“Let me start by saying Lyn who owns/runs the property is a lovely lady, who welcomed us, allowing a couple of us to arrive early (as no one was in before us) so that we may set up, as we were using the property for the weekend as a Meditation Retreat, feeling we had found the perfect house, not too far, ample parking (which there was, you can park anywhere including the K9 area) and lots of bedrooms so not too many of us had to share.”
And Lyn even gave us a later leaving option as no one was booked in after us. So I can’t thank Lyn enough for this, it was very welcomed and really helped us to prepare a lovely space.
The Lounge area and space is wonderful, apart from in our opinion the 2 red chairs, which do shout ‘care home’, so we did our best to cover them with a blanket.
The Dining Room is a lovely space, the fire-place beautiful, all be it many of the chairs are incredibly shabby and really in need of a make-over.
The Kitchen, is a great space, unfortunately the cooker is really past it’s best, with one cracked hob plate, one door that doesn’t close properly and the one we used, rusty along the top, but it worked. The fridge all be it small worked, but the 2 holders in the doors were broken, and so unable to put anything there. This left the possibility of 2 other fridges in other rooms, both in need of repair or renewal. The microwave plate we discovered also didn’t fit the model of microwave. Larger Toaster half works. No Veg knives when we got there, and I have spoken to Lyn about several of these issues, so hopefully they will be resolved very soon.
The Hallway and relaxing area, is in need of a lot of TLC. the chairs to sit on looked in need of a good clean and the rail across the wall again shouts ‘care home’, not really what people want, either for families or parties, or retreats as we used it. And the walls etc are in need of a good clean. There are no photos on Sykes of this part of the property!
The Bedrooms and en-suites, mixed reviews from our group on those, and I am sure Lyn is aware of many of the issues with the showers, from them not running well, to too hot, with no adjustment and a push in button, but there is a good downstairs electric shower that a few of us used, and so we were grateful for that considering all the bedrooms had an en-suite. Room 10 needs acting on, as it smells damp and not pleasant, and I noticed a reviewer previously commented on this! Room 12 again, needs it’s en-suite light changing, it’s a halogen bulb and is so incredibly slow to brighten, just not suitable for a light that comes on when you enter a room.
The property has so much potential, such a lovely space, a lovely house with character, but it needs a lot of TLC and an update. A lot of the bedroom furniture is just so old fashioned now, carpets grubby, cobwebs etc, dated en-suites, and areas that were clearly left behind from when it was a ‘Independent Hospital’, with the look of a care home (maybe it’s been a care home too), should in our opinion be removed. The property I think goes back to the 1600’s so the ‘care home’ feel shouldn’t be part of it’s history, in our opinion. Non of our 15 ladies felt it added to it’s character, but detracted from it!
The hallway photos with the hand rails aren’t visible on the Sykes website, so we wouldn’t know it had a care home feel. But despite all this our group, apart from one lady who left early due to her being so unhappy with the property, well the rest of us made the most of it.
We all felt the least you should expect from a property is that it is clean, and that you have a suitable sized working fridge and cooker, for a house that potentially sleeps around 22 people. We did however, appreciate a property that was a reasonable price for such a large group of people.
Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We were pleased to welcome your meditation group and were happy to accommodate your early arrival and late checkout at no extra cost so you could make the most of your weekend retreat, and like you also mentioned that the property is reasonably priced.
Within an hour of your arrival you mentioned a lighting issue which you forgot to mention in the feedback that we arranged for our electrician to attend within two hours, which was quickly resolved. We always act promptly when guests raise genuine maintenance concerns.
The property was once a former care facility many years ago, but it has long been used as a large holiday home. We host many families and groups each year and this history has never detracted from their stay. Certain features such as the handrail in the hallway are retained deliberately, as some guests appreciate the extra support and accessibility especially with those with reduced mobility.
The red armchairs you mentioned are durable, comfortable, and easy to keep clean between bookings — chosen with practicality in mind rather than style alone. Likewise, the house has been very busy throughout the summer season, and with continuous bookings, there is occasionally some wear that we address during quieter periods. The lounge carpet, for example, is scheduled for professional cleaning now the property has a short maintenance window.
While we appreciate your observations, we feel some comments were rather forensic in nature. Most of our guests come to relax and enjoy the house’s space, warmth and character, which we believe still shines through. We’re always open to constructive feedback and continue to make improvements between bookings a
Property Owner
