All Photographs Credit score Handpicked Accommodations
England affords a variety of lodging for vacationers, from smooth, fashionable skyscraping lodges in bustling cities to secluded rural escapes surrounded by bucolic landscapes. But for the traditionally curious, few experiences examine to a keep in a medieval citadel or stately manor. These grand constructions, steeped in centuries of intrigue, have borne witness to generations of nobles and aristocrats, and as we speak, they provide friends a novel probability to step into that world—although with the comforts of recent facilities.
As one admirer put it,”Staying in an English manor seems like being in a novel the place you’re each the reader and the protagonist, surrounded by centuries of whispered secrets and techniques, draughty corridors, and the faintest aroma of historical past and intrigue.”This expertise awaits in locations just like the New Corridor Lodge & Spa in Sutton Coldfield, the place the countryside meets old-world allure.
New Corridor Lodge & Spa, positioned in Sutton Coldfield close to Birmingham, is one in all England’s oldest constantly inhabited moated manor homes. Steeped in over 800 years of historical past, this distinctive property combines medieval structure with fashionable luxurious. The resort boasts lush gardens, a serene spa, a pool, and a health suite, making it a perfect vacation spot for each leisure and historic intrigue. Notably, Henry VIII is rumored to have stayed right here, including a regal layer to the property’s legacy.
The Moat: A Watery Enchantment
Encircling New Corridor is its legendary watery boundary. Regarded as the oldest moat nonetheless functioning round a residential constructing in England, it serves as each a defend and a spectacle. From the second you cross over the water and thru the ivy-framed archway, you start to sense the separation from the surface world and what awaits inside.
By daylight, the moat displays the grandeur of the Corridor, capturing the daylight glinting off its water. Within the evenings, as nightfall settles over the property, the moat turns into darker, virtually mysterious, its presence lending the Corridor a fortress-like character. Right here, one can virtually think about knights and noble friends crossing over it centuries in the past, a testomony to New Corridor’s legacy as each a residence and a bastion.
A Imaginative and prescient of Tudor Grandeur: The Exterior
Constructed initially as a non-public mansion within the thirteenth century, New Corridor’s Tudor structure is immediately commanding, with its heavy stone partitions, steep gables, and towering chimneys. The Corridor has been preserved with such respect that it feels completely genuine, proper right down to the wrought-iron accents and pointed arches. There’s additionally a picturesque high quality to the constructing’s façade with its broad mullioned home windows and imposing stone surfaces accented by climbing ivy. You’ll additionally discover the occasional burst of wildflowers, softening the Corridor’s formidable look and reminding you that nature is simply as a lot part of this property as its human legacy.
Contained in the Manor: A Journey Via Time
The interiors of New Corridor are each bit as spectacular as its exterior. Crossing the edge, one is greeted with historic detailing that has been attentively preserved and thoughtfully built-in with refined modernity. The foyer’s ceilings are punctuated by historical wooden beams, every carved and weathered. Heavy, darkish wooden paneling strains the partitions, giving the house a right away sense of heat, balanced by mild streaming in via giant, ornamental home windows. These interiors are grand with out ever feeling ostentatious.
Wealthy tapestries and heraldic symbols nod to the constructing’s noble previous, whereas vintage furnishings – rigorously chosen to reinforce slightly than distract – provides to the interval ambiance. Deep armchairs and alluring sofas populate the sitting rooms, clad in richly patterned materials. Mild filters via stained-glass panels within the widespread areas, casting jewel-toned patterns throughout the stone flooring and making the room really feel alive with coloration.
The Regal Lodging: The place Character Meets Consolation
Visitors select from 60 well-appointed rooms within the manor home that embrace its historical past whereas offering as we speak’s creature comforts and fashionable facilities. All through are high-backed wood beds, adorned with plush, embroidered linens, sit beneath intricate wood ceilings, whereas thick drapes add a way of privateness and luxurious. Unique stone home windows with deep sills invite pure mild, framing views of the moat or gardens exterior, grounding every room within the panorama.
The Princess Elizabeth Grasp Suite showcases the Elizabethan period on a grand scale with furnishings together with a s grand four-poster mattress draped in elegant cloth, creating a formidable point of interest within the room. The suite additionally features a spacious sitting space, which is designed with interval furnishings excellent for enjoyable by the suite’s giant home windows. These home windows, in step with the architectural model, usher in ample pure mild and will characteristic stained glass and complicated leaded designs, framing serene views of the moated grounds and surrounding woodlands.
Within the toilet, a traditional roll-top bathtub and a beneficiant walk-in bathe present fashionable comforts inside a historic framework. This suite is designed for many who respect historical past with out sacrificing luxurious, making a keep that feels each immersive and indulgent in one in all England’s oldest inhabited moated homes.
Eating: A Culinary Expertise with a View
New Corridor’s 2 AA Rosette eating expertise is great as properly the place the setting is as beautiful because the menu. The Bridge Restaurant is their principal eating house providing views of the gardens and moat. The menu showcases one of the best of British delicacies, with a concentrate on seasonal and domestically sourced elements, all crafted with an eye fixed for each custom and innovation.
Starters embody delicate, flavorful dishes corresponding to home-cured salmon or a velvety leek and potato soup, a comforting nod to the English countryside. The primary programs are equally spectacular, from completely roasted meats to vegetarian choices bursting with flavors and textures. The chef’s capability to modernize traditional British dishes whereas staying true to their origins is a testomony to New Corridor’s culinary ambitions.
An intensive wine listing accompanies the menu, with rigorously chosen choices that pair seamlessly with every dish. For these inclined towards an indulgent expertise, New Corridor’s afternoon tea is to not be missed. Served in an intimate lounge setting with backyard views, it’s a standard unfold of finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones, and beautiful pastries that remember British flavors with a contact of sophistication.
The Spa: Sanctuary Inside Historical past
New Corridor’s on-site spa affords a sanctuary surrounded by beautiful grounds. The spa blends fashionable leisure with a historic setting, providing an indoor pool, hydrotherapy pool, sauna, and steam room. Surrounded by glass partitions, the spa gives serene views of the property’s lush grounds. Visitors can get pleasure from signature massages and superior facials, utilizing eco-friendly, pure merchandise that align with the resort’s refined model.
The Gardens and Grounds: A Story in Each Nook
All through the keep, friends will need to stroll via the gardens and grounds that are as enchanting because the manor itself. The property spans 26 acres with manicured paths and wildflower-studded lawns. The gardens are a combination of formal landscaping and pure woodland, the place century-old timber forged dappled shade on the paths under, whereas roses and different flora bloom in cautious concord, giving the grounds a way of timelessness.
Hand Picked Accommodations
New Corridor Lodge is a part of Hand Picked Accommodations, a set of 21 rigorously chosen properties throughout the UK. Identified for his or her distinctive allure and wealthy historical past, every resort affords an ideal mix of conventional magnificence and fashionable luxurious. From grand nation estates to intimate boutique properties, Hand Picked Accommodations gives a memorable and personalised keep.
A Keep Steeped in Heritage and Luxurious
Whereas some lodges vie for heritage allure, it’s a palpable presence at New Corridor. There you’ll discover that historical past isn’t one thing to watch from afar however one thing to step into, surrounded by structure and landscapes which have seen the passage of centuries. Each element, from the stone exterior to the tapestry-laden partitions, and the idyllic gardens to the excellent eating expertise, serves as a reminder that New Corridor Lodge and Spa is a spot the place old-world allure and fashionable luxurious coexist in seamless concord. New Corridor is greater than a mere resort – it’s an invite into historical past.
