The Bell in Ticehurst is the manic pixie dream girl of boutique hotels. In Ticehurst, a sweet East Sussex village, the 16th century pub and hotel is a local legend. Its beautiful upstairs room, kitted out with bespoke baroque-style wallpaper and grandiose chandeliers, still hosts the town hall meetings. On a Sunday evening in October, the downstairs pub has a merry, community feel, with seasoned locals propping themselves up at the bar alongside the trendy down-from-Londoners who inhabit the inn’s seven rooms for weekends away.
For décor, the Bell’s interior designer, Richard Brett, has taken a whimsical page straight out of Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland. There are riddles written on the walls and pillars made entirely out of dog-eared books. The room I stayed in, one of four outside lodges, had the word ‘pretty’ written on its concave ceiling over and over again, in a hypnotic spiral (a bit weird, but also kind of fun). The place also has a mad art collection belonging to the Bell’s owner, which includes a Tracey Emin, Graham Sutherland and a Banksy.
As arty as it is, The Bell also has a quaint English charm about it, with its communal areas populated by squidgy arm chairs, low ceilings showing off exposed tudor beams, taxidermied critters and abundance of fireplaces. Inside the room was just as cosy: the bed was immense and plush, with crisp, white sheets. I was more than happy to spend an hour soaking myself in the pristine bathroom, which had a roomy bathtub and powerful rainfall shower. My only complaint: after running one bath we did run out of hot water, but we were warned about this when checking in.
Food-wise, the dining room serves up a selection of elevated and retro pub classics: prawn cocktails, hearty soups, pies and fish and chips. The Sunday roast (butter-soft Sussex wagyu beef, a decadent brisket-stuffed Yorkshire pud and all the trimmings) was superb, and service was warm and efficient.
Neighbourhood
Ticehurst is what you could describe as a ‘chocolate box village’, like where Kate Winslet lives in The Holiday. There’s not a whole load to do in the hamlet save for a cute café called the Greedy Goat and some country pubs, but it is surrounded by fantastic hiking trails.
The Bell sits within the Bewl Water walking route: a 12-mile-long ramble around the verdant Bewl Water reservoir and country park, which also happens to be part of the High Weald Area of Natural Beauty. And if you forgot your walking boots, or just don’t fancy marching on for the best part of a day, this hike can be cut down into more manageable chunks too.
Time Out tip
Go for one of the lodges and spend the evening toasting complimentary marshmallows on your private terrace with its own outdoor wood burner.