Wolterton Park Hotel

Norfolk, England

Get a taste of costume drama set with a restful stay at this grand house built
in 1742 and poised in the heart of the Norfolk countryside. It’s been restored and rejuvenated without losing any of its period charm or elegance.

Stepping into Wolterton Park, is like stepping back into another time and place.

A blissful mix of English heritage meets modern creature comforts, this stately hideaway and its four holiday lets is set resplendently in the north Norfolk countryside. It presides over a 202ha private estate, with some 60ha of parkland, but is only 15km from the artsy town of Holt.

Built in 1742 by Horatio Walpole, brother of Britain’s first prime minister Sir Robert Walpole, the Palladio-style manor designed by Thomas Ripely has recently been restored after being shuttered-up since 1989. The charm of period detailing has been preserved in the sensitively executed makeover.

The self-catering accommodation overlooks the tranquil grounds and offers quintessentially British home comforts and cosy open fires. Your attentive hosts are on hand to provide deliveries of fresh flowers and hampers filled with artisan bread, fresh eggs and other local farm produce.

The owners live in the Main Hall – a setting that wouldn’t look out of place in a period drama – which adjoins the guests’ East Wing. Here there’s a regal-looking drawing room and grand dining room. Both are splendidly adorned with Persian rugs, Regency chandeliers and medieval busts. The seven ensuite bedrooms are equally splendid with polished mahogany furniture and cast-iron tubs.

Sleeping six, the Grade-II listed Garden House – complete with its own outdoor space – is more modern in terms of its interiors (think Heckfield Place, Hampshire) and is ideal for
a family or friends. The Treasury, meanwhile, is a cosy, luxe cottage for two, with a standout vaulted, exposed- brick bathroom. Or opt for the light and breezy Stewart’s House (sleeps six) set around a private courtyard.

There’s plenty nearby to keep you entertained outdoors, too. The on-site lake and woodlands teem with British wildlife, from swans, otters and deer to the resident herd of sheep. And for those who fancy something a little more active, you can easily fill a week’s diary as there’s everything from canoeing and archery to horse riding and bird-watching. Not to mention trips to the lovely beach at Holkham or Blakeney Point, which is known for its seal colony. For isolation in a grand setting, you’d be pushed to find better.

The Treasury from £603 for a three-night (minimum) stay. 01263 768 966, woltertonpark.co.uk

Words by Megan Dickson.

This review was taken from the March/April 2021 issue of Food and Travel.

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