Situated in a one thousand acre deer park near Cromer, Norfolk, the Gunton Arms opened its beautifully restored doors late last year...
Situated in a one thousand acre deer park near Cromer, Norfolk, the Gunton Arms opened its beautifully restored doors late last year, setting a new design standard for bed and breakfast getaways in the UK. Owned by renowned art dealer Ivor Braka and his artist wife Sarah Graham, the once dilapidated 18th century building has been brought back to life by the couple’s impeccable style and extensive art collection.
Once the second house to Gunton Hall during the 1890s, the grey stone and red-trimmed building was frequented by the likes of Lillie Langtry, mistress of the future King Edward VII, before falling into disrepair as the park languished in the early 20th century, and the land was sold off piecemeal. In the early 80s, Braka and Graham, who live in the park’s gatehouse, along with neighbours Kit Martin and Charles Harbord-Hamond, bought back most of the land and set about returning the park and its buildings to their former splendour.
The extensive restoration project to transform the building into a bed and breakfast started a couple of years back. “We were aiming to recreate the atmosphere of a 19th century coaching inn,” Braka tells us. “This involved installing a new kitchen, dining room, fireplaces, historical features, rewiring, replumbing, everything down to searching reclamation yards for old materials, panelling, lighting etc.”
"The artful mix of patterned textiles, reclaimed tiles and vintage rugs and furniture are elegantly complimented by pieces from Braka’s art collection"
Decorator Robert Kime was enlisted to lead the interior design. “He immediately grasped the essential feeling we wanted to create,” Braka explains. “We wanted it to feel well-worn and lived in but still providing bedrooms and bathrooms which would be luxurious and a joy to stay in.” The artful mix of patterned textiles, reclaimed tiles and vintage rugs and furniture are elegantly complimented by pieces from Braka’s art collection – ranging from 18th century wildlife drawings by James Northcote in the dining room, to a large Magritte over the fireplace in the guest reading room, to a series of Tracey Emin plates above the bar. And causing plenty of discussion amongst visitors is a series of Paula Rego drawings, situated in a cosy corner of the dining room, which shows the dangers of alcohol, including a woman vomiting in a sink.
The kitchen is headed up by ex-Hix head chef Stuart Tattersall, and Mark Hix himself was heavily involved as a consultant on the project. Braka says they wanted to create a menu that was “rustic and sexy – the emphasis being on seasonal freshness and local sourcing of produce, including the beers on offer.” Hix’s British-inspired approach was just the thing, and a chef manning an open grill in the dining room’s enormous fireplace offers various cuts of steak, which were the most enjoyable items on the menu. Also available is venison sourced from the park itself, including a mixed platter for the brave of palate, featuring liver and kidneys.
Quickly becoming a favourite amongst locals who frequent for dinner and to try guest ales at the bar, and for visitors on a weekend getaway, the interior is rivalled only by the expansive landscape in which it sits, where herds of deer roam freely in the fields and forests. “Gunton Park is one of the great historic park landscapes in England,” says Braka. “Landscape architects such as Bridgeman, Capability Brown, Humphrey Repton, Gilpin and Teulon have all worked here over a 200 year period. My experience of living at Gunton has been hugely uplifting, as every year the trees we planted grow more mature and the surroundings become even more beautiful.”
Text by Ananda Pellerin
