HALL ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE
IT’S A COUNTRY HOUSE BUT UNLIKE ANY YOU’VE STAYED AT BEFORE. DISCOVERS A NORTHUMBERLAND TREASURE
YOU’VE never stayed anywhere like it, trust me. We’re walking across a perfectly maintained driveway towards the steps of a large country house. A fountain plays in a circle of neat lawn and in front of us, rolling countryside stretches out towards the sea. We think we know what to expect, and we’re wrong.
Charlton Hall, sitting opposite the beautiful Embleton Bay, Northumberland, is a country house like none you’ve ever imagined before.
Inside, each large, comfortable room is decorated in its own eccentric style.
We’re here for dinner and to stay the night, and our bedroom features a fabulous, colourful, oriental-looking wallpaper, alongside the biggest bed I’ve ever seen. Every room is unique in its décor: from cheerful yellows and flowers, to dramatic purple and velvet, to giant pictures of owls.
We’re ordered to check out the toilets by another pair of guests as soon as we enter. It seems a strange command at first, but they’re certainly worth seeing!
In the ladies, a giant eye painted on the wall is covered in bright round mirrors, creating the look of a sort of fabulous bug.
In the gents there’s a huge graffiti picture of the singer Rihanna, and the urinals are shaped like ceramic mouths.
Apparently, local artists had a hand in decorating some of these spaces.
A highlight is the wide staircase, which is guarded by a full-sized stuffed giraffe’s head sporting a bowler hat and watching guests with a somewhat sardonic look. He’s fabulous.
There’s also a stunning event space: a dancefloor surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the fields to the sea.
In the dining room, high transparent tables add light and space to the room, while traditional aristocratic portraits are accessorised with bright spray-paint blotches of what I’m pretty sure they call ‘Millienial Pink’. You get the picture – or, to be honest, you probably don’t. This place has to be seen to be believed.
It was obviously a huge amount of fun to decorate Charlton Hall and, perhaps for that reason, it’s a huge amount of fun to spend time there.
You might think dinner at a country house would prove stuffy, but it’s exactly the opposite. The atmosphere is relaxed, we feel able to wander from the bar, to the dining room, to the sumptuously comfortable lounge and even down to the funky underground ‘speakeasy’.
We chat to our fellow guests – indeed, one of them even serenades us on the piano in one sitting room – and
generally enjoy feeling like we have the run of this bizarre, brilliant place.
Yet, among this wonderfully chilled atmosphere, we enjoy food that wouldn’t feel out of place in the most exclusive of restaurants. Our four courses wow us, from the light, bright, fresh chicken dish to perfectly soft trout in a gorgeous, sharp, complex sauce; to the earthy, punchy, meaty lamb.
A dessert of rhubarb and tiny ginger cakes quite simply makes me grin.
There are flashy, cheffy touches (beautifully scented dry ice smoke blown over our dessert, tiny delicate cubes of flavourful jelly with several main courses, most things done ‘three ways’) which add to the drama and spectacle. But it’s all on a fundamental base of really very good cooking.
The owners say Charlton Hall won’t ever be opened as a general restaurant or hotel. It can be hired out in full for weddings or, increasingly, for private events, for the most memorable dinner party you’ll ever throw or an impressive way to mark a special birthday.
They’ve also begun hosting dining events on certain days, for a more affordable way to visit the hall – in June, for instance, their Fathers’ Day event gave dads the chance to enjoy a ‘carve your own’ roast, promising real theatre alongside the hall’s spectacular cooking, at £29.95 a head for three courses.
Keep an eye on this one. The interior of Charlton Hall ■ was a guest of Charlton Hall, which can be hired for private and corporate events, weddings and as a filming location. See charltonhall.co.uk or call 01665 579173 for information.
HANNAH GRAHAM
Exterior photos by Stephen Beecroft Photography, food photo by Magenta Photography