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STORRS HALL |
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LAKE DISTRICT , ENGLAND
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An imposing 18th-century neo-Palladian mansion built by a Liverpudlian merchant who made his fortune trading coffee, rum and slaves, Storrs Hall is right by the water's edge on Windermere's south-eastern shore, with two jetties from which to dangle your feet and a site from which no other building is visible. But however neoclassical its façade, and however bright the light from the central cupola and glazed domed skylights that define its roofline, the mood inside is baronial and Victorian. There are chandeliers made of antlers, stuffed animals, heraldic wallpapers,
brocade sofas and a bar dominated by a monumental mahogany counter imported from the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
In keeping with the Victoriana downstairs, the beige-and-claret rooms have pale walnut bedroom furniture - wardrobe, bedside table and dressing table - that if not genuinely antique are very convincing repro. The spacious bathrooms are also in keeping with the period (though the plumbing is reassuringly 21st-century). The atmosphere has a certain old-fashioned English stiffness ('Breakfast is served from 8.30am to 9.30am in the dining room'; dinner from 7pm to 8.30pm) but the dining room is at least run with laudable efficiency. And the food is excellent.
CONTACT
Storrs Hall, Windermere (01539 447111; www.elh.co.uk). Doubles from £150 B&B (from £220 including dinner). Set menu £37.50
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