The history of The Headland HotelTake a step back in time
In a unique setting framed by the Atlantic on three sides, The Headland Hotel has been welcoming guests through its doors for over one hundred years. In 1897 the Headland Hotel Company was formed for the sole purpose of creating the finest hotel in South West England. Finished to the highest standards of its time – with fireplaces, hot and cold running water, electric lights, and electric service bells – The Headland Hotel opened its doors for business in June 1900.
A stylish hotel that has perfected the art of luxury weddings in Cornwall, over the decades it has attracted a string of royal visitors including Edward VIII, King George VI, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. To put you in the picture of the past, London orchestras would come and play here throughout the summer season, and at its best the ballroom saw at least 300 guests waltzing energetically on its wooden, coil-sprung floor. Imagine a beautiful wedding that recreates the elegant ambience of such classic parties, with a fine feast, and a pianist or a live band bringing the ballroom to life on your special wedding day.
An historic landmark with a modern twist
Boasting a unique history, location and architecture, The Headland Hotel is a Grade II listed building on a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (being a raised beach containing many interesting fossils). Now open year-round (closing for just a few days over Christmas), the hotel attracts guests from all over the world for weddings, short breaks, romantic retreats, family holidays, film shoots, fashion shoots and conferences.
With a 75-year family history of owning and running hotels in Newquay, John and Carolyn Armstrong bought the hotel in a rundown condition in 1979. In less than 30 years they have spent well over £15 million on an extensive facelift of the hotel – making the most of its oceanic viewpoint inside and out, and bringing it up to the highest standards of modern luxury accommodation. One of the most radical developments has been the building of Cornwall’s first five-star holiday village on the headland overlooking Fistral Beach.
