William Shakespeare is credited with the invention or introduction of a staggering 1,700 words still used in English today, including ‘traditional’, ‘accommodation’, ‘majestic’, ‘accessible’, ‘admirable’ and ‘bedazzle’.
Any one of which not only applies to 16th century Billesley Manor Hotel and Spa - some four miles from Stratford-upon-Avon where the bard was born - but might actually have been composed there too.
For it is at Billesley - now a four-star country hotel, part of the Marriott Tribute group - that Shakespeare is claimed to have written part of ‘As You Like It’, the play that explores love, identity, and the contrast between the artificiality of court life and the freedom of the nearby Forest of Arden.
It’s still quite a place today, redolent with history and bursting with grand panelled rooms, big old fireplaces, coats of arms, mullioned windows, arched doorways, a priest hole, minstrel gallery, high plasterwork ceilings; you get the picture.
Which - interestingly - doesn’t mean it’s the slightest bit stuffy or pretentious, unlike some preserved-in-aspic institutions tempted to play heavily on historic themes and the hushed formality that can entail.
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Trump card
At Billesley the 100 or so staff - neatly and casually uniformed but friendly, lightly attentive and helpful - set the tone, as do occasional playful artworks, the modern, airy, laid-back tones of the 71 bedrooms and - above all - the hotel’s trump card; its magnificent gardens, running to 11 beautifully-tended acres encompassing a big, splendid, circular pond and splashy fountain, a croquet lawn and secluded wildlife copse, all largely encircled by a big old garden wall.
Better still, the owners - three private businessmen - grasped the nettle during lockdown and carried out a sensitive, multi-million-pound refurbishment of the entire place, replacing furniture, carpets and lighting, redecorating, installing air-con in every room, re-doing the kitchens, alongside up-to-date wi-fi and smart TVs, and re-doing the welcoming spa, complete with decent-sized swimming pool, treatment rooms and a well-equipped gym with Technogym equipment. There are EV charging points, too.
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It’s all dog-friendly (why not, with those extensive lawns), whether you want to let them off the lead away from the hotel for a romp, or guide them on the lead while you take in the spectacular (should it be ‘bedazzling’?) 125-year-old topiary, used to great effect to create several discrete, private sitting areas. It’s easy to hide away from the hustle and bustle of life, at Billesley.
While bedrooms in the main house - including some with four-poster beds and Tudor panelling - are out of bounds to those with dogs, 19 bedrooms, in converted old barns adjacent to the hotel, are perfect for pet lovers, offering a bit more space (not least for the outsize dog beds provided by the hotel) and direct access to the gardens.
Suite dreams
Ours, a junior suite, was an oasis of peace, accessed via a lavender-fronded pathway with grassy sitting areas directly outside, and overlooking a riot of wildflowers, sown in a separate little walled garden leading to the perfect little (deconsecrated) Grade 1 Listed All Saints’ Church, also sitting within the Manor estate and claimed to be where Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1582. It’s all very dreamy - the perfect rural escape from London.
Stretching across (mostly) picturesque fields, there are even clear outlines of a long-deserted medieval village, mentioned, as is the manor itself, in the Domesday book.
The rooms at Billesley Manor - in particular the more modern ones in the converted barns - are spacious, accessible and comfy, with fresh modern furniture featuring understated nods towards antiquity, glamorous, outsize, patterned headboards, plenty of storage, nicely carpeted and with blinds and curtains which proved efficient at blocking the light. Nice touches included relaxing colour schemes, good lighting, a long, quilted, velour-covered foot-bed ‘bench’, even a small, stylish chaise longue. There is 24-hour room service; guests get free use of the leisure facilities, and there are tennis courts.
There was a biggish TV, a small fridge and a safe, while the reasonably roomy bathroom came complete with Molton Brown smellies, and a bath as well as one of those spacious shower cubicles with lots of chromed levers, taps and two shower heads. So better to have your specs handy, to push – or pull – the right one.
Not content with sitting on its refurbished laurels, Billesley Manor, in keeping with its down to earth vibe, has gone further than most, to make all feel included. An initiative by Director of Sales and Marketing, Laura Cherrington (whose partner is the head chef) has seen staff specially trained in how to make guests with dementia more comfortable and welcome, introduced Braille brochures, and made other small but important adjustments. Two of the rooms are specially accessible.
Club canine
Did I mention that they love dogs? There’s a sign saying they’re welcome, in the porch, while in the reception area there’s even a dog-shaped door holder - and a lovely big dog ‘bronze’ keeping watch over proceedings. Fergal, our miniature Schnauzer, loved not just the grounds, but the attention he received, even if being part of club canine did mean we were relegated to eating in the (glamorous) bar room, rather than the quieter restaurants, when he accompanied us. That’s the price paid by those with four-legged friends in many hotels, which have to have a one-rule-fits-all approach, bearing in mind that not all guests will arrive with a mini Schnauzer small enough to sit on your lap...
Instead, we dined on the (very) agreeable terrace, watching the sun go down, shadows creeping romantically across the tall chimneys, then over the lawns, the copse and then the hills far in the distance, all to the cooing of pigeons and the splash of the fountain.
It was an idyllic setting as we were served a superb Chicken Tikka Masala with herb rice, equally expertly prepared Pan fried hake with pea and edamame risotto and pea shoot salad; one of those meals - evenings - you wish could last forever and a day...
Favourite touches? There’s an impressive minstrel’s gallery sitting high above the eye-catching new cocktail bar in the richly panelled Great Hall, where they station a local choir during Christmas festivities. Above the gallery itself is a grand, richly-decorated ceiling. Explore the gallery - complete with sitting area - and you’ll find treasures including armour, a flintlock and gauntlets... fun, even if they are replicas.
Full volume
Even more fun is the As You Like It room (of course!), with (another) fine fireplace and a stream of old books ‘flying’ across the ceiling. They do Sunday jazz lunches at Billesley, too. I did say it wasn’t stuffy here. References to Shakespeare (little busts, framed texts, period-appropriate portraits with a modern, irreverent touch and so on) are dotted around while, for those seeking more, Stratford-upon-Avon is only a 10-minute drive away for the full Shakespeare experience.
Breakfast is a hearty affair at Billesley, with a well-selected range of treats for all tastes on the buffet, nice bread for toast, pots of overnight porridge (as well as hot oats) and a full line-up of the usual cholesterol-raising fare loved by Brits on holiday... or at conference.
Rubbing along nicely with tourists from all over (American guests just love the history) are those here for conferences, catered for by various conference suites and conference facilities, including in the converted barns.
They don’t take history too seriously here but there’s plenty on hand if you want it – and all at good value for money, if you check the prices out. What they do take seriously is making you feel at home in a relaxed, down-to-earth setting that – whatever your needs – should be just as you like it.
The Facts
Room Rates start from £139 per night B&B based on two people sharing.
For more info, please visit www.billesleymanor.com
Billesley Manor Hotel & Spa, Alcester, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom, B49 6NF.
Tel: +44 (0) 1789279955.
