Period and Historic Hotels in Dorset: Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Shaftesbury, more

Langtry Manor. Bournemouth

“I was a country girl, fresh from the Isle of Jersey, thrust by a freak of fortune into the heart of London’s gayest society.”

And yet Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, the clergyman’s daughter from the Channel Islands, became one of the most feted British actresses of the time. She is, of course, better known as Lillie Langtry: star of such plays as The Degenerates.

But it is more for her long-standing affair with the man who would become King Edward VII - known to his mother, Queen Victoria, as “Bertie” - for which she is most famous.

Infatuated by Lillie, Edward purchased a plot of land in the quiet area of Bournemouth’s East Cliff where she could oversee the building of their very own country retreat - the foundation stone bears her initials and the date 1877.

The house is almost exactly the same now as it was then: The King’s chamber with its high ceiling to disperse cigar smoke; the large doors of the Langtry Suite to accommodate the wide dresses; the spy-hole above the dining hall where the future King would survey dinner guests before deciding whether to descend; and the Minstrel’s gallery and its tongue-in-cheek inscription “They say What they say? Let them say”.

Indeed, almost everywhere you look at The Langtry Manor Hotel you’re likely to find artefacts and inscriptions connected to a love affair which engrossed late-Victorian society. TripAdvisor | LateRooms | www.lastminute.com

The Abbot’s House. Charmouth

Built by the last Abbott of Forde Abbey, this medieval house only became a hotel in the last century when it was named the Queens Armes - this on account that Catherine of Aragon had reputedly once been a guest, although never recorded.

Previous to that it had been an inn, and it is widely believed that the future King Charles II awaited passage to France.

Restored in 2007, it provides four double or twin rooms, each named after figures connected to the locality: Thomas Hardy, Mary Anning, James Crowden and Thomas Chard.

Learn more about this fascinating place with LateRooms or go straight to The Abbot’s House site.

The Acorn Inn

“She [Tess of the d’Urbevilles] dipped down a hill by a transverse lane into the small town or village of Evershead, being now about halfway over the distance. She made a halt here, and breakfasted a second time, heartily enough--not at the Sow-and-Acorn, for she avoided inns, but at a cottage by the church."

And the very place that tragic Tess avoided in fiction was this fine little country inn that Thomas Hardy would have known in real life.

Offering ten en-suite bedrooms, the Acorn also welcomes well-behaved dogs. Learn more with LateRooms

More period and historic accommodation in Dorset...

Beaminster

Bridge House Beaminster, The. This medieval building is around 700 hundred years old and was formerly a priest’s house. Today it offers 14 en suite bedrooms, including accommodation in a converted coach house. Expedia

Seaborough Manor. A former farmhouse, said to date from the 14th century, now offering bed and breakfast accommodation. Laterooms

Bournemouth

The Norfolk Royale Hotel. The present hotel was formed by combining tow large villas in 1870 to create what was then known as Stewart’s Hotel. However, during the late 19th century, it became extremely popular with the 15th Duke and Duchess of Norfolk who came to accept it as a Summer retreat. As such, this four star hotel was renamed the Norfolk Royale in 1910. LateRooms | www.lastminute.com

Christchurch

Christchurch Harbour Hotel. A landmark, Grade-II listed, Regency building offering a state of the art spa. Expedia

Cranborne

La Fosse. Part of this building (the rear) is said to be formed from an old farmouse which is reputed to have accommodated the entourage of King John while he stayed at the nearby manor. The front of the building, however, is Victorian. Expedia

Dorchester

Best Western Kings Arms. Dating back to 1720, the Kings Arms is said to have been previously patronised by both Queen Victoria and George IV. Expedia | Hotel's Site

Wessex Royale Hotel. A Georgian townhouse dating back to 1756. Expedia

Poole

The Antelope Inn. Much of this hotel is still formed by the original 15th century coaching inn. But the place owes as much to the sea as it does the road. LateRooms

Powderstock

Marquis of Lorne Inn. A pretty 16th century inn offering bed & breakfast accommodation in rural West Dorset. LateRooms

Shaftesbury

Best Western The Royal Chase Hotel. The original Tudor building that would have stood on the site is long gone, but the existing hotel is still some 250 years old. The house also has a curious past as a turn of the century monastery. LateRooms | Hotel's Own Site

Sturminster Newton

Plumber Manor. Owned and run by the very same family who built it in the early seventeenth century, the hotel provides accommodation in both the main house and a beautifully restored barn. Expedia

Wareham

Priory, The. Constructed in the early sixteenth century from stone used in even older buildings which once stood on the site, The Priory offers 18 en suite rooms and over four acres of cottage gardens. Expedia

Winkton

The Fisherman’s Haunt. Situated near the town of Christchurch, The Fisherman’s Haunt dates from 1673. LateRooms

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