British stays that are timeless but not tired

What transforms a hotel into a national treasure that will stand the test of time? Fiona Duncan reveals all

2022-06-18 -

When is a traditional hotel timeless (and therefore endlessly appealing and touched by magic) and when is it merely timeworn (and therefore seedy, drab and no fun at all)? The answer is not entirely straightforward, for timeless hotels can be as much a state of mind as a set of rules, and they vary in style and type, from classic to cosy. You are either an aficionado of such hotels or you are not; if you are, this is for you.

Some British hotels that feel timeless are small family-owned establishments, essentially unchanged but judiciously updated throughout the years (such as Dorset’s Plumber Manor and Gliffaes in the Brecon Beacons); a few are genuine time warps, frozen in the past but so loved and cared for that they remain touchingly appealing (Howtown in the Lake District and Northbank on the Isle of Wight).

Others still are grandes dames that have had millions spent on them to bring them fully into the present day, but whose owners have been careful to preserve the past, thereby allowing their qualities of enduring agelessness to remain undimmed (the Ritz and the Goring in London). But while age is normally a common factor, timeless hotels can occasionally be relatively new, somehow already possessing the assurance and dignity of a place that stands the test of time (Cornwall’s the Nare and Lime Wood in the New Forest).

One thing is certain: timeless hotels are rare. The vast majority of places to stay in this country open, close, change hands, change styles, change their entire personality with the whirling regularity of a merry-go-round. That’s no bad thing: for many people the contemporary and cutting edge is the draw, but for every guest who feels most at home among exposed brick and polished concrete, there is another who, perhaps more into a good book than a designer cocktail, craves the comforting, reassuring certainty that comes with continuity and tradition. What can you hear? Croquet, perhaps, and birdsong, the clink of china tea cups, the crackle of a fire in the hearth and of a newspaper being read in an armchair.

What can you see? Perhaps drinks brought on a silver salver, antiques gleaming with polish, menus on card (not tablet), watchful ancestors on the walls, decanters of whisky or sherry in the bedrooms.

Continuity is the key here, signalling unbroken daily rhythm, and a refuge from the world where an unseen, silent motor powers the hotel through the years, whatever life throws at it.

Service in timeless hotels will be warm and natural – not even the most old-fashioned places do stiff and aloof anymore – but also courteous and deferential rather than laidback. Neat black and white uniforms will often play a part, and you can usually expect a reassuring air of formality in dining rooms laid with linen and silver, candles and fresh flowers.

Food too, is likely to be classic rather than creative, Anglo-French rather than Asian-fusion, with a natural emphasis on local produce since many timeless hotels, country ones at least, are rooted in their local community. That old stalwart, the dessert trolley, is becoming as rare as the trouser press – but that’s not the case with afternoon tea, which is a ritual, not a gimmick, and breakfast, which is likely to be a well-judged full English feast.

Of course, decoration is the most immediate clue to a timeless hotel. While they certainly don’t espouse minimalism or slick modernity – heaven forbid – they don’t have to be dated either, but they must exude an air of traditional British comfort. Antiques and oil paintings in gilt frames are helpful and sofas are vitally important, as well as a thoughtful selection of books.

Here, then, are 10 very different hotels, in very different places, that all pass the test and defy time.

THE NARE, CORNWALL

No list of timeless hotels could omit this “country house by the sea” on beautiful Carne Beach, opened in 1988 by the splendid Bettye Gray, then aged 70 and run today by her grandson Toby. The many repeat guests know exactly what to expect; days out on the Fal and Helford Rivers in a vintage launch, croquet

on the lawn, formal dinners, flambée and sweet trollies circulating; even a chauffeur service. Crucially, though, the Nare does not rest on its laurels; last year, spectacular new sea-view family suites opened and further improvements are planned – though never ones that would rock the boat. The Nare (01872 501111; narehotel.co.uk) offers doubles from £312, including breakfast and afternoon tea

NORTHBANK, ISLE OF WIGHT

Mary, the unflappable widow of owner Michael Shaw-Yates, continues to cook for all at Northbank on an Aga and agedefying 1934 gas stove in a kitchen bulging with cookbooks and hung with gingham curtains. Expect sizzling breakfasts, proper Sunday roasts and melon boats, local lobster and profiteroles for dinner. Mary’s sons Mark and William now run the hotel, beloved of military and naval families, where new carpets and pristine new bathrooms (some communal) have made a recent welcome appearance. Outside, the garden leads to the beach, with views that make the heart race. This is a time warp that is so endearing it should have a preservation order on it.

Northbank (01983 612227; northbankhotel.co.uk) offers doubles from £120, including breakfast

LIME WOOD, HAMPSHIRE

The feeling that time is somehow suspended is stronger at Lime Wood than at any other contemporary country house hotel. As ever, continuity helps: the same owners, general manager, spa manager and chefs (Luke Holder and Angela Hartnett) are still in charge and committed to creating an oasis of good living and good food that transcend fad and frippery. Sitting rooms, recently redecorated by Susie Atkinson – who understands timeless, comforting interiors as well as any – melt into one another and bedrooms are soothing to the point of soporific, while the Herb House Spa offers a rooftop garden, sylvan views and womb-like comfort. Lime Wood (02380 287177; limewoodhotel.co.uk) offers doubles from £395

PLUMBER MANOR, DORSET

A stay here feels like staying with friends, in floral patterned bedrooms that resemble those in a family country house. Plumber Manor, in the same family since the 17th century, is now run with warmth and character by Richard Prideaux-Brune, his wife Alison and brother Brian, now joined in the kitchen by chef Louis Haskell. The dining room, with family portraits on the walls, is highly popular and though the sweet trolley has disappeared, the convivial atmosphere and mainly traditional menu remains intact. Plumber Manor is a bit like your favourite great aunt: tweedy and stout, set in her ways, a touch eccentric and, though occasionally opinionated, a real softy at heart. Plumber Manor (01258 472507; plumbermanor.co.uk) offers doubles from £180, including breakfast

THE RITZ, LONDON

It always feels like party time at the Ritz. With its Long Gallery, Palm Court and Restaurant, surely the loveliest in Europe, the Ritz is both consistently ravishing and wonderfully unchanged. With its weekly dinner dances, its famous afternoon teas and especially its staff – doormen and concierges with white gloves tucked into epaulettes, white-coated bartenders and chambermaids in pinnies and caps – it remains a perfect blend of past and present. If he stepped inside today, Swiss hotelier César Ritz would surely feel he was home; he would also – surely – be thrilled with the food: classic, yes; superb, undoubtedly.

The Ritz (020 7493 8181; theritzlondon. com) offers doubles from £745, including breakfast

THE GORING, LONDON

London’s only luxury hotel still in the same family since it was opened in 1910 by Otto Richard Goring is still rooted in British tradition (think Noël Coward singing Mad Dogs and Englishmen while the operator puts you through). It is also still beloved of the Royal family (the only hotel to be granted a Royal

Warrant) and as comfortable as ever (“I’d much prefer to stay at the Goring; I don’t have a bathroom to myself at Buckingham Palace,” sighed the Crown Prince of Norway in 1937). This summer, typical of its very British and timeless sense of fun, you may find Teddy the Shetland pony trotting about as you take afternoon tea in the huge, secret garden.

The Goring (020 7396 9000; thegoring. com) offers doubles from £670, including breakfast

HAMBLETON HALL, RUTLAND

Tim and Stefa Hart, the dedicated owners of this luxurious country house hotel, first welcomed guests in 1980. The core team of six, including general manager and housekeeper, have notched up 150 years of service between them. Contented but never complacent, the hotel offers no more than sophisticated yet comfortable classic English interiors; the brilliant, locally sourced cooking of chef Aaron Patterson (the hotel has held a Michelin star for a record 40 unbroken years); and a joyous wine list curated by sommelier Dominique Baduel. The swimming pool, tennis court and formal gardens will take your breath away. Hambleton Hall (01572 756991; hambletonhall.com) offers doubles from £295, including breakfast

GLIFFAES, POWYS

It’s hard to imagine a more peaceful hotel than Gliffaes. Sitting on the wide stone terrace with nothing but the sound of birdsong, sipping a martini in the gracious drawing room, strolling in the magnificent arboretum or fishing on the rushing River Usk below are all contributing factors. The late 19th-century Italianate house is run by the third generation of the Brabner family and the head chef has been in place for 16 years. Bedrooms are essays in classic comfort and walls are hung with contemporary Welsh art. Gliffaes is one of our finest fishing hotels, but it is also a place where anyone seeking timeless tranquillity will find it.

Gliffaes (01874 640257; gliffaeshotel. com) offers doubles from £159

HOWTOWN HOTEL, CUMBRIA

Set back from the shores of Ullswater and set back in time, Howtown has been in the same family for more than 120 years and Jacqui Baldry, latterly with her son David, has been in charge for 60 of those. Warmly lit, red carpeted corridors lined with watercolours lead to 12 rooms, spacious and neat, with wonderful views, a bar of Imperial Leather soap, plentiful hot water and large towels. At 7pm a gong sounds for dinner in the duck egg-blue dining room, gleaming with cutlery. At 8am: tea and biscuits brought to your room. Sound regimented? This is the warmest, kindest hotel in the world. Howtown Hotel (01784 86514; howtown-hotel.co.uk) offers doubles from £300, including dinner and breakfast

GLENEAGLES, PERTHSHIRE

The ultimate railway hotel (it still has its own station, with a direct train each day to and from King’s Cross), this country house, built in 1924 in the style of a palace, is set amid stunning scenery and exists now, as it did then, to provide golf, country pursuits, glamour and entertainment. A timeless fixture on the social calendar, along with yachting at Cowes, rowing at Henley and racing at Deauville, Gleneagles still displays today all its original dazzle. Nowhere is its atmosphere more keenly felt than in the beautiful pillared and panelled Strathearn Room, where silver trolleys whisk about and the past and present meld into one.

Gleneagles (0800 704705; gleneagles. com) offers doubles from £475, including breakfast

A silent, unseen motor powers the hotel through the years, whatever life throws at it