Careys Manor Hotel & SenSpa is a historic country-house hotel in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, at the edge of the New Forest. Its story combines a former royal hunting lodge, a long-established local estate, wartime military use, and successive modern hotel developments.
The New Forest was established as a royal hunting ground by William the Conqueror in the late 11th century. The site associated with Careys Manor was traditionally one of the lodges used by the monarch and his retinue while hunting in the Forest. Permanent retainers would maintain the lodges and prepare them for royal visits.
Charles II gave the old manor to John Carey in recognition of services performed during the period 1660–1685. This is the origin of the name “Careys Manor.” Contemporary descriptions repeat the same account, but publicly available sources provide very little biographical information about Carey himself. They do not clearly identify his occupation, family background, or the precise service he performed for Charles II.
The Bowden-Smith family became associated with the property in 1790, when Robert Smith, a wine merchant, married into the Bowden family from Cornwall. The original house stood roughly 100 yards inside what is now the grounds of Brockenhurst College and was eventually demolished.
The present main house was built in 1888, on approximately 14 acres. The estate included a tennis court and the village cricket pitch. Herman Bowden-Smith also built a row of cottages in Brockenhurst, now known as Careys Cottages, intended to provide affordable rented homes for local people, particularly retired estate staff.
The Bowden-Smith family became associated with the property in 1790, when Robert Smith, a wine merchant, married into the Bowden family from Cornwall. The original house stood roughly 100 yards inside what is now the grounds of Brockenhurst College and was eventually demolished.
The present main house was built in 1888, on approximately 14 acres. The estate included a tennis court and the village cricket pitch. Herman Bowden-Smith also built a row of cottages in Brockenhurst, now known as Careys Cottages, intended to provide affordable rented homes for local people, particularly retired estate staff.
Herman Bowden-Smith sold the property in 1934 before moving to Switzerland. The new owner, identified in the hotel’s account as Mr Builderbeck, converted the house into a hotel and sold much of the surrounding land separately to the local council. This marks the beginning of Careys Manor’s modern identity as a hospitality business. careysmanor.com
During the Second World War, the hotel was used to accommodate the 2nd Battalion Welsh Guards. The New Forest’s terrain made it useful for military training ahead of the D-Day landings. In 1943, Canadian forces also arrived in Brockenhurst, and a Canadian headquarters contingent occupied the manor. The hotel recalls a Christmas party held for local children that year, when many tasted ice cream and peanut butter for the first time.
Later owners and expansion
The subsequent development of the hotel can be summarized as follows:
- 1957: John Ferris bought the hotel.
- 1966–1967: Garden wings were added.
- 1975: The Leach family acquired the hotel.
- 1984: The Carat Club was added.
- 1987: The East Garden Wing was built.
- 1988: The Manor Suite was added.
- 2004: The health club underwent a reported £6 million refurbishment and became SenSpa, a large Thai-inspired spa combining eastern treatments with western hydrotherapy.
- 2009: The bedrooms and suites were substantially refurbished, including the Garden Rooms, later presented as Oakwood Rooms.
- 2025: The hotel’s own history page says it was acquired by Myst Hotels & Resorts Limited. careysmanor.com
Today’s property is therefore a mixture of historic fabric and later additions. The 1888 manor house forms the central historic element, while the wings, spa, bedrooms, restaurants, and leisure facilities reflect its development as a modern hotel.
Source images (the older images have been retouched & enlarged using ai):
