Stoke Park has opened its new flagship restaurant, The Penn. Created in partnership with chef Tom Sellers, the chef behind two Michelin-starred Restaurant Story in London, The Penn marks the first stage of the estate’s new chapter following an extensive period of restoration and renovation.
Named after John Penn, The Penn offers a 48-cover dining room and an intimate private dining room seating eight. The restaurant has been developed by Sellers alongside chefs Dom Robinson, Tom Phillips and HiStory Hospitality, with an à la carte menu drawing on British culinary history, seasonality, provenance and classical French technique.
Studio Shayne Brady has overseen the design of The Penn and its adjoining private dining room, drawing inspiration from the history of the English country-house dining room. The interiors balance the elegance of a formal dining space with a more relaxed, contemporary approach, incorporating plaster walls, architectural columns and grand lantern lighting. A substantial limestone fireplace anchors the room, while a palette of greens, deep plum and soft plaster tones is complemented by traditional contemporary artwork and carefully detailed timberwork.
At high level, a bespoke plaster frieze depicts flora and fauna found across the Stoke Park estate, connecting the restaurant’s interiors with the surrounding landscape. An Old Master-style landscape painting provides a reference to traditional country-house interiors, while a sculptural mobile at the centre of the dining room introduces a contemporary focal point. Café curtains, bespoke lighting and timber flooring laid in a modern inlaid pattern complete the space.
Leading from the main restaurant, The Penn’s eight-seat private dining room has been designed as a more intimate space, inspired by the character of a traditional private study. Guests enter through a dedicated wine corridor before arriving in a room featuring trompe l’oeil timber-effect panelling, bronze-toned chairs, layered drapery and medieval-inspired pendant lighting.
The Penn forms part of a wider collection of five new dining and drinking concepts developed in partnership with Tom Sellers and HiStory Hospitality. Opening alongside The Penn will be The Piano Bar, which will offer classic cocktails and an elevated martini selection, The Tea Room, joining the already open Clubhouse. The Piano Bar’s design takes inspiration from Stoke Park’s cinematic history, including its appearances in James Bond films, with a deep red rosso levanto marble bar, richly textured furnishings and a palette of burgundy, burnt rust and yellow ochre.
The Terrace & Glasshouse offers a more informal dining experience, with views across the estate’s gardens and a menu shaped by seasonal produce. The Glasshouse has been designed in the style of an English orangery, with warm yellow tones, textured linens and planting curated by Stoke Park’s landscaping team.
The opening of The Penn and its accompanying dining and drinking spaces marks the first stage of Stoke Park’s wider relaunch.
