Peter Herbert, who has died aged 87, was a pioneer of the country house hotel who also, and over a forty year period, restored the forgotten garden at Gravetye Manor in West Sussex.
In partnership with Robin Howard, grandson of Stanley Baldwin and founder of the London Contemporary Dance Theatre, he took over Gravetye Manor in 1958, then a run down 16th century country house near East Grinstead.
Their brave (some said foolhardy) intention was to turn it into a luxurious hotel which, over the succeeding years, he and his first wife Pip duly accomplished. Over the years, it became rated as one of the world’s top-rated country house hotels, some of the finest chefs have worked in its kitchen – including Marcus Wareing – and its influence on many other hotels and hoteliers has been substantial.
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