The Bookish Places on my must-visit list
The Old Swan
A hotel in beautiful Harrogate that provided refuge to Agatha Christie in 1926, a time when she mysteriously disappeared after her husband had an affair. After a nationwide woman hunt, she was identified as a guest at The Swan Hydropathic Hotel.
Hazlitt’s
A hotel that seems like a time warp to times gone by, full of old books, old furniture, and a long history, this hotel is definitely one for the more discerning types.
The former home of writer William Hazlitt, who also died here. Later bought by Douglas Blain and Peter McKay who turned it into a boutique hotel.
It has 30 rooms all named after Hazlitt’s pals who frequented the house. A boutique hotel in Soho this hotel has hosted many literary types such as including JK Rowling, Bill Bryson, Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney. Many who sign books and leave them on the bookshelves.
There is of coarse a library where you can borrow books and while away some time in your beautiful room reading.
This hotel is a real experience of what it might have been like for the greats of years gone by.
The Langham
A beautiful hotel in the heart of London that is quite iconic in statue and in terms of the guests who have stayed there. It was Europe’s first Grand Hotel and that grandeur still seeps out of every nook and cranny. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a frequent guest and has included the hotel in several of his famous Sherlock books. It was also a favourite haunt of Charles Dicken and has also been frequented by Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain.
It’s an impeccably presented hotel and still favoured by the rich and famous but to know that such greats once mingled there might be worth the high price tag for some.
Gladstone’s Library
If you want to fulfill your dreams of staying in a library then this one might be for you. Gladstones is the only residential library in the Uk and the rooms are on top of the library. And we are talking about what one those beautiful wooden old-looking libraries, it’s a real gem and houses over 150,000 books.
The library has 20 bed and breakfast rooms and one room comes complete with its own writing room. It’s simple and no-frills but what you really come here for is the after-hours access to the reading rooms. Gladstones is in the Welsh village of Hawarden. Bookish places don’t get much better than this.
Moonfleet Manor
If you are a fan of Moonfleet by J Meade Falkner, then you will love this place. Set in Fleet, Dorset the village where J Meade Falkner set her adventure.
An 18th-century Georgian manor with a view over Chesil beach this hotel is cosy, charming with a friendly welcome. Lovers of Moonfleet can explore the area and come back to the comfort of their hotel rooms.
Hagrid’s Hut
By including this I want to state quite firmly that I am in no way a supporter of JK Rowling and here recent transphobic comments, however, there are decent people out there who have built a business around the franchise I don’t think they should suffer for her comments.
If your children or you are HP fans you are going to love this, Complete with the Ford Anglia outside this place is any Potter Fans Dream.
This cottage that sleeps 6 is a trip it has an amazing bathroom and has nods to Harry Potters wizarding world everywhere. It also looks super cosy inside and What’s Hot Blogs review made me fall in love with at the more. A bookish place that everyone will love.
There also seems to be a Shire House and a storybook cottage available too
Brown’s Hotel
Another London hotel with a list of literary guests to blow your socks off. Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, JM Barrie and Bram Stoker are all said to have stayed here and Agatha Christie is said to have based ‘At Bertram’s Hotel’ on Brown’s. Rudyard Kipling is said to have written The Jungle Book while staying here The Kipling suite a nod to this fact.
I find Browns more of a somewhat laid back luxury hotel with exquisite styling and if you have the money the Kipling suite is a dream.
Stone House Hotel
A classic country house built in 1908 in the Yorkshire dales near to the market town of Hawes. The stone house retains all the atmosphere and elegance you would expect from a former country manor.
The place is steeped in history and is most notably the place where P.G. Wodehouse met Percy Jeeves whose name he borrowed for his “Jeeves & Bertie” sagas.
The Georgian Hotel
A stay in wizard chambers is bound to make any bookworm happy. Concealed on the ground floor of this 19th-century hotel each chamber is unique and complete with faux castle features. You can also have a Wizarding afternoon tea and make wizard cocktails. A real adventure for any HP fan.
A Swallow and Amazon Adventure
Set in the beautiful Lake District this was the last home of author Arthur Ransome. The cottage has stunning uninterrupted views. It is set in nine acres in the Lake District National Park and has two double bedrooms. This really is a beautiful spot to write your next bestseller.
Woodland suites
The North Star Club offers eight beautifully themed woodland suites. Located near York these suites occupy one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country.
The Dame Edith Sitwell suite is themed around the eccentric stylish poet and it has all the bookish wallpaper you could wish for. I also love the Moon Suite and the Woodville suite. The Woodland suites all have a cosy sitting room with a double sofa bed, a large bedroom with a kingsize bed and a wood burner, a second bedroom with bunk beds, and of course a spacious bathroom with bath and separate walk-in shower. They also have smaller hideaway suites.
Jane Austin House
“In this house, Jane started work on her early and unfinished novella, “The Watsons”. Furnished with antique furniture, some of which has been in our family for generations, we offer a unique and authentic slice of history.”
– Maxwell, your host
Sleeping three this place is eclectic and full of writing references. A real gem to inspire you and keep you going on your literary efforts. It’s also in Bath arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the UK. Well worth a stay and visit. One of the bookish places that will make its mark.
Visit Pride and Prejudice locations in Derbyshire
Local legend has it that Jane Austen stayed in the Rutland Arms Hotel in Derbyshire whilst revising the final chapters of Pride and Prejudice. True fans can opt to stay in the Jane Austen Four Poster Room and guests staying for four or more nights receive free tickets to Haddon Hall, a location used in the film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
Share the Same View as Bram Stoker
If you like me are in love with the Gothic feels of Mr. Stoker then a visit to Whitby has to be one of the bookish places to visit. I can highly recommend a stay at The Rosa, it’s very eclectic and you will be looking out at the view that inspired Bram to include Whitby in his Dracula adventures. in fact, Bram’s bench is almost directly in front of the hotel.
The hotel and Whitby are well worth a visit.
Agatha Christie’s Beach House
On the incredible Burgh Island Hotel, the Beach House was first built in the ’30s as a writer’s retreat for Agatha Christie. Here, Mrs. Christie wrote her two novels set on the Island (‘Evil Under the Sun’ and ‘And Then There Were None’). The Beach House is now a sophisticated and modern beach retreat. One of the bookish places for the discerning.
What other bookish places would you add to this list? If you go to any of these places please let me know.
