Hotel of the Week: The Angel

Diane Evans goes back in time at the Angel in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

There are not many people who haven’t heard of the Angel so we knew we were in for a treat spending our Saturday night in the Bury St Edmund ‘institution’.

It’s no wonder the hotel is infamous. It’s been standing there since the Georgian era, right bang opposite the beautiful Abbey ruins and St Edmundsbury Cathedral, surrounded by good restaurants and bustling shops.

And the basement dates back to the 12th century as was once part of a collection of secret tunnels that run under Bury St Edmunds.

The Angel has been owned by the Gough family since 1973, who also own sister hotel, the Salthouse in Ipswich. Originally run by Dick and Mary, who was awarded an MBE in 1990 for services to the hotel industry, their son Robert now oversees the hotels day to day. Despite its success, the Angel isn’t resting on its laurels.

The basement vaults have just been renovated turning what was a function area into ‘Wingspan’, a quirky and atmospheric bar with table service. Many an hour you could while away down there oblivious to what was going on outside.

Chairs and tables are nestled into stone cubby holes allowing for some privacy if that’s what you’re after.

We arrived just in time for afternoon tea which was served in the comfortable surroundings of the lounge. It’s large, open and just through from reception so can get very busy and loud at weekends. But if you pick your time right, there are still some nice tables tucked away where you can read the papers in peace.

It’s been a while since I’ve actually eaten cucumber sandwiches but the vegetables were a welcome accompaniment to the clotted cream scones, chocolate eclairs and Turkish delight.

To offset our greed, we managed to waddle into the town centre and enjoy a few hours shopping before closing time. It’s a stone’s throw away and the streets are pretty with plenty of cobbles. You don’t need to step outside the Angel for anything with the beautiful rooms, the modern British ‘Eaterie’ restaurant and the basement bar. But the location is so good, you’d be silly not to.

The hotel is steeped in history and the walk to our ‘Original’ room had us stooping under beams and creaking over floorboards.  Charles Dickens even stayed there three times – in 1835, 1859 and 1861  –  and mentioned the Angel in his book, Pickwick Papers. You wouldn’t guess the age from the accommodation though with modern, bright and stylish bathrooms and large bedrooms with ornamental pieces and the obligatory wall mounted TV.

There are 80 bedrooms in total under the classifications, Classic, Coach House, Originals, Impressions and three Signature Suites – but they are all tastefully decorated in their own way. The Charles Dickens suite remains intact with the same bed that he used when he stayed although luckily a bathroom has been added to bring it up to modern day expectations. And for more recent star gazing – Angelina Jolie used the hotel as her base while filming Tomb Raider.

Breakfast is slick. Served downstairs in the restaurant, there’s a full hearty English on offer or a range of alternatives. Guests are greeted and seated on arrival with staff tripping over themselves to be first and the service on the whole is very good. I particularly liked the little jars containing the brown and tomato sauce – gentrifying the whole experience. In contrast to the lounge, the restaurant is bright and modern.

Parking was obviously overlooked when the hotel was built in the 1770s! With Bury St Edmunds being a popular town for visitors and neighbours, it can get quite crowded. The hotel overcomes this with an efficient porter system which takes your bags and car off your hands as soon as you check in.

As if by magic, as soon as our bags were packed, the car and keys were returned.  So reluctantly it was time for us to leave – relaxed, refreshed and rejuvenated.

The four star Angel also caters for special occasions with champagne celebration breaks and pampered spa breaks.

To find out more visit  http://www.theangel.co.uk