6 UK Hotels that Inspired Famous Novels

If you’re on the hunt for a UK hotel experience that’s brimming with personality — and perhaps even a sprinkle of literary magic — dive into this enchanting selection of six hotels, each steeped in the charm of famous novels and their iconic characters. Find some great ideas for great stays, where you can comfortably curl up with a good book, in the very place that inspired its creation.

Ashdown Park, Sussex – “Winnie the Pooh and Friends”

Hotel: Ashdown Park is a luxury country hotel in the heart of Sussex. In addition to a range of quality accommodation options, it also has golf, spa and wellness facilities. Ashdown Park is also extremely well set up for family visits, with plenty to keep children entertained and occupied, including over 186 acres of woodlands to explore, spot the wildlife roaming the grounds, table tennis and a miniature putting green. Children also have their own dining menu, children’s afternoon teas and for that extra special touch, a juice with biscuits at bedtime.

Location: Wych Cross, Nr Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JR.

Literary Reference: Ashdown Forest is considered the home of Hundred Acre Wood, where Winnie the Pooh lived with his many famous friends. AA Milne lived in the nearby village of Hartfield and often visited the 186 acres of woodlands at Ashdown Forest (now within the grounds of Ashdown Park), where it is believed he took inspiration for many of the locations in his Winnie stories, published in 1926. Kids of all ages will delight in visiting Pooh Bridge and Roo’s Sandpit on a walking tour around the estate.

Knockinaam Lodge, Dumfries and Galloway – “The 39 Steps”

Hotel: Knockinaam Lodge is a fully restored 19th century country house hotel, located near the town of Wigtown, home to the ever popular international book festival. Situated in its own private cove in the south west corner of Scotland, guests can appreciate the solitude and quiet that emanates from this secluded location. Locally sourced, sustainable food served in the AA 3 Rosette restaurant completes the quality, authentic experience.

There are 10 bedrooms and suites and one lodge to choose from. All are individually designed, combining modern facilities with the character of a traditional Victorian country house. Many of the rooms have spectacular sea views looking across the Irish Sea.

Possibly more suited to adults as a destination, Knockinaam will also appeal to both casual and dedicated World War 2 historians. It was the secret meeting place for Churchill and Eisenhower as they planned the D-Day landings of 1944. It is even possible to stay in the “Churchill Suite” – the room that Sir Winston Churchill stayed in when he visited Knockinaam.

Location: Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Dumfries & Galloway, DG9 9AD.

Literary Reference: Set in 1915, The 39 Steps by John Buchan, is an adventure and thriller novel, set across London and Scotland. The wartime setting (albeit the First World War) lends the book to a very natural association with Knockinaam, given its later wartime associations with Churchill. In addition, the rural, isolated location of Knockinaam is exactly what the novel’s protagonist, Hannay, needed as he tried to outrun his would-be assassins from London. Knockinaam was the house that Hannay fled to “as he came over the hill to see a grey stone Victorian hunting lodge with its vast expanse of lawn sweeping down to the sea.”

Burgh Island Hotel, Devon – “Evil Under the Sun”

Hotel: Burgh Island Hotel is a 1930s luxury art deco hotel spectacularly located on its own tidal island in South Devon. There are 25 rooms and suites to choose from, each bearing the name of previous celebrity guests, including Noel Coward, Lord Mountbatten and Amy Johnson.

Surrounded by golden beaches, every room has a sea view, some of which are panoramic and encompass views back across the south Devonshire coast towards Plymouth. Other facilities available to guests include spa treatments, an outdoor mermaid pool, snooker, croquet and lots more seasonal offerings (keep an eye of the hotel website). The hotel was damaged by a bomb in WWII and fell into decline following the war, but was restored in the early 1990s.

Location: Bigbury-on-Sea, South Devon, TQ7 4BG

Literary Reference: Burgh Island Hotel was a relatively new hotel when it was frequented by Agatha Christie, where she completed some of her more famous novels. More specifically, Agatha Christie stayed at the Beach House, a small writer’s retreat purposely built for her in the 1930’s, part of the hotel, but sitting separately on a headland overlooking the sea. It was here that she wrote two of her Hercule Poirot novels which were both set on this island, “And Then There Were None” (1939) and “Evil Under the Sun” (1941). For Christie fans, overnight stays can be booked in either the rather plush Agatha Christie Beach House or, for the more budget conscious, the cosy Hercule Poirot Double Room at the hotel.

Jamaica Inn, Cornwall – “Jamaica Inn”

Hotel: Jamaica Inn was established in 1750 as a Coaching Inn, where weary coach passengers and drivers rested while horses were changed and fed, before continuing their journey along the Cornish coast.

The original Inn building remains and has been renovated to ensure guests enjoy modern level comforts while simultaneously experiencing the olde worlde charm of the Inn’s restaurant, bars and bedrooms which have been preserved. However, there is also a modern, newly built wing that provides guests with all the modern day conveniences, while still enjoying the beauty of the wild setting, with extensive views across the moor. In total, there are 36 rooms and suites to choose from.

Location: Bolventor, Launceston, Cornwall, PL15 7TS

Literary Reference: In 1930, author Daphne du Maurier stayed in room number 3 at Jamaica Inn for a number of nights, following a harrowing ordeal she had experienced on the nearby moor. Although du Maurier lived in Cornwall, she chose to stay at Jamaica Inn to recover from the trauma of getting lost on the moor. While horse-riding with a friend, it suddenly became very foggy and when the dark crept in, du Maurier and her friend became very disorientated. After many hours of wandering, their horses led them to Jamaica Inn where they recovered. During her stay at the Inn, Daphne learnt of the Inn’s history and role in the local smuggling trade that was prolific in earlier centuries. This became the basis of her world famous, best-selling novel Jamaica Inn, published in 1936.

Jamaica Inn also has a Smuggling Museum full of artefacts and tales of Cornish smugglers, wreckers and villains.  Alongside this is the Daphne du Maurier Museum, with many of the authors original possessions and associated memorabilia.

The Cadogan Hotel, London – “The Arrest of Oscar Wilde”

Hotel: The Cadogan Hotel is a luxury centrally located London hotel, with 54 rooms and suites available to guests. Established in 1887, a recent refurbishment has enhanced facilities available within the hotel, to include private access to a fitness suite, spa suite, Cadogan Place gardens and an extensive art collection. The hotel is also situated on the doorstep of London’s boutique shopping areas of Knightsbridge and Chelsea, as well as key galleries and museums.

Location: 75 Sloane St, Chelsea, London SW1X 9SG

Literary Reference: From the time it opened its doors as a hotel, The Cadogan Hotel was the epicentre for creatives in nearby Chelsea. It is where artists, authors and intellectuals would meet and socialize over dinner or for a drink. Notable guests and regular visitors included Lillie Langtry, Bram Stoker and Mark Twain.

However, its most notorious guest was the author, playwright and general wit, Oscar Wilde. Although he lived just a 10 minute walk from the hotel (at 34 Tite Street) with his wife and two sons, Wilde regularly frequented The Cadogan where he hosted friends in his customary red and green velvet smoking jackets. He often stayed overnight, as the entertaining evenings often stretched into the early hours of the morning.

Today, guests can stay in his room (number 118), known as the Royal Suite – with a price tag equally as outrageous as its previous occupant (approx £7, 000 per night).

On April 6th, 1895, Oscar Wilde was arrested at The Cadogan (for “”gross indecency”), thus forever enshrining the hotel in the annals of legendary literary events. Wilde was immensely famous and popular in society of the time and so the arrest of this world famous Irish author and playwright was a relative sensation. As a result, his arrest was immortalized by poet laureate John Betjeman’s tragic poem entitled “The Arrest of Oscar Wilde at the Cadogan Hotel” in 1933.

As an additional luxury touch and one that befits the hotel’s literary associations, each room has a mini-library that is curated by the Chelsea bookshop, John Sandoe.

The Langham, London – “A Scandal in Bohemia”

Hotel: The Langham hotel is a luxury, high-end hotel located in London’s west end. It was established in 1865 and was immediately recognised as one of Europe’s great “Grand Hotels”. Today, it remains an iconic building and hotel that has kept pace with the times and offers guests luxury experiences at its spa and wellness centres, as well as indulgent, contemporary European cuisine and personalised service.

Location: 1c Portland Place, Regent Street, London, GB W1B 1JA

Literary Reference: It may be mere coincidence that the Langham is within touching distance of Baker Street, but the regular stays at the hotel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle suggest that, if it is a coincidence, it is a very fortunate one. The Langham has been a regular feature within some of the stories of Doyle’s most famous literary invention, and resident of Baker Street, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. From his very first novel, “A Scandal in Bohemia“, Doyle makes reference to The Langham, as it is the residence of the novel’s protagonist, Count von Kramm. Similarly, in the 1911 story “The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax“, one of Doyle’s characters states confidently when asked for his address, that “The Langham hotel will find me”. To cement the hotel’s connection and legacy with Doyle, a well-stocked selection of Holmes’s adventures and a selection of prints and drawings of his exploits can be enjoyed at leisure, for those lucky guests in the Tower Suite.