The week after our Danube river cruise and we were back in Papworth for Mrs. No Names’ next appointment. I don’t share the background to the visits but needless to say we left the complex with a shed load of medication. To make the ordeal worthwhile we had also arranged a three night break at the Ickworth Hotel in Horringer, just outside Bury St. Edmunds, staying in the historic Main House for ‘classic elegance‘ (remember those words….)
We should at this stage point out we stayed here on a previous occasion (in February 2022) and enjoyed it so were looking forward to this return visit. And we did, but it was largely in spite of and not because of the hotel and its facilities. So, first the good news. On both full days, we took advantage of the grounds of the Ickworth estate and completed two of the longer trails surrounding the house – both walks took us around two to two and a half hours to complete and it was reassuring to learn that the timings were not unduly different from previous visits. We also enjoyed a stroll down to the local Inn on the first evening, which was a bonus and certainly helped increase the step count!
We were blessed with lovely weather and on the second morning we visited (revisited) Ickworth House itself, where far more of the interior was open for perusal than on the previous visit – it’s a country house at and is a neoclassical building set in the aforementioned parkland. The house was the residence of the Marquesses of Bristol until 1998; the house was given to the National Trust in 1956, but between then and 1998 the marquesses leased the east wing. The Hervey family (Marquesses of Bristol) were an interesting lot, with an array of scandal down through the years (indeed centuries). Well worth a read up if you’ve got the time and/or inclination.
The less good news is the hotel. On the plus side, it is geared for families and provides an array of activities and facilities for children and probably can’t be faulted on that particular front. But from our point of view, our room was far from clean (muck had clearly found a welcoming new home, photos are available), the bathroom is not really practicable, the evening meal on the first evening was far from the relaxed dinners and seasonal menus we were promised. Fredericks was open for breakfast so we booked in there but then inexplicably found it closed on the second morning – too much trouble apparently but a little argumentative persuasion saw it reopened! I’m not going to devalue the break by revealing the cost but I will concede we were paying luxury prices for a ‘luxury break‘ – the hotel simply didn’t deliver and resembled a Fred Carno’s circus. Breakfast Buffet in the hall corridor anyone? Last time, the niggles weren’t going to prevent a return but sadly, we will not now be going back to the hotel, but the grounds and House are definitely still on the list!!
I think you’ll find that might be the harshest review a hotel has ever encountered from the Redandwhite Rag – but the disparity between cost and delivery was too vast to justify, despite many of the very young staff trying their best.