WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

An intriguing back story and character define the best new UK hotel.

IIs there anyone out there who, when visiting Great Britain, doesn’t dream of staying in a grand, historic house? Maybe it’s the fault of

Downton Abbey or our obsession with the royals. Maybe it’s a reaction to our tech-filled, over-connected modern lives. Whatever the reason, it seems the hotel industry is listening, because the most charismatic, Instagram-worthy UK properties to open in the past few months have all been in venerable, time-tested spaces.

There will, of course, always be a time and a place for the classics—for Claridge’s, the Connaught, and the Savoy. But to get a real sense of the prevailing aesthetic in the UK and the country’s fascination with reinvigorating history, tradition, and craftsmanship, consider a stay at one of these next-generation oldschool properties. A reimagined Victorian inn, an entire country hamlet, a sophisticated retreat in London: these are our picks of Britain’s most intriguing, atmospheric new places to stay.