Mistress Of The Manor

The 16th-century Slad Valley Manor House Is Ideal For A Luxury Retreat In The Cotswolds

- Prachi Joshi

I grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie and P. G. Wodehouse novels, where everything exciting— romantic interludes to gruesome murders—took place at grand houses scattered around the English countryside. Naturally, I jump at the chance to spend a few days at a manor house in the Cotswolds, possibly the prettiest nook of England.

MANOR MAGNIFIQUE

Our host Joe Campbell whisks us (husband and I) from London. Within a couple of hours, we are driving past sleepy hamlets, picturesque houses, and rolling green fields dotted with sheep. We arrive at Slad Valley Manor late in the afternoon to a champagne reception by our smiling hostess (and Joe’s wife) Angharad Jones. One look at the place and I know that my English manor house fantasies are about to come true—hopefully minus the body in the library. Built with honey-coloured guiting stone (a type of limestone) typical to the Cotswolds, the manor house sits pretty amidst a landscaped garden, a sprawling lawn and an outdoor pool surrounded by a stone-flagged terrace.

Jones gives us a tour of the house starting at the main reception room, which is the oldest portion of the manor with original 16th-century wooden beams on the ceiling. The house has four luxurious en-suite bedrooms; we have the master suite, an elegant cream and eggshell-blue room with a king-size four-poster bed, a comfy chaise longue, a vintage dresser, and a full-length cheval mirror. We take a quick whirl around the state-of-the-art open kitchen where Chef Joseph Robertson, who’s worked at several Michelin-starred kitchens, is prepping for our dinner. Since we have the evening free, we decide to amble down to the farm—making our way across unpaved country roads surrounded on all sides by acres of greenery. The manor is part of a larger farm, and on our way, we meet some fluffy sheep.

A WALK THROUGH TIME