British Vogue: How This Gloucester Manor Became The Most Sought-After Invite For Britain’s Coolest Creatives
On a windswept day last November, Imogen Snell and her partner Riccardo Castano, gathered an eclectic group – the actor James Norton, fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner, chef Missy Flynn and record label owner Caius Pawson among them – together for the first in a series of lunches that would soon evolve into one of the most coveted invites of 2024.
The location? Lypiatt Park, where Snell and Castano run their creative design enterprise IS Studio crafting the visual identities – be it a music video or fashion campaign – for the likes of Madonna, Dua Lipa and Jamie XX. The sprawling, turreted medieval manor set on 100 hectares of parkland in Gloucestershire, is owned by noted artist, and friend of the couple, Daniel Chadwick. Over the last year, Snell and Castano have facilitated intensive three-day workshops at Lypiatt for artists such as Griff, Sampha and Jorja Smith. Yet after the success of their luncheon last November, the concept of having artists host a meal there felt like a natural progression. “We found the group element to be essential to relationship-building,” says Snell. “Sitting down to a meal created an environment where artists could express themselves in new, more domestic and tangible ways.”
In the imposing dining room, guests might dine on butterbean, fennel and roast pumpkin stew, rice pilaf and roasted carrots served with organic wine and cider. Following a walk through the rolling sculpture park, a spatial audio listening experience might await them in one of the bedrooms.
“Lypiatt is a beautiful place,” says Wales Bonner, who has collaborated with IS Studio on her fashion shows for years, “Having time to reflect in the countryside can be really beneficial and hearing the immersive sound experience there was also incredibly inspiring.”
After planning their own wedding at Lypiatt in July, the couple are planning more IS Studio lunches this summer, with invitees collaborating with chefs or even cooking a meal themselves. While the future may see them transpose the concept to a chateau in France or a location in Los Angeles, the couple agree that few places can quite match the majesty of Lypiatt Park. “[It] has this artistic tradition and we want to keep the lunches rooted in a story,” says Snell. “We want to honour that legacy.”
