Our Story
Historic house, family home
While Elmore Court dates back to 1580, the Guises have lived on this spot since 1262. It’s been a family home, first and foremost, for over 750 years.
Over the centuries, the Guises have developed a special connection with the surrounding landscape, house and gardens. From early Norman nobles to the present owner, Anselm Guise, they have been devoted stewards of the land – as well as dedicated party people!
It’s a place where family fun and celebration echo through the ages.
Here’s a brief history of the Guises and Elmore Estate:
Arrival
Originally, the Guises were nobles in Northern France, and before that Vikings. They first arrived in England with William the Conqueror in 1066, settling in what is now Aspley Guise in Bedfordshire, where they kept property until about 1540.
A Clove of Gillyflower
In 1262, the family was granted the present land at Elmore by King Henry III. The annual rent was set at a ‘Clove of one Gillyflower’. It was in honour of this historic fee that we named our future-rustic event space, The Gillyflower – the building that’s helping us secure Elmore Estate for the future.
Property and prosperity
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the Guises lived at Elmore and prospered. In 1661, Sir Christopher Guise received a knighthood, becoming the First Baronet of Elmore. The family also extended its footprint, buying the nearby Rendcomb Estate in 1638 and later acquiring Highnam Estate through marriage in 1783.
Party pad
In 1794, Sir Berkeley Guise, who was living at Rendcomb at the time, inherited Elmore. He designated Elmore Court an official party pad and built the existing dining room to accommodate his festivities. He died without an heir in 1834, leaving his younger brother, John Guise, Anselm’s great great great grandfather, in charge of the estate.
Jerusalem
During the nineteenth century, the family decided to sell the estates at Highnam and Rendcomb, while retaining Elmore. Highnam was sold to the Parry family, whose son Hubert Parry arranged and orchestrated the famous hymn Jerusalem, based on the poem of the same name by William Blake.
Upstairs downstairs
Most of the west side of Elmore Court’s historic house was built around 1870. From this point until the end of the First World War, a great many people worked at Elmore. During this period, the running of the estate was shaped by the ‘upstairs downstairs’ dynamics typically associated with historic English country houses.
The twentieth century
Throughout the last century, the Guises lived very traditional lives at Elmore. Anselm’s father, Sir James Guise, his aunt and late uncle were all born into these ways. They recall being sent for at meal times and dining in their best clothes. It was, and remains to this day, a wonderful family home.
A new chapter for Elmore
In 2007, Anselm inherited Elmore from his uncle, Sir John Guise. At the time, Anselm was running an electronic music events business and putting on parties all around the world. So, when he first took over Elmore Court, his first thought was that it would make a wonderful events space…
The grand opening
In 2013, Elmore Court reopened as a dedicated wedding and events venue, but with only eight bedrooms and no Coach House. It was an uncertain, nervy but exciting time for Anselm and his family, whose story was captured as part of a BBC documentary.
New developments
In 2016, the builders returned. Their task: to add another eight bedrooms to the main house and build the now-famous Coach House. With these projects complete, in 2018 Anselm turned his attention to food. Converting and extending the old Victorian kitchen, he created the perfect place for tasting, baking and sustainable food production using homegrown or locally sourced produce.
Rewilding
Since 2020, Elmore has been home to a major rewilding project. Within a 450-acre area, Anselm and his team are working to make the estate truly sustainable, introducing free-roaming rare-breed animals and letting nature take its course. With an ever-growing abundance of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and more, Elmore is going wild.
To the trees
As the rewilding project took shape, Anselm saw an opportunity to realise a childhood dream: to build a treehouse. Now, in the woodlands at the southern end of Elmore Estate, six luxury treehouses look out over the wetlands and rewilding landscape. These ‘pods of dreams’ invite visitors to slow down, breathe deep and immerse themselves in nature.
