ON TOUR: TYLNEY HALL - Five Star Resort Hotel in the Farnborough Countryside
Set in 66 acres of picturesque Hampshire countryside Tylney Hall country hotel is in many ways a throwback to the Edwardian England of one hundred years ago. Beautifully panelled rooms, wide staircases, wonderful gardens and an apparent over abundance of staff. Gosford Park perhaps? Life seems slow and courtesy rules. Mobile phones are banned in the dining room. However less than five minutes away by helicopter and something in the region of a quarter of an hour by road is Farnborough, the site of one of the world's great air shows, a showcase for the 21st century. Busy and noisy. Heathrow is about 35 minutes straight down the M3, and from the other direction, Southampton Airport, with its ever increasing continental destinations, even less. If you want to combine business with fresh air and the rolling countryside it is an ideal venue. Tylney Hall Golf Club adjoins the hotel, presently 18 holes offering a not too demanding parkland course, soon to have a new clubhouse and a further 9 holes. For those less energetic, or accurate, there is always croquet on the lawns and the hotel itself has a fine spa, gym and both indoor and outside heated swimming pools.
Tylney Hall was build just over 100 years ago by Sir Lionel Phillips, the South African mining magnate, and is today a Grade II listed building. He spent prodigiously, the great hall partially panelled in Italian Walnut with a ceiling originally built for a Florence palace. The gardens too only employed the best of the then current designs and ideas. Old photos show their magnificence. For many years between the wars it was the home of the Cayzer family of Clan Line shipping company fame. In 1946 it was sold to a London council and became a school for children with special needs. The grounds deteriorated rapidly, the wonderful foliage disappearing under a mass of overgrown plants and weeds. The purchase of the site in 1984 by what is now Elite Hotels (and the operators of the equally up-market Ashdown Park, Forest Row, East Sussex and The Grand Hotel, Eastbourne) marked the turning point in the history of the place. The Canadian owners invested not just in the fabric of the building but into the grounds too. The silted over ponds were drained and the Italian garden, at one time a tennis court, restored as a magnificent precinct. The work continues. If the prices at the hotel are out of your reach visit Tynley Hall on one of its regular open days. Even the cost of tea and strawberry cakes is reasonable. It is a great day out.
Whether you approach Tylney Hall from the north, that is Hook, or from the M3/Basingstoke direction, once into the stupendous grounds you know you are entering a different world. The public rooms are vast and include the Italian lounge, Grey room and library bar. The Oak Room restaurant is a quality experience and there are private dining rooms too. Each of the 110 spacious and exquisitely furnished bedrooms and suites has its own charm, atmosphere and elegance. Plus Internet connection. Whilst not unique Tylney Hall is different to most hotels with some of the rooms in annexes and suites away from the main building. If you are a business (or a family) you can lock yourself away and not be seen by the rest of the world. Or hold a conference.
Perhaps ABTN has been too enthusiastic. Perhaps not. Tylney Hall offers its guests a quality, style and luxury in setting that is fast disappearing. Coupled with good food and fine service it is a perfect venue for a relaxing break, or perhaps next July as an alternative to another day at Farnborough. http://www.tylneyhall.co.uk