“ECCENTRIC HOTEL SWINGS IN FOR TOP INDUSTRY AWARD"

2002

A Midland hotel has been applauded for its "utterly enjoyable mild eccentricity" in

the new edition of the Good Hotel Guide which is published today. .

The Hundred House Hotel, in Norton, near Telford in Shrop­shire, is one of ten hotels and guest houses which will receive a" Cesar Award, at a glittering ceremony in London on Thursday.

The quirky country house ­ which owners Sylvia and Henry Phillips opened in 1986 - is the only British hotel to feature swings in its bedrooms.

Originally a medieval court house the hotel.derives its name from the time when England was divided into 'hundreds - an area of a county which had its own court" - but the property was in a state of disrepair when they bought it.

The oldest part of the Hundred House is its timber and thatched­ roof which dates back to the14th Century.

A ducking pond with stocks and a whipping post outside remind visitors of the building's previous purpose, where offenders convicted by the court would be punished.

The hotel's Georgian facade hides various modern extensions added during the 19th Century as it expanded to cope with the impact of the Industrial Revolu­tion on nearby lronbridge.

But it is not just the English eccentricity of the guest house which keeps tourists flocking to the picturesque village.

Its award-winning restaurant, run by their son Stuart, is the only one in Shropshire to boast a Michelin Bib Gourmand for its mix of traditional fare and modern cuisine.

Each of the ten bedrooms is decorated to reflect traditional country charm - they are named after herbs in the garden, and the beds are covered in lavender­ scented linen.

There is even a teddy bear's picnic made of stone in the gar­den where al fresco lunches are enjoyed.

Mrs Phillips said the hotel's success was a result of the fami­ly's hard work and commitment to keeping their customers happy.

She said: “We’ve put our heart and soul into this hotel to make it a welcoming place for tourists, we're glad to receive recogni­tion. It's reassuring to know we're doing something right here."

The velveteen swings in the bedrooms are unique to the hotel, but they may not have been installed if the family had not had trouble furnishing a conver­ted loft space at their former Warwickshire home.

Mrs Phillips, responsible for decor and design of the bed­ rooms and gardens installed her first swing while converting a loft in the family's home in Maxstoke after discovering a conventional chair would not fit.

When the Hundred House Hotel was renovated seven of its ten bedrooms were fitted with the seats, suspended on velour ropes.

She said: "The Hundred House had been closed for two years when we took it on and although it's a beautiful building it needed a lot of work in many areas to restore its former glory.

"Everybody seems to com­ment on the swings, guests say they feel really rested when they've had a gentle swing on them. "

The Cesar awards are made each year by the Good Hotel Guide to establishments of out­standing merit.

The guide says of the Hundred House: "No other guide hotel has swings in its bedrooms and patchwork on its staircase. The exotic decor, combined with the welcoming style of the Phillips family, makes this hotel an eminently suitable winner of this award.”