PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

This Victorian Gothic mansion is one of the most sumptuous retreats in Shakespeare Country. It opened as a hotel in 1985 but has a history that spans 9 centuries. The land is a legacy of the Shirley family, whose 12th-century burial chapel is near the hotel. Like a grand private home, the hotel boasts baronial fireplaces and a conservatory. Adam ceilings, stone carvings, and ornate staircases have been beautifully restored. A modern wing, assembled with the same stone and neo-Gothic carving of the original house, stretches toward a Renaissance-style arbor entwined with vines. In the spacious and elegant bedrooms, the most up-to-date comforts are concealed behind antique facades. The best units are deluxe doubles, which are larger than the standard units and open onto garden views. Some rooms have old-fashioned four-posters.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's England 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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