Historical weekend breaks
Time Out visits three historial English homes with plenty of olde-world charm - perfect for the out of town break
The romantic option
New Hall, Warwickshire
Winding up the pebbled
driveway of this handsome, higgledy piggledy old manor house,
surprisingly just a couple of minutes from the mundane middle-England
town of Sutton Coldfield, you can imagine Queen Elizabeth I reclining
in one of the turreted wings as she did just before her coronation in
1558. The mostly red brick frontage is a mix of architectural styles
from throughout the building’s 800-year history (a little Elizabethan
here, some Jacobean thrown in there, a touch of Georgian to the right)
all amalgamated into one impressive manor house, which is England’s
oldest house with a moat.
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Dating back to Anglo Saxon times, New
Hall has had variety of owners – including Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of
Warwick – and each has added to its architectural heritage. Prior to
the Norman Conquest, the land it now stands on was owned by Edwin, Earl
of Mercia, who was executed by William the Conqueror in 1071. It wasn’t
until some 900 years, a few wars (including the Wars of the Roses) and
various owners later that New Hall opened its doors as a hotel in 1988.
Since then, it’s been a popular spot for weddings and football team
managers keen to pamper their players before a match – and keep them
from the devilish distractions of the city before a big game. But it’s
also the ideal spot for a romantic weekend break.
There’s
something pacifying about this robust building in the heart of England
with its old-fashioned suites, complete with four-poster beds,
Victorian and Georgian furniture, and decanters of sherry rather than
mini-bars. The dimly lit wood-panelled bar, with its oil paintings of
former inhabitants, instantly takes you back to ye olde England, and
makes a fitting setting for pre-dinner drinks. Tuck into tasty modern
British cuisine (juicy lobster or scallop starters, followed by
delicious meat or fish dishes) in the candle-lit Bridge Restaurant,
which boasts beautiful Jacobean stained glass windows. For those with
sporty inclinations there are tennis courts and a small golf course.
For the less active, there’s a spa, with pool, where you can indulge in
beauty treatments. Or how about a spot of archery followed by croquet
and Pimm’s? There aren’t many nicer ways to while away a summer
afternoon.But it’s crossing the moat at the back and entering the
emerald-green garden, looking back on the angular turrets and leaded
windows that the full impact of this enchanting historical building
hits. A real jewel in the heart of the country.
New Hall,
Walmley Road, Walmley Village, Warwickshire B76 1QX (0870 333
9147/www.newhalluk.com). Doubles from £136 per night. Getting there 2
hours 20 minutes by car, M1 to junction 23a. 2 hours 10 minutes by
train (from £36.20 saver return) from Euston to Sutton Coldfield
(changing at Birmingham New Street) and then taxi.
