Short stay: Stanbrook Abbey Hotel, Worcester, UK

A mere decade ago, the Benedictine nuns of Stanbrook Abbey were wearing grooves into the floor of their chapel as they knelt to pray, as they had since the 19th century. Then, seeking further peace and seclusion, the nuns relocated to Waas in North Yorkshire. Once the Pope had agreed to deconsecrate Stanbrook Abbey it was transformed into a luxurious country hotel.

Now it’s a graceful, serene retreat with an aura of spirituality, a hymn of praise to the 19th century revival of Gothic architecture. After a £4.2 million renovation project, lovingly managed by Hand Picked Hotels, Stanbrook Abbey is looking better than it ever has.

The welcome

The drive meanders past a paddock, home to Jacobs sheep, leading you to ample parking to the left of the grandiose facade. You pass through a tall, light filled contemporary addition to reception. The New Classic extension softens the lines of an Abbey, whose architecture has hints of Westminster’s Houses…