French Horn, Sonning Eye
Encyclopedia
The French Horn at Sonning is a luxury hotel
and restaurant
on the banks of the River Thames
next to the Sonning Backwater Bridges
(on the B478 road), at Sonning Eye
, Oxfordshire
, England
.
The speciality of the restaurant is duck
, roasted on a spit in front of the fire, and there is an extensive wine
list. The restaurant has a panoramic
view of the gardens and river beyond. The riverside trees are floodlit
at night. It is possible for diners and other visitors to moor on the river in the hotel's garden. There is an old, rusty iron gate
with the name of the hotel within the ironwork on the path by the river opposite Sonning Bridge
. The hotel includes a number of riverside cottages that are now used as rooms for hotel clients.
Notable clientele include the film director and restaurant critic Michael Winner
, who has used the location as a film set, and Princess Diana. It has also featured in the books of Dick Francis
.
Close by is The Mill at Sonning
, now a dinner theatre. On the opposite Berkshire
bank over the main historic Sonning Bridge
is another riverside hotel and restaurant, the Great House at Sonning
.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
and restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
on the banks of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
next to the Sonning Backwater Bridges
Sonning Backwater Bridges
Sonning Backwater Bridges are two road bridges across two branches of the River Thames at Sonning Eye, Oxfordshire, England. Built in 1986 to replace an older wooden structure, the bridges span Sonning Backwater and the millrace to link historic brick arch Sonning Bridge of 1775, which spans the...
(on the B478 road), at Sonning Eye
Sonning Eye
Sonning Eye is a hamlet on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, in the civil parish of Eye & Dunsden, at the very southernmost tip of Oxfordshire.- Overview :...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The speciality of the restaurant is duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
, roasted on a spit in front of the fire, and there is an extensive wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
list. The restaurant has a panoramic
Panorama
A panorama is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film/video, or a three-dimensional model....
view of the gardens and river beyond. The riverside trees are floodlit
High-intensity discharge lamp
High-intensity discharge lamps are a type of electrical lamp which produces light by means of an electric arc between tungsten electrodes housed inside a translucent or transparent fused quartz or fused alumina arc tube. This tube is filled with both gas and metal salts. The gas facilitates the...
at night. It is possible for diners and other visitors to moor on the river in the hotel's garden. There is an old, rusty iron gate
Gate
A gate is a point of entry to a space enclosed by walls, or a moderately sized opening in a fence. Gates may prevent or control entry or exit, or they may be merely decorative. Other terms for gate include yett and port...
with the name of the hotel within the ironwork on the path by the river opposite Sonning Bridge
Sonning Bridge
Sonning Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames at Sonning, Berkshire. It links Sonning with Sonning Eye and crosses the Thames on the reach above Shiplake Lock, just short of Sonning Lock. It is a brick arch bridge completed in 1775, to replace an earlier wooden bridge...
. The hotel includes a number of riverside cottages that are now used as rooms for hotel clients.
Notable clientele include the film director and restaurant critic Michael Winner
Michael Winner
Michael Robert Winner is a British film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times.-Early life and early career :...
, who has used the location as a film set, and Princess Diana. It has also featured in the books of Dick Francis
Dick Francis
Richard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
.
Close by is The Mill at Sonning
The Mill at Sonning
The Mill at Sonning is a theatre and restaurant , converted from an 18th century flour mill, on an island in the River Thames at Sonning Eye in the English county of Oxfordshire....
, now a dinner theatre. On the opposite Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
bank over the main historic Sonning Bridge
Sonning Bridge
Sonning Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames at Sonning, Berkshire. It links Sonning with Sonning Eye and crosses the Thames on the reach above Shiplake Lock, just short of Sonning Lock. It is a brick arch bridge completed in 1775, to replace an earlier wooden bridge...
is another riverside hotel and restaurant, the Great House at Sonning
Great House at Sonning
The Great House at Sonning is a hotel and restaurant with a riverside garden on the River Thames near Sonning Bridge at Sonning, Berkshire, England...
.