It is always interesting and, indeed, healthy for our guests to see what others think about us and, of course, to report on us to the Hotel and Food Guides. We have reproduced below what the main (unpaid!) guides have written about Delbury
The Good Hotel Guide -
2002 edition
'We were made very welcome. The atmosphere was relaxed, the owners were friendly
but not imposing. The house, grounds and setting presented a nostalgic reminder
of life "above stairs".' Good food, charming hosts.' Two enthusiastic
reports came this year on this Georgian red brick house in a hamlet near Ludlow.
The owners, Lucinda and Patrick Wrigley, write: 'This is a family home, with
children, pets and household activities.' They do not offer hotel-type
facilities and they treat their visitors like personal, rather than paying,
guests. The house stands by a small lake with ornamental ducks, in a large
estate amid lovely countryside. It has flowery gardens, a tennis court, a trout
fishery with two stocked ponds, and a small farm and vegetable garden. The
interior is impressive; fine plasterwork, family portraits and an open string
oak staircase leading to a spectacular gallery but the atmosphere is informal.
In house-party style, guests help themselves to drinks in the large sitting room
- 'no spirit measures!' Dinner is communal, served by candlelight. Patrick
Wrigley's cooking is thought 'excellent, expertly prepared with fresh
ingredients'. No choice, but he likes to discuss the menu in advance. Regular
dishes include home-smoked salmon or duck; rack of lamb with rosemary gravy and
onion and mint purée; oranges in caramel. The wine
list is 'first class and well priced'. Breakfasts are 'exemplary'. The bedrooms
are large, with antique furniture. Because the Wrigley's do not wish to damage
their graceful proportions, only the four poster room has facilities en suite;
each of the others has a private bathroom. Close by are Offa's Dyke, Much
Wenlock, Wenlock Edge and Stokesay Castle.
The Which? Hotel Guide - 2002 edition
Feel part of the family at this magnificent yet down-to-earth Georgian country
mansion
Given the imposing stature of this stunning red-brick Georgian mansion, it's a pleasure to
find that inside it is a well-loved and lived-in family home. The ceilings might soar and
the staircase glide elegantly skywards, but the thinning carpets have had plenty of feet
firmly planted on them, and the stuffed wildlife and antique furnishings appear to have
been treated with a healthy lack of respect from time to time. 'We were warmly greeted and
shown to our room and made to feel welcome,' writes one correspondent, who was taken with
the relaxed atmosphere and 'friendly but not imposing' hosts. 'The house, grounds and
general setting presented a somewhat nostalgic reminder of "life above stairs",'
was a concluding verdict. That above-stairs layout proves to be fairly flexible; the huge
four-poster room, with a thunderbox loo in the bathroom, can be combined with various
neighbouring white and cream painted panelled rooms overlooking the lake at the front of
the house to accommodate families or friends. Patrick Wrigley, the disarmingly irreverent
head of your new family for the duration, may draw your attention to the honesty bar in
the comfortably capacious sitting room, suggest a spot of fly fishing on the estate's
stocked lakes, or discuss the evening's menu, which is served communally around a long
polished table in the elegant dining room. Patrick is unnecessarily self-deprecating about
his culinary repertoire, which might feature favourites such as rack of lamb, sea bass, or
duck served with imaginative sauces. 'Excellent food expertly prepared with fresh
ingredients,' writes one guest.
Karen Brown's England Charming Bed and Breakfasts
2002
Delbury Hall, built in 1753, is one of the most beautiful Georgian houses in Shropshire, a
grand red brick edifice reflected in a lake with elegant swans. Despite its
gracious architecture and lovely antiques, this is not an intimidating or overly grand
house, but very much a home for Lucinda and Patrick Wrigley and their two young
children. You enter directly into the imposing two-storey entry hall with its
staircase sweeping up to the gallery above. Here you find a four-poster room
with a large en-suite bathroom and a suite of rooms with two bedrooms and a bathroom,
which is often used for families. A spacious twin-bedded room has its private
bathroom up a further flight of stairs. Guests help themselves to drinks at the
honesty bar while Patrick prepares an elegant dinner with fruits and vegetables
fresh from the garden. The lake includes a trout fishery where guests can try their
hand at catching rainbow trout. Medieval Ludlow with its spectacular ruined castle
and plethora of interesting antique shops is a ten-minute drive away. Other
attractions include the Ironbridge Gorge museums and the Severn Valley Steam Railway.
Britain's Most Distinctive Bed and Breakfasts
'Stately', 'grand' and 'imposing' are the adjectives that come to mind when describing
Delbury Hall. Swans glide serenely across the ornamental lake, roses and honeysuckle climb
over an arbour by the tennis court and even the stables and carriage house look
impressive. Not far from the house is a fishery, stocked with rainbow and brown
trout. Built in 1753, the Hall has been in the Wrigley family for 80 years.
Despite the antiques and portraits, the ambience is not formal. "Far from
it. After all, we have two small children," is Patrick Wrigley's
explanation. An ex-army-officer and amateur jockey, he is also an inventive cook,
whose menus may include seafood soup or gravadlax with blinis, local lamb or game in
season. Although children are welcome to stay, they are given an early supper; the
silver and crystal in the dining-room are reserved for adults. This is not for
anyone on a budget. Prices are right at the top of the range, but then this is a
special experience. Where else can you wake up in a private mansion, gaze out over
the Shropshire Hills and pretend that it is all yours?