Attic snug
a night, from$145
- Small double under a sloping ceiling
- Skylight and a view over the rooftops
- Shower room with a heated rail
- Narrow stairs for the last flight
Eleven rooms, and no two papered alike
A tall old townhouse on a garden square, with every room painted, papered and furnished on its own. There is a dining room for 28 downstairs, and the people at the desk write the walks they hand you.
11 roomseach one designed on its own
From $145a night in the quiet months
Directevery request read by the desk
Four sizes of room, eleven characters
The house has rooms in four sizes, from snug attic rooms under the roof to one suite with a bay window over the square. Within each size, every room has its own colours, prints and furniture, so tell us a favourite by name and we hold it when we can. Prices are for the room with breakfast for two.
Classic room
a night, from$185
- Double or two single beds
- Desk by the window and a reading chair
- Shower over a deep bath in two of them
- Garden or courtyard side, quieter at night
Grand room
a night, from$240
- Tall sash windows onto the garden square
- King size bed and a sofa
- Rolltop bath in the Fern and Oxblood rooms
- Original fireplaces, not lit
The Larkspur Suite
a night, from$380
- Bedroom and a separate sitting room
- Bay window over the square
- Bath and a walk in shower
- Day bed for a third guest
Prices shown are the lowest of the year. The table below shows how each size moves between the quiet, shoulder and busy months.
A colour for each door
Each room was painted and papered by the same decorator over two winters, and each is named for its main colour. Eight of the eleven are below; the others are shown at the desk.
LarkspurThe suite, with the bay window
OxbloodGrand room, rolltop bath
FernGrand room, bath by the window
Plaster pinkAttic snug, room 10
InkClassic room, courtyard side
ClayClassic room, two single beds
SageGrand room, corner windows
PewterAttic snug, room 11
What a night costs across the year
Rates follow the city's own calendar rather than ours. They are lowest after the New Year, climb through spring and autumn, and peak in summer and the December weeks, when the square fills with visitors.
| Room size | Quiet | Shoulder | Busy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attic snug | $145 | $175 | $215 |
| Classic room | $185 | $225 | $270 |
| Grand room | $240 | $290 | $350 |
| The Larkspur Suite | $380 | $450 | $540 |
Example rates for two, breakfast included. Quiet months run January to March, shoulder months are April, May, October and November, and busy months are June to September plus December. Any city or tourist tax is added at the rate set where the hotel stands, since these charges differ by country and city.
A dining room of 28 seats, open to the street
Breakfast is cooked to order every morning in the room off the hall, with bread from the bakery two streets away. From Wednesday to Sunday the same room turns into a small restaurant with a short menu that changes with the market, and neighbours book tables alongside guests.
Dinner is a set of three courses for $48 a person as an example, with a vegetarian choice at every course. Tell us about allergies when you ask for dates, and the kitchen plans for them before you arrive.
- Breakfast for two in every room rate
- Dinner Wednesday to Sunday, 18:00 to 22:00
- Guests and neighbours share the same twelve tables
Walks written by the people at the desk
Nobody here hands out a glossy map. Each walk was written by someone who works at the hotel, printed on one card and tested on a day off.
Three bakeries before ten
A slow loop for early risers, written by the breakfast cook, ending at the covered market as the stalls open.
Print shops and secondhand books
Our night porter's route through the lanes behind the square, with the shops that still bind books by hand.
The river at dusk
Forty minutes along the towpath and back over the old bridge, timed so you reach the water as the lamps come on.
After the theatre
Four places that still serve supper late, chosen by the restaurant manager, with the time each kitchen closes.
A rainy afternoon
Two small museums, a glasshouse and a café with long tables, all within a short dash of each other.
A morning run
A five kilometre loop through two parks with water taps on the way, mapped by a receptionist who runs it daily.
Every card is at the desk and in your room. Ask for one before you arrive and we send it with your confirmation.
Up the stairs and round the square
The staircase, the breakfast table, a bath, the key handed over, a room under the roof and the square after rain.
Notes from recent stays (example reviews)
We asked for the Oxblood room because of one photo, and it was even darker and lovelier in person. The bath by the window was the best hour of the whole trip.
A work trip that felt like a holiday. Breakfast was cooked to order at seven, the desk was quiet enough for calls, and the porter's bookshop walk filled a spare afternoon.
The attic snug is small, as the website warned, but the skylight over the bed and the rooftops at sunrise made it our favourite room anywhere.
Asked at the front desk
Can we choose a particular room by its colour?
Yes. Name it in your request and we hold that room if it is open on your dates. If it is taken, we offer the nearest room of the same size and tell you which one.
Is there a lift?
No. The house has five floors and a single staircase, so the attic snugs are a climb. Ask for a room on the first floor if stairs are hard, and the porter carries luggage to every room.
What time can we arrive and leave?
Rooms are ready from 15:00 and are needed back by 11:00. You can leave bags at the desk before and after, and a later check out can often be arranged on quiet days.
How does the deposit work?
Once we confirm your dates, we ask for the first night as a deposit, arranged directly with the desk. Cancel up to seven days before arrival and it is returned in full; after that it is kept.
Are children welcome?
Yes, in the grand rooms and the suite, which take a cot or a day bed. The house is old and full of stairs, so it suits children who are steady on their feet.
Can we eat in the dining room if we are not staying?
Yes. Dinner tables are open to everyone from Wednesday to Sunday, and guests staying in the house are given first choice of times.
Ask the desk for your dates
Tell us when you arrive and leave, the size of room you would like and a favourite by name if you have one. A person at the desk reads every request and replies within a few hours while the desk is open, either confirming the room or offering the closest match.
- Nothing is charged until we confirm
- First night as a deposit once confirmed
- Dinner tables can be held with your room
Find the house on the square
Ring the desk between seven in the morning and eleven at night, or write at any hour and we answer when the desk opens.
The front desk
A garden square in the old quarter, five minutes on foot from the main railway station
Desk, porter and kitchen
| Front desk | 07:00 to 23:00 |
| Night porter | 23:00 to 07:00 |
| Breakfast | 07:00 to 10:30 |
| Dinner, Wednesday to Sunday | 18:00 to 22:00 |
Getting here
The house is on the north side of the garden square, five minutes on foot from the main railway station. There is no parking at the door; the desk sends directions to the nearest public car park with your confirmation.
Ask for dates