4
Disabled Travellers at quirky delightful hotel
This delightfully different hotel has recently undergone modernisation, and there is still a lot to finish at the moment, and maybe we’ll into 2022 before all is done. They had big ideas when plans put forward, but did not materialise as hoped. We really enjoyed our half day visit here, and with lots to see we have had to make two
reviews for you, so please do read both parts to get the overall feel about this hotel.
The hall was built in 1710, by the architect Thomas White, who was in fact a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, with beautiful views over towards Wales. It is now a grade 11
listed building, built in the Queen Anne style of architecture.
The Elms was the home of the Bury family, bought proberbly in 1710, by Thomas Bury who had been born just a few miles away at Abberley, who then passed away in 1778. His wife Cecilia remained here for a further 21 years before she died in 1799. On her death she left everything to her nephew Colonel James Wakeman Newport, who actually never lived in the hall, but he rented it out to many tenants.
About 1828 it was bought by Admiral Thomas James Maling, and he lived here until
1848. Then months later in 1849, The Elms was bought by James Moillet, of the banking family of J.L.Moilett and sons, who had been born in Staffordshire in 1807, and the family bank later marched with Lloyds Banking group. James Moilliet then provided funds that allowed St Mary’s church in Abberley to be built. Following the death of his mother, the family moved into Abberley Hall, and he let The Elms to the
Pearson family, and the widow Sarah Pearson rented the house with her daughter in law Fanny Pearson for many years, where they lived with Fannys children, a governess, and seven servants. Sarah died in 1873 when 91 years of age, and Fanny
finally left The Elms in 1890.
Then from 1890 until 1906, two Lieutenants rented The Elms until 1916. From 1916 until 1946 Sir Richard Brook lived at The Elms, and he and his wife then bought The Elms in 1927; and added two new wings to the front of the house, and turned The Elms into a horse racing stud. Their most famous horse was “King Solmon” In 1946 the Brook family sold The Elms, and it became a hotel, but that then struggled in recent times.
Then a part of the Von Essen group, it went into administration in 2011, and following the downfall of group, it was bought by Halcyon hotels and resorts.
Now owned by a local business man, Tim Hopkins, who bought The Elms in 2017, and in this same year regeneration plans were posted, and the new proposals were to make The Elms hotel completely accessible to disabled visitors. The new owner stated, “Everyone should have access to all of lives opportunities. He further added,
“We therefore want to develope The Elms as a hotel that helps both able people and those living with disabilities to enjoy the luxuries of more independent lives equally”.
Fair comments, but we disabled have heard it all before, and these plans that they hoped would have 40 fully accessible guest bedrooms, how has it faired.
The plans failed, and new plans submitted, and now, a far less plan has gone ahead, and how many new disabled bedrooms will be built ? Just three, in a converted Coach House, which is still nowhere ready, and only one of them will have a wet room. Disappointed, oh yes.
For all, there will now be 23 bedrooms with views across the lawn to the front of the house, or views of gardens at the rear, furnished with the Queen Anne style. Bathrooms will have black and white tiles. In the coach house there will be six bedrooms, and all will be dog friendly rooms. Let’s hope all goes well from now on,
but we will say this, their efforts are proving to be so worth while at the moment, and you will be impressed by this unusual but delightful hotel, please do visit if you have the chance, you will be well looked after by all the staff, the food is excellent if you want lunch, most of the grounds are ready for you to enjoy walking around, but do bear in mind that disabled rooms will not be ready for use for a few months yet, next year will be a delight for you.
So what is there now for you to see ?
First of all, you will receive a warm welcome, there is a impressive entrance, and you will feel you are in a living room, with grey stone floors, which dark woods, chairs a
mix of many colours, but very comfortable. The library bar has a cosy fireplace and large windows, they offer snacks, a good lunch menu, and their cocktails are recommended, as often they use ingredients from their kitchen and orchard.
The Herb Garden restaurant is very nicely decorated and presented, small but intimate, serving quite a good menu and reasonable choice.
This English country house hotel and spa nestles nicely in the Worcester countryside, it’s quirky modern interior designs may not appeal to all, but they will carry your attention.
The Spa and gym are now open, with pretty rural views standing in 10 acres of land, and as we feel you should have a preview, we have put its review in part two, well worth at least taking a look, as again, it’s different, so please enjoy looking at our photos for you in part two.
If you enjoy our reviews would you be kind enough to click the “I like” box, as we both are trying so hard to encourage our fellow disabled friends to read more of the reviews as so many are now getting involved with writing for you in their support of Euans guide, and at least you get a chance to see what our country can offer disabled travellers. Thank you.
Arriving at the Elms hotel, you pass the old gatehouse, (photo 1) looking lovely with its autumn red leaves on it. A short driveway will take you towards the hotel (photo 2) where there are two disabled bays available and. Next to these are two electric charging points. (photo 3).
To enter the hotel, you walk along compressed gravel, easy enough to be pushed across (photo 4) and then a grey slated patio leads to the main entrance (photo 5).
Two small steps are encountered (photo 6) one with a ramp in place ready for you, and the other is just a very small step easily coped with.
You enter a warm, homely attractive reception area (photo 7) where a member of the staff led us into the Brookes restaurant, and then kindly took my wheelchair and placed it out of the way, by reception desk (photo 8) It’s a small restaurant with a cosy atmosphere, a cluttered look about it, but beautifully quirky (photo 9). Behind the bar, it was just as cluttered and cosy, and the bust we believe is that of the architect who built the house in 1710, a Thomas White, (but don’t quote us).
We enjoyed a very nice lunch, (photo 11) served to us by a very friendly, attentive gentleman.
A door leading off the reception area, (photo 12) leads you to the toilets (photo 13).
The toilets are quite spacious, chairs would get in, and grab rails and pull cords are there for you.
The Herb Garden restaurant (photo 15) is small, intimate and delightfully furnished (photo 16) with a beautiful old fireplace, filled now with logs, (photo 17) but we don’t think it will be lit.
The library bar again is small (photo 18) but a very homely comfortable feel about the place, furnished with old, unusual ornaments (photo 19) where we partook of a Brandy and ginger ale. (photo 20).
Our final thoughts.
If you like quirky, then this is a must, and you will be well looked after. It is a truly delightful hotel, not quite finished yet with a recent overall still going on, but if you perhaps left off visiting until mid summer, then you will benefit by its being completed.
We have part two review ready for you, which will be about the very differently furnished Spa and pool areas, again a very unusually furnished area, but do take a look at it, it’s very interesting. Then if you enjoy our reviews, why not help Euans guide by ticking the “I like” box, which may encourage others to just read the reviews even without having the opportunity of ever visiting this delightful hotel. Thank you.
This delightfully different hotel has recently undergone modernisation, and there is still a lot to finish at the moment, and maybe we’ll into 2022 before all is done. They had big ideas when plans put forward, but did not materialise as hoped. We really enjoyed our half day visit here, and with lots to see we have had to make two
reviews for you, so please do read both parts to get the overall feel about this hotel.
The hall was built in 1710, by the architect Thomas White, who was in fact a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, with beautiful views over towards Wales. It is now a grade 11
listed building, built in the Queen Anne style of architecture.
The Elms was the home of the Bury family, bought proberbly in 1710, by Thomas Bury who had been born just a few miles away at Abberley, who then passed away in 1778. His wife Cecilia remained here for a further 21 years before she died in 1799. On her death she left everything to her nephew Colonel James Wakeman Newport, who actually never lived in the hall, but he rented it out to many tenants.
About 1828 it was bought by Admiral Thomas James Maling, and he lived here until
1848. Then months later in 1849, The Elms was bought by James Moillet, of the banking family of J.L.Moilett and sons, who had been born in Staffordshire in 1807, and the family bank later marched with Lloyds Banking group. James Moilliet then provided funds that allowed St Mary’s church in Abberley to be built. Following the death of his mother, the family moved into Abberley Hall, and he let The Elms to the
Pearson family, and the widow Sarah Pearson rented the house with her daughter in law Fanny Pearson for many years, where they lived with Fannys children, a governess, and seven servants. Sarah died in 1873 when 91 years of age, and Fanny
finally left The Elms in 1890.
Then from 1890 until 1906, two Lieutenants rented The Elms until 1916. From 1916 until 1946 Sir Richard Brook lived at The Elms, and he and his wife then bought The Elms in 1927; and added two new wings to the front of the house, and turned The Elms into a horse racing stud. Their most famous horse was “King Solmon” In 1946 the Brook family sold The Elms, and it became a hotel, but that then struggled in recent times.
Then a part of the Von Essen group, it went into administration in 2011, and following the downfall of group, it was bought by Halcyon hotels and resorts.
Now owned by a local business man, Tim Hopkins, who bought The Elms in 2017, and in this same year regeneration plans were posted, and the new proposals were to make The Elms hotel completely accessible to disabled visitors. The new owner stated, “Everyone should have access to all of lives opportunities. He further added,
“We therefore want to develope The Elms as a hotel that helps both able people and those living with disabilities to enjoy the luxuries of more independent lives equally”.
Fair comments, but we disabled have heard it all before, and these plans that they hoped would have 40 fully accessible guest bedrooms, how has it faired.
The plans failed, and new plans submitted, and now, a far less plan has gone ahead, and how many new disabled bedrooms will be built ? Just three, in a converted Coach House, which is still nowhere ready, and only one of them will have a wet room. Disappointed, oh yes.
For all, there will now be 23 bedrooms with views across the lawn to the front of the house, or views of gardens at the rear, furnished with the Queen Anne style. Bathrooms will have black and white tiles. In the coach house there will be six bedrooms, and all will be dog friendly rooms. Let’s hope all goes well from now on,
but we will say this, their efforts are proving to be so worth while at the moment, and you will be impressed by this unusual but delightful hotel, please do visit if you have the chance, you will be well looked after by all the staff, the food is excellent if you want lunch, most of the grounds are ready for you to enjoy walking around, but do bear in mind that disabled rooms will not be ready for use for a few months yet, next year will be a delight for you.
So what is there now for you to see ?
First of all, you will receive a warm welcome, there is a impressive entrance, and you will feel you are in a living room, with grey stone floors, which dark woods, chairs a
mix of many colours, but very comfortable. The library bar has a cosy fireplace and large windows, they offer snacks, a good lunch menu, and their cocktails are recommended, as often they use ingredients from their kitchen and orchard.
The Herb Garden restaurant is very nicely decorated and presented, small but intimate, serving quite a good menu and reasonable choice.
This English country house hotel and spa nestles nicely in the Worcester countryside, it’s quirky modern interior designs may not appeal to all, but they will carry your attention.
The Spa and gym are now open, with pretty rural views standing in 10 acres of land, and as we feel you should have a preview, we have put its review in part two, well worth at least taking a look, as again, it’s different, so please enjoy looking at our photos for you in part two.
If you enjoy our reviews would you be kind enough to click the “I like” box, as we both are trying so hard to encourage our fellow disabled friends to read more of the reviews as so many are now getting involved with writing for you in their support of Euans guide, and at least you get a chance to see what our country can offer disabled travellers. Thank you.
Arriving at the Elms hotel, you pass the old gatehouse, (photo 1) looking lovely with its autumn red leaves on it. A short driveway will take you towards the hotel (photo 2) where there are two disabled bays available and. Next to these are two electric charging points. (photo 3).
To enter the hotel, you walk along compressed gravel, easy enough to be pushed across (photo 4) and then a grey slated patio leads to the main entrance (photo 5).
Two small steps are encountered (photo 6) one with a ramp in place ready for you, and the other is just a very small step easily coped with.
You enter a warm, homely attractive reception area (photo 7) where a member of the staff led us into the Brookes restaurant, and then kindly took my wheelchair and placed it out of the way, by reception desk (photo 8) It’s a small restaurant with a cosy atmosphere, a cluttered look about it, but beautifully quirky (photo 9). Behind the bar, it was just as cluttered and cosy, and the bust we believe is that of the architect who built the house in 1710, a Thomas White, (but don’t quote us).
We enjoyed a very nice lunch, (photo 11) served to us by a very friendly, attentive gentleman.
A door leading off the reception area, (photo 12) leads you to the toilets (photo 13).
The toilets are quite spacious, chairs would get in, and grab rails and pull cords are there for you.
The Herb Garden restaurant (photo 15) is small, intimate and delightfully furnished (photo 16) with a beautiful old fireplace, filled now with logs, (photo 17) but we don’t think it will be lit.
The library bar again is small (photo 18) but a very homely comfortable feel about the place, furnished with old, unusual ornaments (photo 19) where we partook of a Brandy and ginger ale. (photo 20).
Our final thoughts.
If you like quirky, then this is a must, and you will be well looked after. It is a truly delightful hotel, not quite finished yet with a recent overall still going on, but if you perhaps left off visiting until mid summer, then you will benefit by its being completed.
We have part two review ready for you, which will be about the very differently furnished Spa and pool areas, again a very unusually furnished area, but do take a look at it, it’s very interesting. Then if you enjoy our reviews, why not help Euans guide by ticking the “I like” box, which may encourage others to just read the reviews even without having the opportunity of ever visiting this delightful hotel. Thank you.
