Imagine the ultimate British summer: sipping Pimms on manicured lawns; munching scones on a picnic before fooling around on a Badminton court until dinnertime. Now, imagine it all, just in Burberry plaid. The British design house is famed for its stylish rainproof trench, but this summer, they've turned their hand to badminton rackets, picnic blankets, and golf carts. They've even mown their signature Burberry plaid into a croquet lawn (yes, really).
The site of this Burberry-ification is the sprawling 2,000-acre estate of The Newt in Somerset, England, one of the best, and most exclusive, farm stays in the UK. For this pop-up stay, titled The British at Play, the award-winning hotel and spa has partnered with Burberry to create a custom newt-colored check that appears, rather cheekily, all over their estate.
For two months this summer, visitors may bat shuttlecocks from Burberry-branded rackets over a Burberry-emblazoned net before retiring onto a pale-green checkered sun lounger beneath a plaid-patterned parasol.
There are also hot air balloon rides offered on site — in a Burberry checkered balloon, of course — to admire from above the blanket of green Somerset fields and valleys. The ride is a nod to a hot air balloonist who flew over 1,000 kilometers in Burberry gabardine, a weatherproof textile invented by Burberry's founder, Thomas Burberry, in 1879.
A very British love of the great outdoors suffuses the experience at The Newt in Somerset. Vegetables harvested in the estate gardens are cooked into seasonal dishes in the four restaurants on site, and plants from the medieval herb garden are mixed into botanical treatments at the spa. There are garden trails, cycle routes, outdoor pools, and hedgerows filled with berries, ripe for the picking. Everything hearkens to a rosy-cheeked summer spent frolicking outside, come drizzle or shine.
The idea that clothing ought to protect the wearer, whatever the weather, and do so in style, was the founding principle of Burberry. It is only too apt, then, that the British design house, whose iconic plaid was inspired by Scottish tartan, should partner with a Georgian estate in the heart of the English countryside.
The result? Playful, luxurious, and quintessentially British. The Newt has all the right elements for a Great British getaway. A Grade II-listed residence dating back to the 18th century? Check. A sprawling green lawn ready for a spot of sport? Check. And a picnic (on a Burberry checkered blanket, naturally) of afternoon tea? Check and check.
Beyond the Burberry paraphernalia, The Newt is home to 40 individually designed rooms across two historic sites: the 17th-century manor Hadspen House, set in the heart of the estate gardens, and the Farmyard, nestled in the surrounding woodlands for a quieter, more intimate stay. Here, former servants' quarters and stables have been converted into cosy lodgings with unique design features like exposed wooden beams and original hay mangers.
The estate also hosts a series of talks and workshops across the year, including the upcoming Gather & Grow Festival in July, replete with live music, BBQs, and workshops for adults and children.
The Newt's Burberry experience, The British at Play, is open until August 18. Book your stay
As much as we hate being repetitive, this co-authored collaboration by The Newt in Somerset and Burberry, The British at Play, isn't but the latest manifestation of the rise (and rise) of resort-core. Haven't heard about it before? Just you wait.
From H&M HOME tapping New York's 'It' Creative Director Gabriella Khalil for a resort-themed lifestyle and decor drop, the Palm Heights x H&M HOME collection, to luxury stays reinventing themselves across a variety of meticulously curated experiences across fine dining, culture, and travel, experts agree: the trend is here to stay.
