Literature And llamas
You’ll find a friendly welcome at this 18th-century manor house, says Bernadette Fallon
There’s a copy of Virginia Woolf ’s Mrs Dalloway by the bed. It’s one of my favourite novels, though it’s been years since I’ve read it. So, I think, I’ll read it during my stay at Hawkstone Hall.
Only I never get around to it. Between the extensive grounds – 22 acres with gardens and ancient woodlands to the back of the manor house, 65 acres of farmland to the front with views of the North Shropshire Plains and Welsh Hills – lily ponds and mini lakes, bicycles to take for a cycle, llamas to feed and big comfy armchairs in front of blazing fires to sit in, there simply isn’t time.
Hawkstone Hall is an 18th-century manor house, remodelled and extended through the centuries and was a family home until the 1920s. There are generations of Hill family portraits in the sumptuous Saloon – the restaurant where you dine under a stuccoed gold leaf ceiling, with a view of the garden through three enormous arched windows.
Here’s Sir Robert Hill, looking down at me from over the vast marble mantelpiece, resting on William Morris wallpaper. Next door there’s The Snug, the former 18th century bedroom turned contemporary cocktail bar, one of the oldest rooms in the house. (1701, since you ask.)
But instead of ladies completing their toilette when we visit which would have been very embarrassing for all concerned there are a couple of very happy looking dogs stretched out in front of the fire. This isn’t a stuffy high end country house hotel – it’s friendly, welcoming and cosy, despite the huge marble fireplaces, stuccoed ceilings and Italianate gold leaf.
And if it’s good enough for writer Dr Samuel Johnson, who visited in the 18th century and wrote he was very impressed with its architecture and fine style, it’s good enough for me. My favourite room is the winter garden, a light-filled glass space full of plants and foliage, leading off from the lounge with its furnishings and colour schemes of greens, duck egg blue and dusky pinks, inspired by old photos from the family home.
Further along there’s the chapel, and if you were thinking “That’d be a great spot for a wedding”, you’d be right. Hawkstone Hall is a popular wedding venue, and there’s one just starting the day we are leaving. The staff are all decked out in smart black waistcoats, the glorious ballroom is set up for dinner with gleaming tableware and starched white cloths, and the Saloon has been cleared for
the drinks’ reception. Later there’ll be dancing in the refectory, a wonderful light-filled room overlooking the gardens.
If all the talk of churches and refectories is creating a religious vibe, again you’d be right. After the Hills fell on hard times, the Hall was sold to the Redemptorists who built their own chapel at the side of the house, complete with organ and bell tower. These days the bell rings to announce a newly married couple. The Redemptorists also planted an orchard in the grounds; today the seven types of apples it produces are used to make Hawkstone Hall chutneys. Past the orchard, through the woods, the Stew Pond was once stocked with fish to feed the Hills, and there are photos in the corridors of priests skating on it in winter.
The grounds were overgrown by the time current owners bought Hawkstone Hall and set about turning it into a luxury hotel, which opened in 2019. A very informative guided tour is available on handset, explaining both the Hall’s rich history and the renovations carried out on both building and grounds to restore it to its former glory.
The Hall’s kitchen garden also supplies a lot of the Hall’s vegetables and herbs and that night at dinner we eat exotic purple carrots and herb bread with rosemary butter. And even though there’s no mention of potatoes on the menu when I mention this some little Hasselbacks are rustled up. The menu has a good selection of meat and fish dishes, including pollock, monkfish and classic beef fillet and lamb saddle.
After dinner we have an Irish coffee in The Snug and then retreat for the night to our suite. The suites are all individually designed and have castiron roll-top baths with countryside views, as well as a key to the pantry
– a little room filled with treats, including jars of sweets and biscuits and a fridge of soft drinks. Suites are all named after authors and back in the Woolf suite, I contemplate the cover of Mrs Dalloway but decide I’m too tired after my busy day to read it. And anyway, I have to be up early to feed the llamas.
The seven types of apples are used to make Hawkstone chutneys
Rooms at Hawkstone Hall from £175, visit Hawkstonehall.co.uk for more information. Travel from Glasgow to Crewe via Preston with Avanti West Coast Trains from £46.80 (£71.80 standard premium), see Avantiwestcoast.co.uk for timetables.