Editor’s Choice

Historic Hotels 2026 in partnership with Britain magazine

Special
offer

Hartwell House

Hartwell House

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

'Three Nights for the Price of Two' Special Offer

A grand country house with both Jacobean and Georgain sides, Hartwell gazes over an 18th-century landscape, with Ionic temple, obelisk, and a lake spanned by an arch from the old Kew Bridge.

Special
offer

Plas Dinas Country House

Plas Dinas Country House

Caernarfon, Gwynedd

Two Night D,B&B Special Offer

With its romantic bedrooms and views across the Menai Strait, the former country residence of the Armstrong-Jones family is 'steeped in history, love and charming details – a unique property'.

Batty Langley's

Batty Langley's

London, London

Within a Georgian house in a trendy corner of East London once home to Huguenot silk weavers, Peter McKay and Douglas Blain set out to weave a fantasy of their own.

Hever Castle B&B

Hever Castle B&B

Edenbridge, Kent

Anne Boleyn's childhood home, reimagined by William Waldorf Astor as a fairytale moated castle, stands in landscaped grounds with an Edwardian 'Tudor' village, home to this exceptional B&B.

Star Castle

Star Castle

St Mary's, Isles Of Scilly

An Elizabethan fortress house within star-shaped defensive walls is run by the Francis family as a welcoming hotel, with atmospheric castle rooms, dog-friendly, cottage-style garden accommodation, atmospheric dungeon bar, and restaurant serving freshly landed fish and seafood.

Editor’s Choice

Historic Hotels 2024

Mingary Castle

Mingary Castle

Kilchoan, Highland

Within a medieval castle and Georgian house above the Sound of Mull, this remote restaurant with rooms has four fantastic suites, spectacular views, and no less memorable cooking by chef-proprietor Colin Nicholson.

Temple House

Temple House

Ballymote, Co. Sligo

A private drive loops through native woodland and pastures to this classical mansion overlooking a ruined Knights Templar castle and teeming fishing lake in W B Yeats country.

Pale Hall

Pale Hall

Bala, Gwynedd

In wooded grounds on the edge of Snowdonia National Park, this neo-Jacobean Victorian mansion, which once hosted Winston Churchill (he'd have liked the whisky and cigar lounge), has lavish bedrooms and suites in high traditional style, an all-day bar menu and fine-dining restaurant.

Hedingham Castle

Hedingham Castle

Essex

With just one guest bedroom – or Royal Chamber – at the top of a Norman castle keep, this is surely the most romantic B&B in the Guide, and a memorable wedding-night retreat, with fine-dining available in the Banqueting Hall.

Star Castle

Star Castle

St Mary's, Isles Of Scilly

An Elizabethan fortress house within star-shaped defensive walls is run by the Francis family as a welcoming hotel, with atmospheric castle rooms, dog-friendly, cottage-style garden accommodation, atmospheric dungeon bar, and restaurant serving freshly landed fish and seafood.

The Lygon Arms

The Lygon Arms

Broadway, Worcestershire

Set in a sprawling, historic and honey-stone building with tall chimneys and leaded windows, this hotel offers grand rooms and antiques along with a thoroughly modern spa, a bistro-style menu in the barrel-vaulted Grill by James Martin, plus real ales, bar snacks and small plates at Tavern.

Editor's Choice Historic Hotels 2023

Special
offer

Plas Dinas Country House

Plas Dinas Country House

Caernarfon, Gwynedd

Two Night D,B&B Special Offer

With its romantic bedrooms and views across the Menai Strait, the former country residence of the Armstrong-Jones family is 'steeped in history, love and charming details – a unique property'.

Special
offer

Askham Hall

Askham Hall

Penrith, Cumbria

Foodie Midweek Break Special Offer

With a Michelin-starred restaurant, Grade II listed garden, 17th-century pele tower and French drawing room, Askham Hall sounds as if it might be very formal; not a bit of it. 'The most homely stately hotel we have ever stayed in,' reports one reader.

Glengarry Castle Hotel

Glengarry Castle Hotel

Invergarry, Highland

There's a romantic air to the setting of this Scottish baronial mansion overlooking Loch Oich with the ruins of Invergarry Castle in the grounds.

Hever Castle B&B

Hever Castle B&B

Edenbridge, Kent

Anne Boleyn's childhood home, reimagined by William Waldorf Astor as a fairytale moated castle, stands in landscaped grounds with an Edwardian 'Tudor' village, home to this exceptional B&B.

Batty Langley's

Batty Langley's

London, London

Within a Georgian house in a trendy corner of East London once home to Huguenot silk weavers, Peter McKay and Douglas Blain set out to weave a fantasy of their own.

Old Church Farm

Old Church Farm

Bristol, Gloucestershire

In the heart of the Gloucestershire countryside, this one-time Saxon hunting lodge, rebuilt over centuries and rich in Tudor detail, is an intimate B&B, with large and characterful bedrooms, welcoming hosts, and a Cordon Bleu dinner cooked by arrangement on Fridays and Saturdays.

Thornbury Castle

Thornbury Castle

Thornbury, Gloucestershire

Massive crenellated walls, with arrow slits and multi-tier bay windows, enclose panelled interiors adorned with tapestries and suits of armour at this Tudor castle and Relais & Châteaux hotel, with modern creature comforts, very special bedrooms, and a fine-dining restaurant.

Cliveden House

Cliveden House

Taplow, Berkshire

A veritable palazzo, this Italianate mansion in National Trust pleasure grounds above the Thames oozes opulence, with bedrooms ranging from doubles to lavish suites, as well as a fine dining restaurant overlooking the parterre, and simpler options in the Astor Grill.

The Lord Crewe Arms

The Lord Crewe Arms

Blanchland, Northumberland

This historic hotel in a conservation village is home to the barrel-vaulted Crypt bar while bedrooms (most across the road at The Angel) blend contemporary chic and modern comfort with notes of rusticity.

Star Castle

Star Castle

St Mary's, Isles Of Scilly

An Elizabethan fortress house within star-shaped defensive walls is run by the Francis family as a welcoming hotel, with atmospheric castle rooms, dog-friendly, cottage-style garden accommodation, atmospheric dungeon bar, and restaurant serving freshly landed fish and seafood.

Editor’s Choice

Historic Hotels 2022

Special
offer

Middlethorpe Hall & Spa

Middlethorpe Hall & Spa

York, Yorkshire

'Autumn and Winter Break' Special Offer

Just over a mile from York, this imposing William and Mary country house in 20 acres of beautiful gardens and parkland offers 'first-class food and service'.

Special
offer

Hartwell House

Hartwell House

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

'Three Nights for the Price of Two' Special Offer

A grand country house with both Jacobean and Georgain sides, Hartwell gazes over an 18th-century landscape, with Ionic temple, obelisk, and a lake spanned by an arch from the old Kew Bridge.

The Rookery

The Rookery

London, London

With the feel of a private club rather than a hotel, this beautifully restored Georgian property lies behind the 18th-century facade of three shop-houses in a once-notorious area that is now filled with hip eateries and bars.

Blackmore Farm

Blackmore Farm

Cannington, Somerset

At the heart of the Dyer family's dairy farm, with views to the Quantock hills, this B&B with onsite café occupies a 15th-century, red sandstone manor house, where log fires burn and an Aga-cooked breakfast is served at a 20ft oak table in the Great Hall, the walls hung with fearsome pikes and hallberds.

Llanthony Priory Hotel

Llanthony Priory Hotel

Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

New owners Annabel and Jamie Windsor-Medley have refreshed the simple but historic bedrooms at this unlikely pub, which occupies the original prior's quarters for a 12th-century Augustinian Priory, serving meals in the Cellar Bar, and making plans for dark-sky events and theatre in the grounds against the backdrop of evocative ruins and the Black Mountains.

Douneside House

Douneside House

Tarland, Aberdeenshire

Eligible military guests receive a discount at this Edwardian gem of a Scottish revival country house in beautifully maintained gardens, owned by a charitable trust and filled with family mementoes, where bedrooms blend classic and contemporary style and tasting menus feature produce from the walled kitchen garden.

Temple House

Temple House

Ballymote, Co. Sligo

A private drive loops through native woodland and pastures to this classical mansion overlooking a ruined Knights Templar castle and teeming fishing lake in W B Yeats country.

Cliveden House

Cliveden House

Taplow, Berkshire

A veritable palazzo, this Italianate mansion in National Trust pleasure grounds above the Thames oozes opulence, with bedrooms ranging from doubles to lavish suites, as well as a fine dining restaurant overlooking the parterre, and simpler options in the Astor Grill.

The Lygon Arms

The Lygon Arms

Broadway, Worcestershire

Set in a sprawling, historic and honey-stone building with tall chimneys and leaded windows, this hotel offers grand rooms and antiques along with a thoroughly modern spa, a bistro-style menu in the barrel-vaulted Grill by James Martin, plus real ales, bar snacks and small plates at Tavern.

Editor’s Choice

Historic Hotels 2021

Special
offer

Hartwell House

Hartwell House

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

'Three Nights for the Price of Two' Special Offer

A grand country house with both Jacobean and Georgain sides, Hartwell gazes over an 18th-century landscape, with Ionic temple, obelisk, and a lake spanned by an arch from the old Kew Bridge.

Special
offer

Knockinaam Lodge

Knockinaam Lodge

Stranraer, Dumfries And Galloway

10% Discount Special Offer

Where the road ends and the Irish Sea begins, this former Victorian hunting lodge with a private cove is secluded, unapologetically traditional and rich in comforts and good food.

Special
offer

Plas Dinas Country House

Plas Dinas Country House

Caernarfon, Gwynedd

Two Night D,B&B Special Offer

With its romantic bedrooms and views across the Menai Strait, the former country residence of the Armstrong-Jones family is 'steeped in history, love and charming details – a unique property'.

Special
offer

Askham Hall

Askham Hall

Penrith, Cumbria

Foodie Midweek Break Special Offer

With a Michelin-starred restaurant, Grade II listed garden, 17th-century pele tower and French drawing room, Askham Hall sounds as if it might be very formal; not a bit of it. 'The most homely stately hotel we have ever stayed in,' reports one reader.

Cliveden House

Cliveden House

Taplow, Berkshire

A veritable palazzo, this Italianate mansion in National Trust pleasure grounds above the Thames oozes opulence, with bedrooms ranging from doubles to lavish suites, as well as a fine dining restaurant overlooking the parterre, and simpler options in the Astor Grill.

Castle Leslie Estate

Castle Leslie Estate

Glaslough, Co. Monaghan

There are no TVs or minibars at the Leslies' ancestral country house on an estate with lakes and woodlands, but interiors are a trove of Grand Tour treasures, every house bedroom comes with some extraordinary tale, and estate-to-plate dishes are served in the restaurant.

Star Castle

Star Castle

St Mary's, Isles Of Scilly

An Elizabethan fortress house within star-shaped defensive walls is run by the Francis family as a welcoming hotel, with atmospheric castle rooms, dog-friendly, cottage-style garden accommodation, atmospheric dungeon bar, and restaurant serving freshly landed fish and seafood.

The Assembly House

The Assembly House

Norwich, Norfolk

At this Grade I listed Georgian House of Assemblies, where glamorous event spaces drip with chandeliers, you'll find a restaurant, cookery school, and 15 spacious bedrooms, styled with pizzazz and a sense of fun, several with their own garden or lounge.

Llanthony Priory Hotel

Llanthony Priory Hotel

Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

New owners Annabel and Jamie Windsor-Medley have refreshed the simple but historic bedrooms at this unlikely pub, which occupies the original prior's quarters for a 12th-century Augustinian Priory, serving meals in the Cellar Bar, and making plans for dark-sky events and theatre in the grounds against the backdrop of evocative ruins and the Black Mountains.

The Lygon Arms

The Lygon Arms

Broadway, Worcestershire

Set in a sprawling, historic and honey-stone building with tall chimneys and leaded windows, this hotel offers grand rooms and antiques along with a thoroughly modern spa, a bistro-style menu in the barrel-vaulted Grill by James Martin, plus real ales, bar snacks and small plates at Tavern.

Editor’s Choice

Historic Hotels 2020

Special
offer

Knockinaam Lodge

Knockinaam Lodge

Stranraer, Dumfries And Galloway

10% Discount Special Offer

Where the road ends and the Irish Sea begins, this former Victorian hunting lodge with a private cove is secluded, unapologetically traditional and rich in comforts and good food.

Bank House

Bank House

King's Lynn, Norfolk

On a square beside the Great Ouse in the ancient port town, this fine Georgian Grade II* listed former merchant’s house, once home to what would become Barclays, was debanked in 1869 and is today a buzzy hotel and brasserie.

Bayards Cove Inn

Bayards Cove Inn

Dartmouth, Devon

Behind a historic, jettied black-and-white facade a stroll from the quay lies a drop-in café, bar and restaurant, and, up creaky old stairs, quaint, pet-friendly bedrooms, named after old sea dogs.

Temple House

Temple House

Ballymote, Co. Sligo

A private drive loops through native woodland and pastures to this classical mansion overlooking a ruined Knights Templar castle and teeming fishing lake in W B Yeats country.

Star Castle

Star Castle

St Mary's, Isles Of Scilly

An Elizabethan fortress house within star-shaped defensive walls is run by the Francis family as a welcoming hotel, with atmospheric castle rooms, dog-friendly, cottage-style garden accommodation, atmospheric dungeon bar, and restaurant serving freshly landed fish and seafood.

Llangoed Hall

Llangoed Hall

Brecon, Powys

The former home of the late Sir Bernard Ashley and his wife, the designer Laura Ashley, dating from the 1600s and remodelled in Edwardian Lutenesque style, is replete with country-house comforts, and is home to Sir Bernard's significant art collection and to a fine-dining restaurant.

Jeake's House

Jeake's House

Rye, Sussex

Swathed with creepers and bedecked with flowers, this wildly atmospheric B&B stands on a cobbled street in a medieval citadel with views over Romney Marsh.

Editor’s Choice

Historic Hotels 2019

Special
offer

Hartwell House

Hartwell House

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

'Three Nights for the Price of Two' Special Offer

A grand country house with both Jacobean and Georgain sides, Hartwell gazes over an 18th-century landscape, with Ionic temple, obelisk, and a lake spanned by an arch from the old Kew Bridge.

The Rookery

The Rookery

London, London

With the feel of a private club rather than a hotel, this beautifully restored Georgian property lies behind the 18th-century facade of three shop-houses in a once-notorious area that is now filled with hip eateries and bars.

Prestonfield

Prestonfield

Edinburgh

With peacocks in the garden, kilt-wearing staff, fire-warmed sitting rooms and antiques at every turn, this 17th-century country house is an indulgent place to stay.

The Pig on the Beach

The Pig on the Beach

Studland, Dorset

Hogwarts in style, this fairytale 1820s marine villa with its jumble of roofs, gables, gargoyles, towers and dormers, is set in gardens running down to a sandy beach. It delivers the usual Pig magic, with its dressed-down interiors, mismatched furniture, casual vibe, house bedrooms, shepherds' huts, thatched dovecotes, and a kitchen garden.

The Lord Crewe Arms

The Lord Crewe Arms

Blanchland, Northumberland

This historic hotel in a conservation village is home to the barrel-vaulted Crypt bar while bedrooms (most across the road at The Angel) blend contemporary chic and modern comfort with notes of rusticity.

Old Parsonage Hotel

Old Parsonage Hotel

Oxford, Oxfordshire

Old-world atmosphere and contemporary comforts are in perfect balance at Jeremy Mogford's 17th-century stone country house in the city, handy for all that Oxford has to offer, and with an eclectic art collection, intimate restaurant, walled dining terrace, and immaculate bedrooms, some with outdoor space.

The George of Stamford

The George of Stamford

Stamford, Lincolnshire

An imposing presence on the old Great North Road, this creeper-covered coaching inn is a bit of old England, much loved for its timeless ambience, solidly traditional styling and retro classic dishes in the Oak Room, where a silver-domed carvery trolley still makes the rounds.

Llangoed Hall

Llangoed Hall

Brecon, Powys

The former home of the late Sir Bernard Ashley and his wife, the designer Laura Ashley, dating from the 1600s and remodelled in Edwardian Lutenesque style, is replete with country-house comforts, and is home to Sir Bernard's significant art collection and to a fine-dining restaurant.

Editor’s Choice

Historic Hotels 2018

Special
offer

Bodysgallen Hall and Spa

Bodysgallen Hall and Spa

Llandudno, Conwy

National Trust Winter Break Special Offer

This Tudor Gothic-style Elizabethan mansion, extended over centuries, overlooks parkland with a rare 17th-century parterre, walled rose garden, cascade, lily pond and follies.

Special
offer

Middlethorpe Hall & Spa

Middlethorpe Hall & Spa

York, Yorkshire

'Autumn and Winter Break' Special Offer

Just over a mile from York, this imposing William and Mary country house in 20 acres of beautiful gardens and parkland offers 'first-class food and service'.

Burgh Island Hotel

Burgh Island Hotel

Bigbury-On-Sea, Devon

You can dine in style in the Grand Ballroom or hunker down in the cosy old Pilchard inn at this extraordinary Art Deco hotel on a tidal island just a sea tractor ride from the 21st century.

Lewtrenchard Manor

Lewtrenchard Manor

Okehampton, Devon

Reopened in July 2025 after a £3 million refurbishment for the Original Collection, this extraordinary Jacobean-style manor house in landscaped gardens, the work of an eccentric Victorian squire and parson, has country-house style bedrooms and fine-dining restaurant, dogs and children welcome.

Castle Leslie Estate

Castle Leslie Estate

Glaslough, Co. Monaghan

There are no TVs or minibars at the Leslies' ancestral country house on an estate with lakes and woodlands, but interiors are a trove of Grand Tour treasures, every house bedroom comes with some extraordinary tale, and estate-to-plate dishes are served in the restaurant.

The Goring

The Goring

London, Middlesex

The epitome of Edwardian grand-hotel luxury, with its liveried doormen, dazzling interiors, glamorous bedrooms, Michelin-starred cooking in the fabulously redesigned dining room, the Goring is, for all its cachet, welcoming and unaffected, with an acre of garden at the rear.

Temple House

Temple House

Ballymote, Co. Sligo

A private drive loops through native woodland and pastures to this classical mansion overlooking a ruined Knights Templar castle and teeming fishing lake in W B Yeats country.

Llanthony Priory Hotel

Llanthony Priory Hotel

Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

New owners Annabel and Jamie Windsor-Medley have refreshed the simple but historic bedrooms at this unlikely pub, which occupies the original prior's quarters for a 12th-century Augustinian Priory, serving meals in the Cellar Bar, and making plans for dark-sky events and theatre in the grounds against the backdrop of evocative ruins and the Black Mountains.

Editor’s Choice

Historic Hotels 2017

Special
offer

Middlethorpe Hall & Spa

Middlethorpe Hall & Spa

York, Yorkshire

'Autumn and Winter Break' Special Offer

Just over a mile from York, this imposing William and Mary country house in 20 acres of beautiful gardens and parkland offers 'first-class food and service'.

Special
offer

Bodysgallen Hall and Spa

Bodysgallen Hall and Spa

Llandudno, Conwy

National Trust Winter Break Special Offer

This Tudor Gothic-style Elizabethan mansion, extended over centuries, overlooks parkland with a rare 17th-century parterre, walled rose garden, cascade, lily pond and follies.

Special
offer

Hartwell House

Hartwell House

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

'Three Nights for the Price of Two' Special Offer

A grand country house with both Jacobean and Georgain sides, Hartwell gazes over an 18th-century landscape, with Ionic temple, obelisk, and a lake spanned by an arch from the old Kew Bridge.

Lewtrenchard Manor

Lewtrenchard Manor

Okehampton, Devon

Reopened in July 2025 after a £3 million refurbishment for the Original Collection, this extraordinary Jacobean-style manor house in landscaped gardens, the work of an eccentric Victorian squire and parson, has country-house style bedrooms and fine-dining restaurant, dogs and children welcome.

Castle Leslie Estate

Castle Leslie Estate

Glaslough, Co. Monaghan

There are no TVs or minibars at the Leslies' ancestral country house on an estate with lakes and woodlands, but interiors are a trove of Grand Tour treasures, every house bedroom comes with some extraordinary tale, and estate-to-plate dishes are served in the restaurant.

Currarevagh House

Currarevagh House

Oughterard, Co. Galway

A long, winding drive leads to Henry and Lucy Hodgson's country house on an estate on Lough Corrib, with its lakeside sauna, old-fashioned interiors, warm hospitality, and great home-cooked food.