For more than 300 years, Cannizaro House has stood in the heart of Wimbledon Village as a land mark property.
In 1987 the building was transformed into a hotel, which operated under the Thistle brand, however over the past four years the building has undertaken an extensive makeover, radically redesigning the offering at Cannizaro House.
Work began on the refurbishment of Cannizaro House in 2009 and reached completion in March 2013. Cannizaro House now boasts an award-winning restaurant, a stunning cocktail bar and a £1.5 million Orangery, in addition to 46 beautiful guest bedrooms all boasting their own signature wallpaper.
Discussing the recent transformation of Cannizaro House, General Manager, Jeff Ward, said:
“Imagine a hotel where you, truly are, the focus. Where your preferences are remembered and the team are always eager to please – that’s Cannizaro House.
“Cannizaro House is more than just a hotel, to us she has a personality – a sexy, aristocratic and sophisticated beauty, glamorous and alluring but never aloof. We are very proud of this gorgeous gem of a hotel which has been in the heart of Wimbledon Village for 300 years.”
Jeff added:
“The refurbishment of Cannizaro House has been extensive, with every aspect of the hotel carefully considered, in order to provide the best possible provisions for our guests. For example, we used 92 different chair fabrics, 46 different wallpapers and 22 different colours of silk and that was just to start. We also installed underfloor heating, heated mirrors, different shaped baths – some with pillows – and we even re-plumbed every bathroom. We went to a great deal of trouble to perfect our hotel.”
Prior to work taking place on Cannizaro House, the hotel had received a few tweaks here and there, but nothing on quite such a scale as these recent works. Zenith Ltd was appointed the main contractor on the project, whilst Kerry Jones provided all architectural services on the site.
Throughout the entirety of the project, Cannizaro House remained open for business, so work was undertaken in stages to cause minimal disruption to guests.
Commenting on the logistics of the project, combined with the operational needs of the hotel, Jeff said:
“Whilst we were undertaking the bedroom and bathroom refurbishments we closed off different wings, and this worked particularly well. When we refurbished the kitchen we reduced the hotel to a bed and breakfast service for three weeks and operated out of the events kitchen, and whilst we were working on the restaurant we installed a 20-cover temporary restaurant so that we could still provide a service to our guests.”
Jeff added:
“The Orangerie covers the back of the hotel, so in order to shield guests from the noise and the construction work we erected PVC sheets against all of the Georgian windows. As this phase of the refurbishment took place between November and February we also masked the work a little using cleverly placed Christmas decorations.”
The Orangerie is a steel construction, which seats up to 64 guests internally and a further 70 guests on an external terrace. The construction of the Orangerie was the final stage in the refurbishment project and was cleverly designed to amalgamate Cannizaro Park into the hotel’s al fresco dining space.
The Orangerie ties in perfectly with the original building and includes floor-to-ceiling glass sliding windows and green glass tiled flooring. The Orangerie was a major extension to the site and its inclusion has dramatically changed the look of the hotel’s exterior.
A key ingredient at Cannizaro House is the hotel’s menu, which has been created from a genuine love and passion for food and drink. The hotel’s head chef, Christian George, believes that quality, seasonality and origin are the main requirements for success, which is why he insists on sourcing ingredients from British, organic suppliers.
Guests can choose to dine in the hotel’s award winning restaurant, the Orangerie, or Cannizaro Lounge, and can even take advantage of private dining and afternoon tea.
Jeff said:
“Completing the Orangerie was the icing on the cake for this project and I am so pleased with what we have achieved at the hotel. When guests walk into the building their jaws drop, they stand and stare at all of the detail and then they comment on how amazing it all is. The feedback has been fantastic.
“Our staff has worked very hard to ensure that the hotel has continued to run as planned and I am extremely pleased with the outcome. In fact, it has exceeded my expectations.”
As well as providing the perfect place for rest and relaxation, Cannizaro House is an ideal venue for weddings, from small and intimate celebrations to civil ceremonies and partnerships. For civil weddings Cannizaro House will provide the happy couple with a civil ceremony license, whilst a dedicated team will be on hand to ensure everything runs smoothly from start to finish.
If leisure is not all that guests are after, Cannizaro House also has meeting rooms for hire, allowing for the perfect balance of business and relaxation. A selection of rooms is available, from a board room capable of catering for nine delegates through to a u-shaped facility designed for 36.
With the hotel situated just 15 minutes by rail from London, 30 minutes by car, and 45 minutes from Heathrow Airport, Cannizaro House is easily accessible for both business and pleasure. For more information about Cannizaro House, or to make a booking, please visit: www.cannizarohouse.com.
Iglu Cold Systems Ltd
Iglu Cold Systems Ltd is a manufacturer of bespoke wine display solutions and high specification modular refrigeration units. As an Italian company, Iglu Cold Systems Ltd has operated in the UK for almost four years and in this time has provided design work for Café Royal, Westbury Hotel, Harrods, Mayfair Hotel and Corinthia Hotel, amongst others.
Working on Cannizaro House, Iglu Cold Systems Ltd supplied a wine unit and a specialist meat and cheese unit.
Iglu Cold Systems Ltd Managing Director, Simon Clements, said:
“At Iglu Cold Systems Ltd we work with independent clients as well as large chains, so Cannizaro House fitted in perfectly with the type of work that we conduct. It is a prestigious site and we enjoyed being a part of the project.”
Simon added:
“We pride ourselves on our individuality. We produce bespoke items to suit the requirements of all our clients.”
Zenith Ltd
Zenith Ltd specialises in refurbishment and construction works for the hotel and leisure industry. The company has been in operation for 12 years and within this time has worked on many high profile works, including Lucknam Park Hotel, Ellenborough Park, and most recently Dormy House Hotel.
Zenith Ltd was the main contractor on the Orangerie extension at Cannizaro House. Commenting on the project, Zenith Ltd Projects Manager, Andrew Yapp, said:
“This was an exciting project for us. The Orangerie is an important addition to Cannizaro House and we were delighted to be involved in it.
“We specialise in hotel refurbishment and transformation projects and this work fitted in perfectly with what we do.”
Andrew added:
“We understand the difficulties that building projects can present to hoteliers, so we work closely with them to cause as little disruption to their business as possible.”
Ultimate Building Services Limited
Ultimate Building Services Limited specialise in general building works, from domestic through to commercial, specifically extension and refurbishment projects.
The company has been in operation since 2008 and has worked with many high profile clients like Zenith and Bupa. They also work with Icon Interiors, an interior design company carrying out some very prestigious projects, amongst others.
Working on Cannizaro House, Ultimate Building Services Limited completed a number of general building works including the underground drainage and foundations. The company also constructed the roof structure and completed exterior works.
Ultimate Building Services Limited Director, Brett Moore, said:
“Cannizaro House is a high profile site and we are pleased to be associated with such a great hotel.”
Brett added:
“At Ultimate Building Services Limited we strive to meet completion times and budget costs on every project. We get a lot of repeat business from clients and word of mouth is also a major revenue stream for us. I cannot stress enough the importance of maintaining good working relationships with all our clients and delivering an ever increasing product.”
Conservatory Blinds Ltd
Celebrating its 18th year of trading – 13 years as a limited company – Conservatory Blinds Ltd is renowned for providing specialist conservatory blinds and bespoke shading solutions within the domestic and business markets. With a dedicated Special Projects team, Conservatory Blinds Ltd offers a truly bespoke service with unique solutions for unusual/larger projects such as Cannizaro House.
Conservatory Blinds Ltd has worked for a wide variety of notable names; from royalty and nobility through to celebrities. The company has provided blinds for Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and a number of high profile restaurants, hotels, bars and foreign embassies.
Working on Cannizaro House Conservatory Blinds Ltd designed and manufactured the roof blinds, motorised window blinds and door blinds on the project. The glass area was so great that it required the design and manufacture of the largest motorised blinds of their type in the world.
Discussing their involvement with the project, Peter Matthews, Managing Director, Conservatory Blinds Ltd, said:
“Aside from Cannizaro House being a prestigious hotel in its own right, it was important to be a part of this project because The Orangerie provided us with some unique technical challenges to overcome. On a personal level, I was involved in the project from concept design onwards, suggesting appropriate technical solutions and overseeing the entire project, making sure that we fitted in with the extremely fast-track nature of the construction.”
Peter added:
“At Conservatory Blinds Ltd we specialise in quality in every single respect; technical innovation, advice, service, manufacture and installation. We are extremely proud of being the only company to actually design entire blind systems specifically for UK conservatories.
“Our R&D team, factory and fitters are all in regular contact to ensure that our unique range of blinds keeps up with the changing designs of modern conservatories.”
Nova Interiors
Nova interiors is a family run business, established over 30 years ago. Their primary focus is providing the hospitality industry with consistently high quality contract furniture. By adopting an approach of design, manufacture, sourcing and service Nova are able to supply furniture that is only limited by the client’s imagination.
Whilst value, durability and style are at the core of Nova`s business, it is their personal approach and service level that sets them apart from the competition. Understanding that each project and each client is different, their service evolves to meet these individual requirements.
Nova interiors are currently meeting the needs of some of the world`s leading hospitality brands and projects such as Cannizaro House give Nova the opportunity to work on small runs of custom furniture which takes them back to their core roots from which the modern company has grown.
Speaking about working on the Cannizaro project, Sales and Marketing Director, Jonathan Buchanan said:
“We provided product design input and manufactured the upholstery here in Chesterfield. We worked alongside with STS Design to deliver their design concept on time and to the quality and standard the client expects.”
Big Studio Glass Design
For more than 12 years, Big Studio Glass Design has designed and produced unique art pieces, in glass and mirror, for use within the construction industry. Although Big Studio Glass Design work across the board, the company focuses specifically on the leisure industry, providing individually designed pieces that have the ‘wow’ factor.
At present, Big Studio Glass Design is working with Harrods to provide a series of glass display units for use within the store. Big Studio Glass Design has been providing services for the prestigious retailer for the past four years and regularly works with Harrods’ design department to produce bespoke pieces for discerning clients.
Working on Cannizaro House, Big Studio Glass Design produced a glass floor along with two bespoke glass bars. Each bar is approximately 6 metres long by 3 metres high and includes a design for the site’s Orangerie.
Discussing the importance of the work, Big Studio Glass Design Managing Director, Suzi Dear, said:
“This project is very important to us, especially to be recognised as unique suppliers, providing the wow factor in glass and mirrors. We are market leaders, constantly developing new ideas and we are always ready to give the designers something different, each and every time.”
