The Ettington Park Hotel in Aldermisnter, near Stratford-upon-Avon, is a Neo-Gothic mansion in 40 acres of parkland in the Warwickshire countryside.

Sitting in a peaceful valley, with the River Stour flowing through it, the hotel is a mere six miles from the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon, the first focus of any trip to Shakespeare's England.

In addition to Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's England embraces that part of the South Warwickshire that encompasses the towns of Warwick, Kenilworth and Royal Leamington Spa and a range of rural villages and attractions.

Historic splendour at Ettington Park

Driving to Ettington Park, we just knew we were going to have a fine short break at this hotel.

Leaving the M40, at junction 12, we immediately left behind the frantic pace of life and meandered through the Warwickshire countryside that typifies how attractive rural England can be writes Ashley Gibbins.

This builds to a natural crescendo as one drives along the avenue of towering elms that provide a landscaped fanfare to an arrival at Ettingham Park.

The Neo-Gothic, Grade I listed property, which has been held as one the most important and impressive High Victorian houses in the county, is stunning.

On our early spring break one of the first things I noticed was the jackdaws nesting on its façade, as birds had done for many decades.

It helped to put our short visit into an historical context.

Take time to relax

An AA 4 red star hotel Ettington Park has 48 bedrooms and offers all that one would and could expect from accommodation of this standard.

The welcome on checking in set the standard for the stay, with a warmth befitting a property that wants guests to feel very much at home.

Our concierge Damian, in particular, cemented our positive perception, with his help and information on the history of the hotel. He will be delighted to provide a short guided history of the house.

The grand reception rooms are furnished with antiques and adorned with paintings and artefacts charting the history of the house and area.

The Great Drawing Room, in particular, demands an allocation of time spent relaxing after breakfast, when taking afternoon tea or coffee after dinner.

The large sash windows in this room also offer spectacular views of the lawns and mature trees beyond.

A real plus, and absolute must, when staying at Ettington Park is the chance to stroll its grounds dominated by a Norman chapel.

The bedrooms

As befitting an historic country house hotel, each of the 48 bedrooms enjoy the comfortable character that comes with the years, while still benefitting from all the amenities guests have come to expect.

A history of stretching from Domesday

When staying at an historic house hotel, it is rewarding to appreciate a little about the property's past.

And stretching back beyond the mid-Victorian Gothic house that stands today is the family history of the Shirleys, whose lineage by uninterrupted male descent, can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086.

The church in the grounds was rebuilt at the end of the 12th century in the Norman style and incorporated the remains of the earlier Saxon church.

Link with the Bard

William Shakespeare was part of the social scene at Ettington and probably hunted there.

He would have been well aware of the Shirley family's history and their connections with the Battles of Shrewsbury and Agincourt, which featured largely in two of his plays.

The house rebuilt

A medieval house on the site was demolished, between 1858 and 1862, and the salvaged materials used for the house that now stands here.

In 1935, the mansion became a nursing home and was used as a camp for prisoners of war during World War II.

It was also briefly a nightclub before afire in 1979 badly damaged the building and it became derelict.

In 1983, a multi-million pound restoration programme returned the mansion to its old glory and officially opened as a luxury hotel.

It is now managed and operated by Hand Picked Hotels, a collection of country house heritage properties located throughout the UK and the Channel Islands.

Most haunted hotel

Given its history, it is perhaps Ettington Park Hotel has a reputation for being one of the most haunted hotels in the UK.

Guests have reputedly seen an old woman in Victorian clothing walking along the conservatory entrance.

And several people are said to have witnessed the ghost of a man and his dog wandering in the library and vanishing quickly.

We did not come across any ghoulish guests during our stay, but did leave full of high spirits.

A complete and fascinating history of Ettington Park can be found on the hotel's website and is worth a read in its own right.

Leisure facilities

For those who enjoy modern leisure and relaxation facilities, Ettington Park also offers guests an 8m swimming pool and steam room

Dining at Ettington Park is something to savour

Dining at EttingtonPark is a special experience and one to savour writes Ann Mealor.

The Drawing Room, where pre-dinner drinks and post-cuisine coffee can be enjoyed is stunning as is the sophisticated Oak Room Restaurant itself.

It is rare to dine in such historic and architectural grandeur.

Sipping prosecco in the Drawing Room whilst perusing the evening menu, I took some time to take in the beautiful surroundings inside and outside the house.

I looked up at the ornate painted and gilded ceiling and admired the rich tapestries and fine oil paintings that decorated the walls.

The large sash windows gave extensive views of the picturesque grounds and romantic Norman chapel where many weddings have taken place over the years

After finishing our drinks and finally making our menu choices, we were led to our table in the wood panelled Oak Room Restaurant.

Glorious Rococo

Richly furnished, with large comfortable chairs, crisp linen tablecloths, silver cutlery and yet another gloriously ornate Rococo ceiling, it was suitably in keeping with the rest of this gothic, stately home.

The first tasty treat to arrive at the table was the Amuse Bouche, compliments of the Chef, David Guest.

This was a warm mushroom and tarragon soup, quaintly served in an espresso cup.

Next up for me was the colourful sweet potato soup with onion baji and curry oil.This creamy combination of flavours and mix of textures worked very well together.

Ashley went for the Scottish scallops with pork belly, poached apple, quails egg scotch egg and cauliflower puree.

Artistically presented, the scallops were plump, fresh and complimented the rich belly pork.

I was particularly impressed with quails scotch egg which was very moorish.

For the main event, I decided on the Herefordshire dry aged fillet of beef, with smooth, fondant potato, butternut puree, tender stem broccoli and oyster mushrooms served with a juniper berry jus.

Enjoying every mouthful

I couldn't have been happier with my choice.

The beef was tender and full of flavour, cooked medium-well, exactly how I like it.

I enjoyed every mouthful of this succulent dish – the juniper worked so well with the meat too – a great pairing.

Ashley opted for the curried monkfish loin with puy lentil dhal, cumin pickled baby carrots and cauliflower, homemade onion bhaji and mint yoghurt.

The monkfish was soft and meaty and the Asian twist made it burst with flavour.

Dessert came in the form of a rhubarb and custard tart with poached rhubarb and rhubarb jelly and lime cheesecake with meringue and coconut gel.We both tucked in and they were delicious.

We finished off our gourmet evening with coffee and petit fours in the Drawing Room.

Breakfast at Ettington

The breakfast at Ettington Park will certainly set you up for the day.

Enjoy it at your leisure whilst catching up with the news from your favourite daily paper.

There is plenty of choice and special dietary requirements can be catered for upon request such as brown and white gluten free bread, diabetic jam and soya milk .

A variety of hot breakfasts are cooked to order such as omelettes, gammon and eggs, porridge, waffles with roast banana and cinnamon cream and of course, my favourite,the Full English.

A cold buffet is also available, including cereals, yoghurts, freshly baked breads and pastries and a selection of fruits, cheeses and cold meats.

Relax and enjoy it at your leisure whilst catching up with the news from your favourite daily paper.

Useful links

​ www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/ettingtonpark