Lords of the Manor

The Cotswolds really are the most beautiful place to go and spend a weekend away from the noise and din of London, and when work took me here for an afternoon, we made the most of it and booked two nights at this lovely old hotel in the village of Upper Slaughter. Like many of the Cotswold villages, the old manor is built of the local honey coloured sandstone. The former Rectory dates back to 1642 and has been added to extensively over the years since. This gives the interior a delightful somewhat higgledy-piggledy charm. The floors on the upper levels aren’t quite level and the beautiful lead lined windows offer a charming view of slate roofs and multiple chimneys protruding at all sorts of angles from the roof.

We arrived on a sunny July afternoon to find the sweeping lawns fronting the manor filled with outdoor tables and couples having tea. It was such a delightful sight that we felt compelled to join them and (once we had finally attracted the attention of a somewhat short sighted waiter) it was lovely to sit and sip fine tea looking over the lake and admiring the flowers. My companion had some scones and declared them competent, while I stuck with shortbread biscuits.

We stayed in a Rectory room in the corner of one of the “newer” wings of the manor (a mere 250 years old or so!) and had lovely views over the lake and grounds. We had a large 4 poster bed and an adequate although somewhat basic bathroom. The room was decorated in period style with a massive antique wardrobe and a chintz sofa. There are larger and more modern rooms in the Granary barn and in other parts of the house. This wasn’t exactly 5 star luxury but had a charm and sense of history that more than made up for that fact.

There is a bar downstairs in the Rectory proper and on the following evening we were mixed a very classy gin and tonic by the friendly barman. We then went to the back of the rectory and sat in the fading sun looking over the remains of the hedged walled garden (which is in the process of being restored)and enjoying some vegetable crisps.

We would recommend this hotel if you fancy a night or two in a building that oozes history. One of the main reasons we chose this hotel was for the Michelin starred restaurant which unfortunately disappointed. See the restaurant section for our review.