Country House Hotel History Quiz
Country House Hotel History Quiz
Test your knowledge about the origins of country house hotels and how they shaped travel history. This quiz is based on the article about the first country house hotel.
What was the first country house hotel?
When you think of a country house hotel, you picture rolling hills, stone fireplaces, lavender-lined driveways, and a quiet luxury that feels like stepping into a Jane Austen novel. But where did it all begin? The first true country house hotel wasn’t built as a hotel at all. It was a home - a grand, lived-in estate that slowly opened its doors to guests, not out of ambition, but out of necessity.
The Birth of the Country House Hotel
The title of the first country house hotel belongs to the Llangollen Hotel in Wales, though it wasn’t called that at first. In 1789, the owners of Plas Newydd, a 16th-century manor house near the River Dee, began taking in paying guests. They weren’t trying to start a business. They were simply trying to pay the bills. The estate had been in the same family for generations, but by the late 1700s, maintenance costs were climbing and income from land was shrinking. So they did what many aristocrats did: they opened their home.
These weren’t the polished, five-star experiences we expect today. Guests shared bedrooms. Bathrooms were communal. Meals were served at a single table with the family. But there was something irresistible about it - the peace, the views, the sense of being welcomed into a real home rather than a sterile room with a numbered key.
Why Llangollen? The Perfect Storm
Plas Newydd wasn’t chosen by accident. Its location was ideal. It sat just off the main road between London and Holyhead, the port for Ireland. Travelers - merchants, poets, even royalty - were passing through. The area was already famous for its scenery. The poet William Wordsworth visited in 1790 and wrote about the "sweetness of the vale" in his journal. By 1805, the house was regularly listed in guidebooks as a place to stay.
What set Plas Newydd apart was its authenticity. Unlike the grand inns of London or Bath, which catered to the social elite with formal dinners and card rooms, this place felt lived-in. Guests walked the gardens with the family dog. They joined the ladies for afternoon tea. The owner, Lady Elizabeth Watkin, even wrote letters to returning guests, asking how they’d been since their visit. That personal touch became the blueprint for every country house hotel that followed.
How It Spread: The English Countryside Goes Public
By the 1820s, the idea had spread. Wealthy families in the Cotswolds, the Lake District, and Yorkshire began doing the same. In 1832, the Monthly Magazine published a guide to "Country Residences Open to the Public," listing 17 estates across England. Most were still private homes - just with extra beds and a small dining room.
The turning point came with the railway. In 1841, the London and North Western Railway extended its line to Llangollen. Overnight, visitors doubled. Families from Manchester and Birmingham could now reach the Welsh countryside in under six hours. Other estates noticed the trend. By 1850, over 100 country houses in Britain had opened their doors to guests. Some hired managers. Others kept the family in charge. But the model stayed the same: comfort, character, and quiet elegance.
The Difference Between a Country House and a Hotel
There’s a reason we still use the phrase "country house hotel" and not just "country hotel." The distinction matters. A country hotel might be a converted barn with a bar and a breakfast buffet. A country house hotel is built on a legacy. It has original fireplaces, heirloom furniture, and walls that remember generations of laughter, arguments, and quiet afternoons.
At Llangollen, the original oak staircase still creaks the same way it did in 1790. The dining room table is the same one where guests once debated poetry with the owner. You won’t find a minibar in the room. But you will find a leather-bound book of local poems, left on the bedside table by the current owner’s grandmother.
This isn’t about luxury. It’s about continuity. The best country house hotels don’t feel like businesses. They feel like family homes that decided, gently, to share their space.
What Happened to the Original?
Plas Newydd still stands. It’s no longer a hotel. In 1937, it was purchased by the National Trust and turned into a historic house museum. But its legacy lives on. The original guest register from 1792 to 1810 is preserved in the Bodleian Library. Names like "Mr. J. Thorne, Manchester" and "Miss E. Delaney, Bath" are still legible. One entry, from 1803, reads: "Stayed three nights. The tea was excellent. The dog followed me to the garden. I shall return."
The first country house hotel didn’t have a grand opening. No ribbon-cutting. No press release. It simply opened a door. And in doing so, it changed how we travel - not by adding luxury, but by bringing humanity back into it.
Why This Still Matters Today
Today, there are thousands of country house hotels across the UK. Some are owned by billionaires. Others by retired teachers. But the ones that survive - the ones people return to year after year - are the ones that still feel like home. They keep the same floral wallpaper. They still serve scones with clotted cream. They still ask if you’d like another cup of tea.
That’s the real magic. It’s not the price. It’s the presence. The first country house hotel didn’t invent luxury. It invented belonging.
Was the Llangollen Hotel the first hotel in the UK?
No, it wasn’t the first hotel in the UK. The first purpose-built hotel was the Bear Hotel in Oxford, established in the 12th century. But Llangollen’s Plas Newydd was the first country house - a private estate - to open its doors to paying guests, making it the first country house hotel.
What made country house hotels different from inns and taverns?
Inns and taverns were for travelers on the move - rough beds, shared rooms, ale on tap. Country house hotels offered something quieter: privacy, space, and the feeling of being invited into a real home. Guests were treated as visitors, not customers. Meals were served at set times, often with the family. The experience was personal, not transactional.
Are there any original country house hotels still operating today?
Yes. Many. The most famous is The Devonshire Arms in Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire, which began taking guests in 1770. Others include The Grove in Hertfordshire and The Old Rectory in Cornwall. These places still use original furniture, serve food from family recipes, and often have owners who live on-site. The difference between them and modern luxury hotels is the lack of automation - no digital check-in, no app-controlled lights. Just real people, real history, and real tea.
Why did aristocrats start opening their homes to guests?
Many were struggling financially. After the Napoleonic Wars, land values dropped and agricultural income fell. Maintaining large estates became unaffordable. Opening rooms to guests was a practical solution - it brought in cash without selling the land or the family name. It also gave them social connection in an increasingly isolated rural world.
How did the railway change country house hotels?
Before the railway, only the wealthy could afford to travel long distances by carriage. The railway made travel affordable and fast. Suddenly, middle-class families from Manchester, Leeds, and Birmingham could spend a weekend in the countryside. Demand exploded. Country houses that once hosted a few guests a year now had waiting lists. Many expanded, hired staff, and formalized their operations - but kept the intimate feel.