17th century estatee transformed into a luxury hotel, The Newt is a dream address where you can enjoy nature. Among the ponds and apple trees, the English countryside reveals its treasures… three hours from London.
From London you need to head west, through countryside and charming villages hiding secret gardens, to reach The Newt Hotel in Somerset. Appetizer-like landscape. Because the wonder really reaches its height as soon as we see the magnificent outline of this residence, which dates back to 1687. Is it the first owner? Emily Hobhouse, philanthropist, progressive activist, particularly known for her pacifist commitment to the Second Boer War; this conflict between the British and the people of South Africa’s two main independent Boer republics. In a strange twist of fate, in 2013, South African couple Kos Becker and Karen Ross bought the property from Emily’s heirs. Both have careers. they created Babylonstoren, an extraordinary farmhouse hotel near Cape Town. Therefore, they are not afraid of starting a real revolution on these 800 English hectares and their buildings.
Led by architect Richard Parr, it would take six years of construction to bring their project to life. As soon as you open the door to Hadspen House, the main house that houses 23 rooms, you feel that history and humor blend here in perfect harmony. There is a very Georgian atmosphere to the place, which was built in the 17th centurye century, renovated in this period, but with a twisted playful detail. The charm of great English classics such as velvet sofas is thus accentuated and offset by bespoke furniture and designer pieces by Patricia Urquiola, Tom Dixon or India Mahdavi.
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Magical walks that whet your appetite
We fell in love with the rooms in the old stables, where four-poster beds have been placed in horse boxes. Further, the Farmyard has 17 suites with a more family feel and has been restored in a contemporary style combining wood and large glass openings. As in Babylonstone, the perspectives immerse the visitor in nature, here symbolized by the apple, a motif represented by the metal thresholds. “Apples are to Somerset as oranges are to Seville or coal to Newcastle,” laughs Karen Roos. It is perhaps also an invitation to enjoy life to the fullest by enjoying the delights of the spa with its hammam, gym and indoor-outdoor pool.
Another delicious break. stroll through the landscaped gardens designed by Patrice Taravella and Cathy Lewis, where you can admire nearly 3,000 apple trees, wild stars, as you will understand, but also a labyrinth, a vegetable garden, aromatic squares. herbs, ponds and colorful flower beds. Magical walks that whet your appetite for local fruits and vegetables. This is a good thing, they are the focus of the Garden Café, designed in the style of Mies van der Rohe, with its straight angles and glass walls that graphically stretch into this green environment. Here, everything seems to blend into the bucolic setting. Even the choice of name, The Newt, is a tribute to this extraordinary environment; In Somerset, the law requires us to respect the habitat and movements of this amphibian. The work on the hotel, of course, took into account these regulations. A key element to understand is that if this address enchants us, it also reminds us that we humans are only guests in these lands.
thenewtinsomerset.com
Source: Le Figaro
