Brookside Manor House

The event on the front lawn took us by surprise and disrupted our stay. We were only asked about it around two weeks before arriving. The owner called it an annual Solstice event and described “a bit of music, bouncy castle and few beers and chip butties,” but didn’t say there were other options or that it would be at night. When we arrived, three large colourful tents blocked the lawn and views, with people and vehicles moving about in preparation. Someone knocked to ask for electricity. More people and vehicles arrived the next day. The event started much later than we expected, and a live band began around 9 pm, about 20 metres from the house. I had to message at 12:30 am before the music stopped, as nobody in our group could sleep. The owner’s communication was poor. They kept saying they would discuss things with the committee instead of offering us a part refund. From some other reviews, this seems to be a pattern. So far, we’ve been insulted by an offer of £150. This isn’t a lovely bright, clean country Manor House. After staying there, I’d have struggled to pay 2k for a weekend, let alone closer to 4K. Don’t waste your time, effort and money. The property shouldn’t be rented until these issues are sorted. The manager needs a trading course in communication. The outdoor space could be beautiful, but it needs a lot of work. There was no comfortable, good quality seating for dining, just dirty plastic chairs, a rusty table and seats without cushions. The floor outside didn’t look swept, and the area hadn’t been weeded to make it presentable. The owner left the house 10 years ago, and it looks like little has been done since. The barbecue was a mess and hadn’t been properly cleaned after the last guest. The hot tub area was very poorly maintained, and getting to it felt precarious. The whole outdoor area needs sweeping, cleaning and weeding, and the steps up to the grass at the back aren’t family friendly. There was also a shed full of tat on display in the garden. For what guests pay, it should be much cleaner and have comfortable outdoor seating. The house itself needs a deep clean. The showers looked unclean and some had mould. Floors and skirting boards were filthy in some rooms, with cobwebs and spiders around. Some carpets looked grimy. Two beds sloped so people had to switch, and the ground floor Annexe beds were so uncomfortable for my dad and auntie, who needed to sleep downstairs. I couldn’t get the Jacuzzi bath to work, though it looked grimy and we probably wouldn’t have used it anyway. The kitchen had very poor lighting for cooking and lacked updated appliances such as a coffee maker or blender. Some pans were worn out. One large frying pan had no non-stick coating, which wasn’t much use for 15 people. Mice ran around the kitchen at night. The swimming pool is an older lined pool, not tiled, with lots of ridges underfoot. The area outside the pool was very slippery for the children, and the ledge around it is very narrow. They didn’t charge us for the hour, but honestly, we’d have thought it was a bit of a cheek if they had.

Avoid this place. We booked the house two weeks ago, and the photos were old and out of date. The whole place was filthy and hadn’t been cleaned. The kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms all need a full renovation. It’s such a state that skeletons and ghosts could live here comfortably.

We had a ball celebrating my daughter’s 30th birthday with family and friends. There was plenty to keep everyone entertained: the pool, hot tub, snooker, tennis, gym and lovely walks. The house was lovely and very well equipped, and it’s a stunning place. Would highly recommend. Thank you Simon and Jeanette.

We had a great time in this lovely, spacious house, but it felt shabby. There’s a ‘but’ attached to every amenity: the en suite whirlpool bath had jets that didn’t work, and in the swimming pool most of the lights were out while the structure was rotting. It needs a lot of maintenance before it can be a luxury destination. I doubt I’d go back.