bayes, Director of Sparcstudio, to find out some key information. She commented:

“We actually worked on a spa garden for Calcot Spa roughly ten years ago, before spa gardens were of much interest actually! It had an outdoor fireplace and hot tub in the centre, and people were dubious thinking it was a huge risk to take with the weather in England; however it proved to be one of the most popular parts of the spa. Nowadays, more and more people desire outdoor spas.”

Prior to the Rockliffe Hall project, the spa was sealed off and the gardens hidden away, rather than being used to the advantage of the site. Sparcstudio believed that a link should be created between the spa and the fantastic outdoor gardens, and with their extensive experience in spa design they took on the challenge, producing exceptional results.

Qualms regarding the weather were proposed with the facilities being situated outdoors, so a spa pavilion was created in order to provide more of a year-round experience. Also, due to the spa being such a large facility, Sparcstudio wished to produce a more intimate, exclusive experience, in which the pavilion was dedicated to, enabling the hotel to market this to parties and groups.

Spa Garden Rockliffe Hall

Working with an expensive spa, the design team wanted to be in keep with the surroundings and maintain a plush, elite feel to the exterior matching the hotel interiors. A service area is situated within the spa garden, offering refreshments such as champagne and light snacks to guests.

The spa exterior features a stunning infinity edge hydrotherapy pool with massage features, a warm Jacuzzi, with raised under-floor heated decking and lounge areas. An innovative juniper log sauna featuring a complete glass front enables guests to unwind with panoramic views of the landscape. An eye-catching feature panel of halved juniper logs is situated by the Jacuzzi, emitting a sumptuous aroma of juniper, adding to the typical spa atmosphere.

After dipping in the hydrotherapy pool or soaking up the heat in the juniper log sauna, guests can refresh themselves in the experience shower or dry off on the relaxing heated beds, again taking pleasure from the spectacular views.

A whole series of treatments are based around ‘Neom’ – the perfumed aromatherapy candle brand that guarantees 100% natural ingredients and true wellbeing benefits.

Spa Garden Rockliffe Hall

Fold back screens are situated in the pavilion opening out onto the elegant landscape, delivering uninterrupted, breath-taking views. Inside the pavilion, curved seating provides a place for a number of guests to sit comfortably. A skylight sits above, allowing plenty of light onto the scene, with a feature fireplace and water feature adding to the calming environment.

Lots of lighting has been utilised ingeniously within the project, for example in the darker hours, the lights can be dimmed in the pavilion leaving it lit by candlelight, conveying a romantic, idyllic ambience. Sparcstudio bespoke designed and manufactured the lighting especially for this project.

Beverley commented:

“It was incredibly exciting to work on the Rockliffe Hall, we felt as if linking the indoor spa that was already in place with the gorgeous outdoor parklands was the perfect idea, especially considering the beautiful natural setting that was available to work with. Long gone are the days when hotels put the spa in the basement!”

Wharton Construction Ltd

A medium sized construction company, Wharton Construction have been involved in most types of commercial, industrial, refurbishment and residential works. The establishment also integrates a Building Services department which is involved in general maintenance works for clients such as the NHS, Cummins Ltd, lneos and Barkers Ltd.

Acting as main contractor, Wharton Construction completed developments on the Rockliffe Hall Spa, in addition to procuring, organising and supervising all subcontractors involved.

Premier Hospitality caught up with the Director at Wharton Construction – Chris Lee – who told us:

“Rockliffe Hall is a very important client for us. We are a local building company and it is great when we can be of service to a top class venue such as Rockliffe on our door step. We are proud to handover this new facility and thank all parties involved and look forward to working with the team in the future.”

For any further information please visit: www.whartonconstructionltd.co.uk.

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Roma Publications