The Bower House

The Bower House Restaurant with Rooms

Nestled at the heart of the historic market town of Shipston on Stour, just 15 minutes south of Stratford-Upon-Avon, The Bower House is one of the finest restaurants in Warwickshire. Dine and stay on the edge of the glorious Cotswolds in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Grade II-listed Georgian building has just five beautiful bedrooms spread over the first and second floors. Condé Nast Traveller chose The Bower House as one of the best Restaurants with Rooms in the country, and The Sunday Times as one of the Best 100 Hotels in the UK. It’s easy to see why: each bedroom is supremely comfortable, luxurious and unique. Four of the five bedrooms have huge, handmade super-king size beds, and the fifth – Room 2 – has a still-very-large king size.

Beds all have delicious Hypnos mattresses and mountains of pillows and cushions. Thoughtful touches abound, from antique silver drinks trays laden with all you’ll need to mix a martini, to Scrabble and backgammon boards and vintage books. Furnishings are plush, luxury and quirky, and champion British design, antique and modern.

The bathrooms are all enormous, each with a separate bath and rainwater shower. Some baths are claw-footed cast-iron roll-tops, others topped in green marble. Of course, there are piles of fluffy white towels, and great big bottles of indulgent bath products from the award-winning local organic company, ilā Spa.

The ground floor is home to The Bower House restaurant, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and all day for tea, coffee, cake, and wine and cocktails from the vibrant and elegant bar. Locally-sourced and seasonal, the food receives rave reviews, from locals to restaurant critics; the Sunday Times’ Marina O’Loughlin describing it as “inspired”.

Dogs are very welcome within the bar area of the restaurant but are not allowed in the bedrooms.

Facilities at The Bower House

The Bower House has all the luxury and mod cons you’d expect, from enormous beds to grand, marble-tiled bathrooms, plus quirky, thoughtful extras, such as freshly-baked biscuits from the deli next door. Having the fantastic restaurant and bar downstairs is heaven – you’ll be fed and watered, and with the decks of cards, glossy magazines, a roaring fire and scrabble boards, you really don’t need to leave the premises! Should you want to venture out, The Bower House in Shipston on Stour also provides the perfect base for exploring the Cotswolds and beyond.

Things to do in Shipston on Stour

Shipston on Stour is a historic market town, with an eclectic blend of architecture from the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th centuries. It has been awarded The Best Place to Live in the Midlands by The Times two years running, and locals are rightly proud of the wonderful, authentic independent shops it boasts – from the fabulous Taste of the Country deli next door, to the London House antiques shop, two lovely florists, a watchmaker so oversubscribed he runs a two-year waiting list, a saddler’s, and a wine shop which has been trading since 1842.

Stratford-Upon-Avon is a fifteen-minute drive north, world-famous as the birthplace of William Shakespeare and the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company theatres. The Cotswolds Area of Outstanding National Beauty is on the doorstep, with rolling hills, stunning walks, and ancient villages and towns built from honey-coloured stone. The magnificent Warwick Castle is fifteen miles away, and Cheltenham Racecourse, with its glamorous annual festival, just 45 minutes west.

The Bower House Restaurant

We can’t think of a lovelier place to have breakfast, lunch, dinner – or all three! – than The Bower House. The restaurant itself is beautiful and warm, with a roaring wood-burning stove at its heart and paintings covering the walls. Known for the best breakfasts and coffee for miles around, the morning can be buzzy, and evenings are twinkly and atmospheric, with candles being lit throughout the restaurant.

Service is wonderfully welcoming, and à la carte menus run alongside daily specials, with gluten-free menus available, too. The bar is vivacious on Friday and Saturday nights, with a clientele who travel in for the moreish cocktails and bar snacks.

The quality of the food has been recognised by The Michelin Guide, who have named The Bower House in their 2018 guide as one of their “best addresses”, and the restaurant has been rightly described by Country Living Magazine as  “a gorgeous setting for dining or chatting over coffee…”, and by Condé Nast Traveller as “glorious”.

Taste of the Country Deli

Next door to The Bower House is Taste of the Country, an enticing delicatessen and grocer owned by the same family. It seems to accrue more awards each year, receiving Best Independent Retailer at the Cotswold Life Magazine Food & Drink Awards in July 2018, and two Gold Stars in the National Great Taste Awards for their dark chocolate brownie (which also happens to be gluten free).

Taste of the Country stocks artisanal local, and expertly-chosen global, produce, and is stuffed with food from their own bakery. Their gingerbread is legendary, and you’ll spy it stocked everywhere from Soho Farmhouse to Longleat Safari Park. Bower House guests receive a 10% discount.

Private Events at The Bower House

The Bower House has several gorgeous and distinct private spaces within the restaurant which are perfect for private events, from intimate seated dinners to large drinks parties, business meetings to charity fundraisers.

What’s On at The Bower House

Every last Friday of the month, the award-winning Cotswolds Distillery take over The Bower House bar, using their craft gins and whiskies to create dangerously good seasonal cocktails. See The Bower House website for details of this, and other events.