Sugnall Hall
Sleeps 6-28
Eccleshall, Staffordshire
Gardens and grounds
Stroll the perimeter of the land at dusk. There’s also the two-acre walled garden, provenance of many a jam, chutney, soup, tart and quiche sold in the tearoom, and source of 500 bottles a year of juice from the 50 pear trees and 150 apple trees.
Four acres of parkland, woodlands and lake spread out around Sugnall Hall. The outdoors is perfect for a kickabout or a picnic. Maybe you’ll set up the croquet on the lawn.
Out in the clean rural air, the terrace comes with table and chairs for ten. Fire up the gas barbie, slap on the sausages and a few slabs of meat and keep your glass topped up all night long.
Living spaces
You’re off to a flyer in the grand entrance hall with its oak wood panelling, ticking grandfather clock and delightful period detail. Reception rooms are plentiful and plenty large enough to get together or be apart. Cosy up in front of the open fires and sink back on the sofas.
Enjoy the elegant spaces. The period detail is paramount in the drawing room and boudoir. Chandeliers drip with lights, wall friezes and swagged curtains abound, and there’s cornicing, Queen Anne legs and Chesterfield sofas at every turn.
Get together in the evenings for family games or films in front of the boudoir Freeview TV. Or make like the Victorians and gather around the drawing room’s piano for a traditional sing-along. Set your own soundtrack on the Sonos. Sugnall Hall’s spaces allow you to come together or be apart just as much as you please.
Cooking and dining
Cooking and dining are a delight here on the ranges and around the dining table that seats up to 28. As well as the AGA, you’ll enjoy a Smeg range with two 63-litre main ovens, 36-litre grill and five-zone induction hob. But options are good if you can’t or won’t cook.
Book a fully catered break, drop-off meals or a special celebration which can be tailored to your needs by the chef and catering team at Sugnall. Eat indoors or eat out on the terrace with the chink of glasses and the smoke from the barbie hanging in the rural air. Caterers will even find their own area to set up, with an extra sink, hand-wash basin and power points. In the mornings, take advantage of the complimentary continental breakfast.
Want to eat ‘out’ out? Pubs in Eccleshall offering cold drinks and a warm welcome include the Star Inn and The Old Smithy. In Ashley, The Peel Arms is good for hearty, homey fare, while Merckx Bar offers a bikey theme and gins to make you grin. For Italian, it’s Pasta Di Pizza and Thai Lanna for something more exotic.
If you’re in the market for fine dining, The Swan with Two Necks in Blackbrook is good for seabass, salmon encroute or pan-roasted duck breast. The London House Restaurant does a brilliant biryani and a top tandoori. Eat in or take out. For a scrummy fish-and-chip-fest, try Eccleshall’s Fish Bar.
Bedrooms
Bedrooms here are baronial. Curtains are swagged, mosaic rugs grand and furniture in the classical tradition. There’s a chaise longue here, a feature fireplace there. Slide open the sash windows and, in the depths of rural Staffordshire, only the sound of silence greets you. Rest and comfort are assured.
The bedrooms at Sugnall Hall comprise the perfect mix of comfort and practicality. With superking and king sizes throughout, as well as a couple of doubles, many of the beds offer the option to be set up as twins.
There are a total of 11 en-suite bathrooms, fitted with a combination of baths, walk-in showers and WCs. Three of the bedrooms share a family bathroom.
What people say
From shooting to segways
For kids, it’s all animals and action adventure. Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre is a sanctuary for unwanted and mistreated furry friends, while Flip Out Stoke is a haven of wall-to-wall trampolines. For grown-ups, Staffordshire offers everything from golf to Go Ape and shooting to segways.
