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In winter months a fire burns in this fireplace. Design obviously is Victorian ecelctic with echoes of French chateau. Notice the dozens of stags heads around this baronial interior.
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The bed in the turret room is surrounded by windows and antlers.It also has a large and luxurious bathroom and a large lounge.
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Most rooms are in fact suites with a lounge area and a bedroom. In a building such as this the inevitable turret room provides the bedroom with views all around. Furniture is period, as are the beds, but there are modern amenities throughout. Every room is different, and the public areas are absolutely amazing both for their idiosyncrasy and for their quality. Set in the middle of a forest, next to a lake, it is of course the tranquillity and quietness that is most remarkable. Equally remarkable is the security around the hotel, with armed guards, passes being issued for access – none of it irksome, and I am sure none of it in my honour, but its presence does point to the prestige of the guests received here.
The delight is that the idiosyncrasy of the decoration is not restricted to the public areas but is there throughout the buildings, with a stuffed pheasant on the bedroom window cill in my room. The room was one of the smaller, with a lobby containing a large wardrobe/cloaks cupboard, leading through into the lounge. The bedroom had a separate lobby to the bathroom, and whilst the building dated to the middle of the nineteenth century the facilities were modern, including all the normal TV, telephone and internet service.
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Bathrooms are warm and well sized, although dated by comparison with many 'new build' hotels
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The décor will not appeal to those who are anti-blood sports, although I doubt many of those with these views would choose to stay in a hunting lodge. The number of heads of deer, bear and other animals bears witness to the butchery of hunting at the end of the nineteenth century. When a princeling shot at a stag, frequently a hidden marksman would make sure it fell dead to spare the blue blood embarrassment, a technique reputedly used on some shoots to this day…So many died here that there are even stags heads on the end gables on the outside of the building, never mind those inside – oh, I can’t resist it – maybe this is the ideal place for a stag party?
The mystery of the high security levels is perhaps cleared by the photographs of dignitaries past and present that grace the walls. The rôle of the hunter in conservation receives a passing mention, with the swapping of deer for European bison echoing in the past the debate over the reintroduction of species into European and North American forests today.
The high Victorian nature of the interior is a constant visual delight, at first somewhat overwhelming but as the eye adjust the richness of decoration becomes a pleasure. The contrast of timber and richly patterned wallpaper or fabric creates a voluptuous visual feast showing how our forebears used the new industrial production techniques to create a richly patterned environment for themselves. Its warmth and colour engages the eye and creates a pleasure that minimalist interiors singularly fail to deliver.
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Noma Residences
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