Amberley Castle

Amberley Castle

The Great Room at Amberley Castle in West Sussex was raised as a Norman hall in 1165, and its oak floors and soaring windows frame dinner the way they did centuries before Arundel, six kilometres away, had a railway station. This is a castle in the literal sense, walled and gardened on the edge of South Downs National Park, near the River Arun, with only 19 rooms, so nothing about a stay here feels processed. Rooms run from around 269 to 377 square feet, several with an indoor fireplace, flat-screen televisions, DVD players and L'Occitane toiletries, bathrobes and slippers laid out as standard. Dinner is served in the Queen's Room, its vaulted ceiling and open fire dating to the 12th century, where executive chef Matt Gillan builds menus around West Sussex producers, and afternoon tea runs daily from half past twelve to four in the lounges, the Great Room and the terrace. There is a bar, a conference hall and three meeting rooms for those combining work with the setting, plus mini golf, a tennis court and hiking routes from the door for anyone restless after a formal meal. Free Wi-Fi and 24-hour reception cover the practical side, but children five and under aren't permitted and pets aren't allowed, which puts this firmly in the territory of couples, small weddings and travellers who want quiet rather than entertainment. What Amberley Castle has that its competitors do not is real medieval fabric: a Norman hall and a 12th-century vaulted room still in daily use, not a themed interior built to resemble one. Stay long enough and the ancient walls stop feeling like a novelty and start feeling like the point. Amberley Castle's Great Room is a genuine Norman hall from 1165, and the whole property holds just 19 rooms behind its ancient walls near the South Downs. It suits couples, food-focused travellers and small weddings rather than families with young children, since under-fives aren't permitted.