The Aldwark Manor Estate hotel will complete a 17-bedroom wing in October after a 25 million pound overhaul

Since Depho Estates bought it in 2019, the Aldwark Manor Estate hotel has committed 25 million pounds to works across its North Yorkshire estate. The final piece of the programme, the Salus wing, is due for completion in October 2026 with 17 bedrooms, seven treatment rooms and two meeting rooms. The Salus Spa, for its part, has been open since late 2025, and the Chartwell restaurant already features in the Michelin Guide selection.

☰Contents

1. 25 million pounds since the 2019 acquisition
2. The Salus wing, due in October 2026
3. Salt hammam and cryotherapy at the Salus Spa
4. Chartwell, selected by the Michelin Guide
5. Elements gets a retractable roof
6. An 18-hole golf course redesigned by the Ure
7. What does the manor owe the Dambusters?

25 million pounds since the 2019 acquisition

The estate covers about 80 hectares (200 acres) on the banks of the River Ure, some twenty minutes from York and Harrogate. Depho Estates, a local family business, bought it in 2019 and has since invested 25 million pounds, or about 29 million euros. The programme combined the renovation of the Victorian manor house, the construction of three new buildings (Chartwell, Bunkers and the Salus wing), a fully redesigned golf course and new leisure facilities.

The big transformation is done and it is now time for the next chapter, sums up the estate’s press release, quoting Richard Smith, general manager, who joined in 2025. The project remains that of the owners, who launched it six years earlier.

The Salus wing, due in October 2026

A new three-storey building, the Salus wing is due for completion in October 2026. It will add 17 bedrooms, seven treatment rooms and two meeting rooms. The estate has not disclosed the total number of rooms once the wing is complete, and no images of the new building have been released yet.

Before it, Bunkers Sports Bar replaced the golf course’s old clubhouse, with 11 bedrooms on the upper floor. The other rooms and suites are split between the manor house and Ladybower, while South Lodge is available to rent.

Salt hammam and cryotherapy at the Salus Spa

The Salus Spa is not new this autumn: it opened in late 2025 and accounted for 12 million pounds of the programme. Its garden brings together an outdoor hydrotherapy pool, loungers and an outdoor sauna. The rest of the circuit includes an indoor pool, a sauna, a salt hammam, cryotherapy, a Technogym gym and a studio.

The estate’s old swimming pool has been demolished and replaced by an infinity-style pool. The seven treatment rooms in the Salus wing will join the spa’s own as soon as the building is handed over.

Chartwell, selected by the Michelin Guide

Built from scratch during the programme, Chartwell features in the Michelin Guide selection, without a star, and received three AA Rosettes in 2024. The restaurant includes Pinafore, a private mezzanine dining room seating up to 12 guests, and Clem’s, a space for tasting wines by the glass.

Elements gets a retractable roof

The estate’s long-standing restaurant, Elements, with two AA Rosettes, has been renovated with a fully retractable roof for open-air dining. The estate also has the Bunkers Bar & Restaurant, the Squadron Bar and a cocktail bar set up in a former horsebox.

An 18-hole golf course redesigned by the Ure

The 18-hole course has been completely redesigned as part of the programme, between the lake and the river. A padel court has joined the estate’s leisure facilities, and The Boathouse now hosts meeting spaces on the banks of the Ure.

What does the manor owe the Dambusters?

The current manor house dates from 1865. Requisitioned during the Second World War, it hosted Wing Commander Guy Gibson while the Dambusters raid was being prepared, before becoming a school and then a hotel in 1978. The recent works also renovated the Gatekeeper’s Cottage and added a 1964 Routemaster bus, reserved for private events.

In the north of England, also read about the reopening of the Rockliffe resort in County Durham and the opening of the Fairmont Cheshire, between golf and spa; further north, Dalhousie Castle has completed its renovation near Edinburgh.