A rising star amongst the dreaming spires

Back in 1866 Matthew Arnold described Oxford more beautifully than the paraphrased cliché of today; he wrote: And that sweet city with her dreaming spires, she needs not June for beauty’s heightening. Despite the traffic and the tourists, Oxford, almost surprisingly, has retained is perennial bloom where other cities have given way to the careless tread of progress.

In the heart of the city, just minutes from world famous sites: The Bodlian Library, The Ashmolean Library and the Sir Christopher Wren’s Sheldonian Theatre, is a secluded gem called The Old Parsonage.

Tucked behind a Cotswold stone wall, the hotel is easy to miss which would be pity as it effortlessly lives up to its reputation as the ‘best hotel in Oxford’. And that is as true about the sumptuous interiors designed by Sally Conran as it is about the food and wine. It is a joy to experience the maze of ancient passages and stairs in the middle of which is a small library with its own secluded courtyard. Interesting pictures not only delight but, through familiarity, guide you to you room.

The old, Old Parsonage was given new life and opened in March 2014. The owner Jeremy Mogford spared no expense to create this rising star of excellence. His team have cleverly kept the old world charm and authentic look of the place but discretely added the colours and fabrics to complement the old whilst creating a cocoon of contemporary luxury.

The true measure of luxury lies in the detail and, in this respect, The Old Parsonage is something of a masterpiece. Leather-topped writing desks, Egyptian Cotton bed linen, spacious marble bathrooms and the latest Italian minibars about which Rebecca Mofford, the General Manager, had this to say: “They look great which is another huge advantage and the reason we were drawn to the NEXT DM compressor minibar in the first place”.