On the lawn in front of Little Barwick House stand a magnificent cedar tree and a beautiful tulip tree with lime and orange flowers that must remain in place by law. I rather wish that the small hotel to which they belong were protected by a similar preservation order – for though it is thriving now, it is part of a sadly declining breed.
A listed early Victorian dower house with a Victorian addition, Little Barwick is that rarest of things: a warm, cosy and unpretentious restaurant-with-rooms run by the same couple for 20 years. A recent report has highlighted the continuing surge in luxury and premium hotels and the drop in midmarket options, notably in London, though the trend is echoed across…