St Benedict Victorian B&B
, 81 Pevensey Road, Hastings.
There are thousands of Victorian houses in England that provide bed and breakfast, but there is only one St Benedict Victorian B&B. Step back in time to experience a house that is as close as it could possibly be to an authentic Victorian gentleman’s seaside villa, without sacrificing modern comforts.
This utterly intriguing bed and breakfast comprises a large 4-storey Victorian house with an equally generous walled garden that is filled (and we mean “filled”!) with all the rich furnishings, ornaments, pictures and ephemera that were so beloved by the Victorians. In summer, the lawn is the place to take tea, surrounded by the typically well-filled garden complete with pond, summerhouse, greenhouse and even a private chapel.
The drawing rooms is everything you would expect of a well-to-do Victorian household, and there is a roaring fire in the grate in winter. Full English breakfast is taken in style in the dining room, served from silver dishes. There are also tasty and ample continental, vegetarian and gluten-free breakfast options.
The guest rooms are filled with authentic furnishings appropriate to the era and each is styled to match it’s place within the household. Mr Parry’s Room is the largest room. It overlooks the garden and has a sea view, four-poster bed, a dressing room and en-suite shower room. The Old Nursery on the second floor has garden views and a private bathroom, and Nanny Hawkins’ Room is similar. The Colonel’s Room us a large spacious room on the first floor and The Schoolroom has two single beds and room for extras. It would be a travesty to spoil the original proportions of the rooms by squeezing in en-suites so the private bathrooms are external to their bedrooms.
St Benedict is in St Leonard’s-on-Sea, on the edge of neighbouring Hastings. The famous battle site is about 5 miles away and Hastings is home to a museum, art gallery and the Norman castle where William the Conqueror once lived. There’s a long beach of sand and shingle, complete with Victorian pier and enough attractions to keep young and old amused.
We Say
A journey back in time.