A Stay At Chester’s Stables Luxury Apartments By Walwick Hall
Chester’s Stables are the original stables of the Walwick Hall Estate dating back to 1891, and they’re now renovated into 7 luxury self-catered apartments and cottages that sleep between 2-8 people, some being dog friendly. If you’ve been to Walwick Hall before you’ll know how beautiful it is, luxury to the highest standard and Chesters Stables are no different.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary two night stay at The Stallion at Chester’s Stables for the purposes of this review and Instagram content.
The full renovation of the stables turned them into these apartments in 2018, as a neighbour to Walwick Hall and they’re bookable from the same website. Taking the Northumberland luxury from the hotel, they offer a more private escape with more space, without compromising on the facilities. As guests of Chester’s Stables you can also use the Walwick Hall facilities.
Chester’s Stables & Grounds
Chester’s Stables are a 2 minute drive down the road from Walwick Hall itself, but Chesters is within its own grounds and sits proudly on top of the hill – you can’t miss it. There are three car parks on site, and the old Butler’s Cottage is right next door too. You can’t miss the huge building with an arched entrance as you arrive.
They have really kept the original layout, old features and set up of the stables, which is evident throughout the whole place. Each apartment is slightly different from the next but all within the same building, with a courtyard at the centre.
The apartments include the Clocktower, the Smithy, the Carriage House and the Stalls to name a few, each one with unique features from its history. Some aspects have been modernised to allow for them to be livable, such as glass windows fit into archways, but it’s all been done seamlessly to not take away from the original character.
You can park outside your apartment in the courtyard on arrival, so you can carry your stuff in easily, but cars are just here for loading and unloading before you have to park them in one of the car parks. You get a map emailed to you before you get there but it’s really easy and they’re all on site just a minute away.
There’s a stretch of grass with picnic tables out the front, and this goes all the way around the back overlooking the farmland that sprawls up the hill. It’s beautiful, and an ideal space for walking the dog. It isn’t enclosed though so I always kept Arthur on the lead, to avoid him running out onto the road which is straight in front of you. Despite this there is no noise, it’s so quiet and peaceful among the trees.
The Stallion at Chester’s Stables
We stayed in The Stallion, a one bed, 2 person apartment that is dog friendly. Walwick Hall itself isn’t dog friendly other than the outside areas, so it’s great to have this option for visiting such a lovely place. The Stallion is all on one ground floor level in the right hand corner, and used to be the stables itself.
The apartment has been built around the actual stalls, which are still visible separating each living area from the next. The living area with a log burner and TV, sofas and coffee table were at the far end, then the dining area which had a table and seating built into it, then part of the kitchen.
The last two stalls form the bathroom and this has been closed off, and the final one is biggest and therefore the bedroom. The original iron gate is your bedroom door, and you can see the old water troughs and hay bale racks still built in. They’ve done fabulously to keep these features for the theme of the apartment but make best use of them too.
It’s been so cleverly done out with the different areas of the apartment worked into each stall, and with added luxuries that you would expect from five star accommodation. There is a big, beautiful freestanding bath in the bathroom, as well as a double shower, the marble top kitchen has all of the modern appliances including a coffee machine, and fully equipped cooking facilities, and the whole place has underfloor heating.
The bedroom has a huge big bed, and blackout electric blinds as well as heavy curtains. It’s such a relaxing place and you can’t hear any noise at all from outside or any of the neighbouring apartments.
For Arthur, a big dog bed was provided, and a doggy welcome pack including treats, bowls and dog bags. Dogs aren’t allowed on the furniture, so I took plenty of spare blankets too, but Arthur absolutely loved the floor, and the space to run up and down the length of the apartment.
The welcome pack for humans is also fabulous, with fresh eggs, milk, a bottle of wine, some banana loaf, a sourdough and some condiments. I’d taken a few bits as well so I had plenty to make breakfast, lunch and some snacks, but we planned to eat out for evening meals. Chesters also offer a service where you can shop your groceries or food before you arrive, and they will deliver and unpack it for you so it’s there waiting for you.
There are instructions for everything inside the apartment, but it’s all really straightforward, and there are plenty of guide books and suggestions for things to do in the local area using Chester’s Stables as your base. There is free wifi too.
Walwick Hall Facilities
Although Chester’s Stables are a separate building to Walwick Hall, so you have the complete privacy of your own apartment, you are able to use the Walwich Hall facilities in the same way that you would if you were a guest staying in the hotel. Nothing is included in your stay at the stables, so don’t turn up to Walwick Hall expecting a breakfast reservation!
You are self catered, but you can add services or experiences to your stay for an extra charge. You could book in for any of your meals in the Walwick Hall restaurant, including dinner, afternoon tea and lunch. They will also make up picnic baskets for you at your request if you fancy a day out and don’t want to prepare your own.
And lastly, they will also pre make meals from their kitchen and restaurant and deliver them to your Chester’s Stable suite to be finished in your oven, to eat in your apartment. That’s pretty good service, especially if you’d like the fine dining experience of Walwick or don’t want to cook yourself.
The spa facilities at Walwick Hall are also available to book as an hour slot, in the same way as they are for hotel guests. You can add spa treatments as well if you wish. Timings are limited for this to accommodate all guests and treatments, so you do need to book these in advance of your stay. Robes and slippers aren’t provided, so you’d need to take your own too.
As part of my stay with Chester’s Stables, I visit Walwick Hall for afternoon tea on the Saturday afternoon. It was such a lovely experience, very relaxing in their newly decorated lounge that just reminded me of the Bridgerton drawing room, and the food was fabulous. I’ve already shared a full blog review of the Afternoon Tea at Walwick Hall if you’d like more information on it.
Quite a few of the Walwick Hall public areas have been given a beautiful upgrade at the start of this year, including the bar which has some beautiful cocktails, the lobby, the drawing room and dining room. They’ve gone bold with bright colours and plush decor. It’s fabulous and something a bit different to other luxury hotels in the region.
Chester’s Stables & Exploring Northumberland
The Chester’s Stables complex is just 2 minutes from Walwick Hall, so both are based in Humshaugh near Hexham. There is so much to see and do in the area, taking in the beauty of Northumberland and all it has to offer.
On the Friday night of our stay, we went along to the Twice Brewed Inn, a pub that’s about a fifteen minute drive away, and is on one of the best parts of Hadrian’s Wall not far from Sycamore Gap. They have an on site brewery and tap room which you can do a tour of, it’s dog friendly inside and out, they have a big food menu and huge outside beer garden.
Right on the Pennine Way both the Twice Brewed Inn and Chester’s itself are ideal for walkers so you’ll see many passing, or it’s a good stopping point if you’re walking there yourself.
The Sill visitor centre is also close by where you could park and do the walk to Sycamore Gap, or just enjoy the cafe and visitor centre itself. You can read more about this in my blog post here. Housesteads and Chesters Roman Forts are also nearby to Chester’s so they are a good choice for another day out.
On the Saturday we went into Hexham for the morning, where we pottered about the local farmers market and had coffee in one of the cafes. It’s a beautiful old town to explore, as is Corbridge which is also nearby and has a lovely river walk ideal for dogs, and so many pubs to stop at for food or drinks afterwards.
These are just a few suggestions but there are unlimited choices for days out in Northumberland, and Chester’s Stables is a perfect base to explore. At the end of your adventure you get to go back to the beautiful apartment to relax.
Chester’s Stables was one of the most luxurious, and lovely self catered stays I’ve ever experienced. They’ve thought of and catered for everything, and the apartments are done out beautifully. You can see each one has different features depending on the style and name, and each one offers something for its guests.
They would be an ideal place for a bigger group, couples or families, as everyone could have their own space, or stay in one of the 8 person apartments if you wanted to be together. There is a minimum stay of three nights, and full details can be found on the Chester’s Stables webpage here when booking.
Other posts you might like:
An Elegant Afternoon Tea at Walwick Hall
Things to do in Corbridge, Northumberland