Weekend away The Bath House, Warwickshire

FULL IMMERSION IN HISTORY MAKES FOR A FASCINATING WEEKEND AT A RESTORED BATH HOUSE IN MIDDLE ENGLAND

The Bath House at Walton in Warwickshire is a slice of history, perfectly recreated by The Landmark Trust. Staying in their properties is not like at a National Trust cottage, where history is often limited to the information folder. Here it lives and breathes: a faithful restoration of a wealthy Georgian baronet’s pet project. Sir Charles Mordaunt wanted to keep up with modern notions of health by commissioning a bath house on his estate at Walton Hall; his wife, meanwhile, followed the 18th century fashion of shell collecting and arranging. The result is an unusual and stunning room – cleverly adapted for modern visitors – with the added attraction of a plunge pool in the basement.

Where we stayed

The entrance opens into an elegant octagonal room adorned with plaster stalactites and shellwork festoons. But what you see now is recent work. The bath house was built in 1748, but fell out of use after the Second World War and was vandalised before being taken on by the Landmark Trust in 1987. By then the ceiling had fallen in and most of the plasterwork gone. The building was sliding down the hill and the masonry in the bath chamber in danger of collapse. It took four years to restore it. Designed as a place for shelter, rest, to enjoy the view or hold a picnic, it’s now a bed-cumsitting room, with a galley kitchen beyond a hidden door and bathroom up in the roof space. The sound of the pool below filling with ground water is a welcome soundtrack.

What we did

Being situated between Stratfordupon-Avon and Warwick, we were spoilt for choice for other historical pursuits. So we began with a rendition of Twelfth Night at the RSC and a wander along the Avon. Warwick Castle ( below) didn’t disappoint, despite the theme park feel that comes with now being owned by Madam Tussauds. But the 360-degree view from the ramparts transports you through centuries, and there are towers, dungeons, halls and battlements to explore. We retired to The Bath House, snug by the open fire, for an evening fathoming out our patchy school knowledge of Plantagenets and the War of the Roses, in which Warwick the Kingmaker had a central role. A fun and fitting way to spend an evening in what is itself a piece of history. A well stocked bookshelf includes juicy local scandal, nature writing, the history of the estate, and follies, grottos and shellwork.

What we ate

Skipping the commercialised eating places in the grounds of Warwick Castle, we ducked up a passage just outside the side entrance towards the town. We came upon Thomas Oken Tea Rooms, which served up a particularly good Welsh rarebit and afternoon tea among wonky lodgings, all low beams and ill-fitting casements and once the home of a wealthy and aristocratic merchant. Surprisingly, it was not just full of tourists but locals, too – always a good sign. In Stratford there’s a splendid Paxton & Whitfield cheese shop, and Wellesbourne farm shop on the way there has a baker’s and butcher’s. We preferred to cook in the peace and quiet of The Bath House rather than eat at one of Stratford’s many ‘pick your own Bard pun’ named restaurants and pubs.

We also liked

Beautiful countryside just made for strolling; the Roman Fosse Way to Cirencester (more history) passes nearby but the rolling landscape is pure middle England, all ancient small fields and copses. And for wildlife we needed look no further than our own elegant Georgian windows, from which we saw hare, muntjac deer, squirrels, pheasants, rabbits and a hawk flying through the trees at eye level. The National Trust’s Charlecote Park and Compton Verney, with its art gallery, are down the road.

The best thing

The big draw, of course, is the ‘bath’ itself – a spring-fed cold-water plunge pool in the cellar. There’s an Indiana Jones feel to the spiral stone staircase, at the bottom of which is a bolted Polynesian-style door made of ash saplings. A long iron key and a twist of the handle admits you to the grotto. Rough stones are hewn from boulders and carved into seats, and the back wall is the natural bedrock of the hillside. A barred gate to the hillside ensures the water’s absolute coldness as no sun penetrates this northwest frontage. The deckchairs sitting to one side of the plunge look very optimistic. It was the visitor book that persuaded us to give it a go – everyone has and, yes, it’s freezing, but makes you feel so alive afterwards. Living history indeed.

A three-night stay at The Landmark Trust’s The Bath House (sleeps two) costs from £466; landmarktrust.org.uk.