Money Week - UK (2021-10-08)

Travel 39

moneyweek.com 8October 2021 MONEYWEEK

H

aveyouevervisiteda
statelyhomeandthought:
“Thisisnice–butwouldn’t
itbenicerifwehaditallto
ourselves?”Thenastayat
theSandonHallestatein
Staffordshiremightbejustthe
thingforyou.Sandonhasbeen
theseatoftheHarrowbyfamily
sinceNathaniel,thefirstBaron
Harrowby,boughtitin 177 6.
Youwon’tbestayinginthe
houseitself–whichtodayserves
asanimpressiveweddingvenue

• butinTheAgency,theformer
  land-agent’sresidence,whichis
  afive-minutewalkawayfrom
  themainproperty.
  ThisGeorgianproperty–
  recentlyrenovatedandelegantly
  refurbishedbeforebeingopened
  uptothepublic–comfortably
  accommodatesfourcouplesand
  wouldmakeanexcellentchoice
  forgatheringfar-flungfamily
  membersforaweekendor
  Christmasbreakinthecountry
  (orofcourse,forawedding).
  There’sadrawingroomwith
  ababygrandpianoforthe
  musically-inclined,asnugwith
  alargeTVandfireplace,plus
  alargeutilityspacewhichis
  veryconvenientforshedding
  outdoorbootsandscrubbing
  downdogs(thepropertyis
  pet-friendly)beforeretiringin
  frontofthefireintheevening.
  Thehugekitchen-diner
  haseverythingakeencook
  couldwishfor,fromanAgato
  abutler’ssink.Buttheproperty
  canalsolineupaprivatechef
  forthosewhoprefertheirself-
  cateringholidaystobealittle
  lesshands-on.There’salsoa
  barbecueand outdoorcooking
  area forthe su mmer months (or
  abalmy September).
  Waking up themorning
  afterarriving at theproperty,
  we enjoyedadelicious locally-
  sourcedEnglish breakfast,

courtesy of agenerouswelcome

hamper,thenwalkeditoff in the

grounds. Theestatefeatures50

acresofp leasuregrounds with

sheep, partridges andpheasants

amblingaround, plus afurther

400acres of accessibleparkla nd

hosted in th econservatory,

which Ihad to admit–despite

an aversionto big weddings

–would make aspectacular

venuefor averymemorableday.

Afternoon teawithprosecco

wasmore than amatch for

anylaidonatt he Savoy. It

consisted of awidechoice

of teas,agenerousarray of

tastysandwiches andsome

house andthe family who

owns it.Artefacts include

Napoleon ’s deathmask(one

of sixinexistence,apparently)

as well as lettersdetailinghow

Dudley Ryder, thefirst earl of

Harrowby,servedasWilliam

Pitt theYounger ’s second

when theprime ministerwas

challengedtoaduelbyMP

George Tierne yin1 798 (Pitt

hadaccusedTierney in the

HouseofCommons of alackof

patriotism –neither pa rtywas

hurt andhonourwas satisfie d).

Thehouse is also an ideal

base forexploring thelocal

area.The Victorianpotteries

of Stoke-on-Trent (including

Mintonsand Wedgwood)are

with in a25-minute drive, while

membersoft he partywho

prefer rollercoasters to finebone

chinamight be pleased to know

that AltonTowersisj usthalf an

houraway.

John Stepekwas aguest of

Sandon Hall.The housecosts

from £2,400 forathree-night

stay .See sandonhall.co.uk

Averyrefined rural retreat

Fancyhavingacountryestat eall to yourself?Sandon Hall is just the thing,says John Stepek

Holidaying in historic properties

AnalternativetoSandonHallforanyone
lookingforan upmarket retreatforalarger
gatheringisFramptonCourt.ThisGrade
I-listedseven-bedroompropertyinthe
Cotswoldscanaccommodateupto14
people,while itssmallerneighbouring
property,The Orangery, sleepseight
(framptoncourtestate.co.uk).
If you’relookingforaweekendaway
withadoseofhistoryyoucanfindawide
rangeofexperiences–fromcampingto
luxuryspahotels–onofferthroughthe

NationalTr ust. Forthoselookingforaquick

escapefromthecapital, HartwellHouse

andSpais aGradeI-listedJacobeanand

GeorgianhousenearAylesbury,whichis

just anhour’sdriveorso fromLondon.

Alternatively,ifsomethingquirkiertakes

yourfancy, the trusthasmorethan 470

“uniquecottages”tochoosefrom. Garden

lovers canstayinthePriest’s House, a

cottageonthegroundsofSissinghurst

Castle (pictured)nearCranbrookinKent. Or

if you’dliketoexperiencelifeina“mini-

castle”, takealookatBlicklingTowerin

Norfolkwithits Rapunzel tower(see

nationaltrust.org.uk/holidaysformore).

beyond,sothere’splentyto

explore,including afolly,and

thelocal church,which dates

back to the13thcentury.

We then headed up to Sandon

Hall forafternoon tea. We were

deliciouslycreativehome-

madecakes–thepassionfruit-

and-pistachiobattenbergwas a

bighit with thewholefamily.

We were givena(hig hly-

recommended) guidedtour

of thehouse by Sandon’s

extremelyknowledgeable

commercialdirector, Melissa

Penn,which gave afasci nating

insight into thehistory of the

©iSt

ockp

hotos

TheAgency,SandonHall

“The afternoon

tea was as good

as anylaid on at

the Savoy”