Wrea Head Hall

As soon as you turn the corner in the – very long – drive and catch sight of the grand, gothic mansion with its rolling lawns and mature woodland, your shoulders drop. You’ll feel the anticipation of an indulgently relaxed stay. Wrea Head Hall is about as far as you can get from Scarborough’s seaside fun and frolics, although the resort is only a 10-minute drive. Indeed, the sea can be glimpsed from the upper rooms.

Built in 1881 for a wealthy MP, the stone-built hall, with its decorative chimneys, mullioned windows and bell-tower, had a varied history as a small-chain hotel and training college before the current owners rescued it in 2012. They’ve retained its Victorian grandeur – oak panelling and an inglenook fireplace in the double-height hall, plasterwork frieze in the bar – but combined with a mix of country house furnishings and stylish modernity. There’s gold-blocked heraldic wallpaper in the hall, for example, but contemporary sculptures on tables. The bar, which opens on to a stunning south-facing terrace, is bold in monochrome and enlivened with modern abstract paintings.

Bedrooms (some in the separate coach house) range from the comfortably traditional – oak half-testers, antique wardrobes – to the contemporary with pale-washed panelling and mirror-topped tables. Many have rolltop baths; sometimes in the bedroom. The owners are keen art collectors, and artworks are liberally distributed throughout.

Food is fine dining – and the reason for many returning guests – with carefully balanced Modern British dishes such as grilled salmon with smoked trout tartare, and slow-cooked belly pork with black pudding and burnt apple purée. Some people might find the musak a rather bizarre mix, and a little intrusive. The service, however, is excellent, with a good balance between professionalism and cheerfulness.

Explore the North York Moors, Scarborough Castle or a jaunt up the coast to Whitby, then return to afternoon tea on the terrace.

 

Written by Helen Pickles

• Restaurant
• Fine dining in the restaurant 1881 is served in the original oak panelled dining room
• Restrictions on children
• Children over 12 are welcome but the feel is very adult
• Sit-out Terrace
• Library
• No pets
• Fireplace
• Bar

• Parking
• Wifi
• Suites
• Room service
• Sitting Room
• Garden

• Great walks
• With the North York Moors National Park on the doorstep, there are miles of hiking trails to discover
• Other Activities
• Take a historic steam train ride through the famous purple heather moors

• Sights nearby
• Visit the remnants of nearby Scarborough Castle