‘Licet Esse Beatis’:
it is permitted to be joyful.

Our walls are decorated with portraits of the Warde family, past and present; but regardless of era there is an ethos that lives through us all, our family motto: "Licet Esse Beatis": it is permitted to be joyful.

...And this has been the spirit of our house since the first generation of my family lived here. Treasured letters tell how Sir Patience Warde traded wool from the Estate with the French for red wine, which he then sold to the hardworking people of London bringing some pleasure to their days.

It felt like the tides were changing when centuries later a very well-known French champagne house came to Squerryes looking to buy some of our land on which to grow their vines. My father, John, and I decided to walk away from those negotiations and instead set about planting 36 acres of vines ourselves back in 2006.

The “long, thirsty wait” that my father spoke of when the first vines were planted, has been well worth it as we are already enjoying great recognition for the quality of our vintage wines, in 2020 the estate winning gold in the World Championships, the fifth medal across five separate vintages.

Having our family motto engraved above our front door helps ensure this spirit continues to flow into our house and all the experiences we host here, whether it’s: a tour of the vineyards ripe with fruit; a meal in our Winery Restaurant or sun-filled terrace, or a flight of our sparkling wine in our Cork Room surrounded by stories from the estate; or private hire of the Court for weddings and celebrations.

If that has whet the appetite, become part of the Squerryes ‘family’ through membership, enjoying a whole calendar of events all year round (from our Summer Garden Party and Vendange to Christmas at the Court).

Whatever it is that brings you to Squerryes, our priority is to make sure that when you leave, you take with you a memory that has our stamp on it: enjoyment and pleasure.