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First look at luxury hotel rooms at Boys Hall in Ashford ahead of opening

By: Liane Castle lcastle@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 05:00, 23 December 2022

Updated: 15:27, 23 December 2022

Luxury rooms starting from £160 a night will open next month inside a renovated Grade II-listed manor house which is steeped in history.

They will form the latest phase of changes to Boys Hall in Willesborough, Ashford, following the opening of a restaurant and lounge in September and a pub in October.

The hotel's super-suite Romney, named after Romney Marsh. Picture: Mark Anthony Fox

There are 10 rooms in total, seven of which are available to book now from January 18, while the remaining three are set to open in the spring.

Each room is named after the characters and stories that have made their mark on Boys Hall since it was built in the 17th century.

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Kristie Lomas, who took over the Jacobean building with her husband Brad in 2019, said: "The entire project has been about three years in the making and we were initially planning to open with all of the bedrooms but we needed more time.

"I have spent the last few months since we opened the restaurant working on all of the fun bits.

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"We have been rolling up our sleeves. We've had a great painting team, including my mum, and we have gone local where we're not doing it ourselves.

The 17th century manor house. Picture: Mark Anthony Fox
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"We chose the names because most people who come to Boys Hall want to be absorbed by the stories, so I thought it would be nice to name the rooms after the stories and fragments of history that we have pieced together along the way."

The rooms range from £160 to £260 a night including breakfast, depending on the room's size and whether or not it has a roll-top bath.

The couple, who quit their hospitality jobs in London to restore the period building, spent lockdown painstakingly repairing and restoring the building and worked in collaboration with Kagu in Tenterden to give each room a unique design.

While they are steeped in history, they also come with luxuries with some featuring super-king four poster beds, en-suite bathrooms with drench showers and toiletries.

Once the final rooms are ready, Mrs Lomas has other plans to bring the Jacobean manor house back into use.

Some of the rooms have roll-top baths. Picture: Mark Anthony Fox
The Banks room named after Lawrence Banks who called Boys Hall his home in 1762 after leasing it from the local Knatchbull family. Picture: Mark Anthony Fox
Margaret, named after Margaret Boys the wife of Thomas Boys as this would have likely been her bedroom. Picture: Mark Anthony Fox

"Once we have done the other bedrooms, we would really like to have some luxury lodges around the pond area," she said.

"We are also desperate to restore the walled garden in time for summer and introduce some kind of outdoor food and beverage offering because it will be such a gorgeous space.

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"Because I'm an antiques hoarder, I'm also desperate to clear out the stables and start up an antiques barn."

In September, the 66-cover restaurant, three acres of gardens and the lounge area opened to the public on the ground floor.

The bar with a traditional pub feel followed in October.

Ernest, named after Major Ernest Bengough Ricketts who was also a talented painter and illustrator. Picture: Mark Anthony Fox
Sovereign, inspired by the hoard of Seventeen gold coins found in a broken flower-pot. Picture: Mark Anthony Fox
The pub opened in October. Picture: Mark Anthony Fox

The restaurant has an oak-beamed dining room which looks out onto the gardens on either side and has a terraced seating area.

Below the restaurant is a wine cellar which houses wines and Kentish fizz as well as a seasonal cocktail list and local ales.

The large, landscaped grounds include a rose garden, a formal front lawn, beehives which produce the hall’s own honey and a kitchen garden which grows herbs and flowers for the restaurant and bar.

Franklin takes its name from Thomas Franklin, the Gingerbread Maker of Wye. Picture: Mark Anthony Fox
Knatchbull, named after a family the estate was passed onto. Picture: Mark Anthony Fox

With more than 400 years of history behind it, keeping as many original features as possible was a priority for the couple.

The manor was originally built in 1616 by the Boys family, who had previously been known as De Bois, having landed in England from France at the time of the Norman conquest.

The estate passed into the Mersham and Knatchbull families – and it is believed Charles I stayed at the home while fleeing the forces of Oliver Cromwell.

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