Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Officially Opens Siddington Park Retirement Village

Rangeford Villages' latest retirement development, ‘Siddington Park', was officially opened last week by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, at a glamourous party hosted in the village's dedicated new restaurant and bar, The Orangery.  Guests included Siddington Park owners, prospective buyers, national and regional press, and VIP's Jackie Llewelyn-Bowen, Hermione Marriott, Lady Bathurst and Cirencester's new Mayor, Councillor Sarah Orr.

The Orangery's hospitality team served free-flowing drinks, and mouthwatering canapes artistically created by talented Head Chef Danijel Furjan, throughout the afternoon. Live music was performed by classical violinist, Meg Batch from Cheltenham, followed by well-known local band Pip & the Bad Seed playing favourite songs from the 60's and 70's.  There was also a thrilling aerobatics display put on by pilot Dave Barrell in a WWII bi-plane, from Rendcomb-based wing-walking team, Aerosuperbatics, the only display team of its kind in the world. Upon departure, guests were further treated to goodie bags containing indoor orange trees and a gift voucher for lunch for two at The Orangery.

Siddington Park has been expertly designed with a contemporary twist on Cotswold elegance, set in beautifully landscaped parkland. Guests were shown around village's newly completed central hub, ‘The Pavilion', and were in awe of the five-star design and incredible attention to detail. The Pavilion houses The Orangery bar and restaurant, and state-of-the-art leisure facilities. These include a Stuart Wilson hair salon; an impressive heated indoor pool with sauna, steam room and deluxe experience shower; a gym with the latest high-tech equipment; a dedicated studio space for yoga and fitness classes; luxurious treatment rooms; and a sumptuous owners' lounge with cinema screen.

The Orangery bar and restaurant and the Stuart Wilson hair salon are open to the public, whilst the leisure complex of pool, spa facilities and lounge are exclusively for the owners living at Siddington Park and their families. Bookings for The Orangery can be made on the restaurant's website.

Also unveiled on the day was a stunning new show home apartment, exclusively designed and decorated by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, a new collaboration with Rangeford Villages and the celebrity interior designer, which will be rolled out to other Rangeford developments.  All fabrics, upholstery, furniture, artworks and accessories are from the LLB Shop and Brand HQ in Cirencester. The end result is a magnificently stylish home, exuding glamour and charm with swanky abundance.  

The Pavilion was interior designed by Jonathan Radburn of Whichelo Spa Interiors & Lighting.  Wichelo are at the forefront of the high-end retirement village sector, with a particular focus on the design of wellness facilities, which stems from a wealth of experience designing some of the most glamorous hotel and destination spas in the UK and worldwide. 

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, speaking about his collaboration with Rangeford, referred to the new Pavilion as ‘super swanky', and talked about living life over 60 years old, saying: "As you get older you must not stop being brave, you must not compromise, and you must not think, I'm old now, so I'd better turn down the volume.  Rangeford has proven it's about keeping the volume up, keeping up the rock ‘n' roll, and keeping the excitement."  He went on to say: "Design is there to help, it is there to make you feel a lot better about who you are, where you are and how you live, and this development is a perfect example how to use it to do exactly that." 

During CEO Howard Nankivell's welcome speech, he praised Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's ‘spectacular' show home appartement, referring to him as ‘the undisputed king of wild and adventurous design', and announced that Rangeford's collaboration with LLB would be rolled out to other villages in the portfolio.  He added: "At Rangeford we strive to really raise the bar for retirement living, creating thriving new communities that promote healthy active lifestyles, hobbies, friendships, and wellbeing, and so we are absolutely delighted to officially open this, our latest exciting development."

Guests gathered on The Orangery's outdoor terrace

LEFT TO RIGHT:  Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Cllr Sarah Orr, Lady Bathurst, Howard Nankivell, Jackie Llewelyn-Bowen, Sarah Burgess, Amanda Valentine and Will Ryan

LEFT TO RIGHT: Amanda Valentine, Hermione Marriott and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

Hermione and Laurence in the new LLB show home

Exterior of The Pavilion

Photos by Rob Spooner, www.tuckedaway.co.uk.