News from Soulton Hall
Soulton Welcomes New Chef
We are delighted to anounce that Justin (pictured above in the walled garden with Ann) has just joined our team. He'll be heading up our kitchens.
Justin is ardent about using homegrown and local produce. We'll be adding more information and refreshing the dining area of our website over the comming weeks, and are very excited about the new ideas which are all ready developing.
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End of a week of filming
The above picture shows "Escape to the Country" 's Jules Hudson and team, before leaving Soulton after a week of filming.
We understand the programme is likely to go out in Septermber 2011 on BBC Two.
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Soulton Hall Nominated in Foot Print Awards
These are ''The first awards programme dedicated to recognising contribution to sustainability and environmental excellence in the Foodservice Industry.'' .
You can vote for us vote for us HERE.; to learn more about sustainability and Soulton you can view a short pdf HERE.
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Soulton Hall in Shropshire Gold iPhone App...Soulton Hall is now on an iPhone App provided by Shropshire Gold. Shropshire Gold is a group of rural accommodation providers across the whole of the county who have come together to promote Shropshire as a complete destination for anyone wanting to stay in farm and country accommodation, while also visiting some leading UK attractions, towns and villages. The website is linked to a smart phone app - allowing the wealth of local knowledge held by our members to be available to the visitor wherever they happen to be. Although other, nationwide BandB Apps do exist, Shropshire Gold's is believed to be the first of its kind in the country - focusing exclusively on places to stay and places to visit, as well as a selection of itineraries, in one specific destination. The app is free to download via their website.
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Observer Magazine and The Good Hotel Guide list Soulton Hall in Britain's top 10 bolt holes.
The Good Hotel Guide and the Observer Magazine have included Soulton Hall in a selection of ''Britain's top 10 Bolt holes''.
The article, ''HOMING INSTINCTS'', ran:
The 10 chosen here show the quality of accommodation and food to be found in Britain. Only three could strictly be described as hotels. Some are pubs or restaurants with rooms. Others are B and Bs , popular for the personal touch and the value they offer. The geographical spread provides alternatives to the tourist honeypots of the West Country and the Lake District. There are two in North Yorkshire, a renovated inn near Flodden Field in Northumberland, and fine dining in a remote corner of the Highlands.
This year we have also uncovered modern B and Bs in areas not always noted for such quality: there are two good B and Bs in Stratford-upon-Avon (one is listed here) and a striking house with astonishing views on the Isle of Skye. While the choice could hardly be more diverse, they have a common bond: each one puts the guest first.
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7. Soulton Hall, Wem, Shropshire In the hands of the same family since 1556, this impressive Tudor manor house is very much the home of John and Ann Ashton. It stands on a 500-acre estate with a working farm. The hall has a collection of antiques from various periods, old family portraits, original fireplaces, and sofas and armchairs. Four of the bedrooms are in the main house; others are in buildings close by. Ann Ashton cooks traditional meals, served in a small candlelit room.
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The Lady and Signpost UK feature Soulton Hall
Soulton Hall was included in a feature in 'The Lady'. Called ''RUFF GUIDE'', the feature began:
Organising a holiday takes time, especially when you're taking your pet. But don't worry, Sophie Butler's 'Ruff Guide' will ensure your holiday is the cat's whiskers...
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Re-Roofing and Onging Care of Our Buildings
The early part of this year has seen the compleation of a cycle of re-roofing which began in the mid 1990s, as whole new roofs, with new tiles and full modern heat insulation were added to Shooter's Lodge as well as Ploughman's and Herdsman's Cottages.
This, added to earlier work done to Soulton Hall's roof, Cedar Lodge, the Carriage House and Soutlon Court (not forgeting the farm buildings) represents a very large undertaking, but an important commitment to the future of our historic buildings.
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Soulton Included in Charming Small Hotels
We have just been told that we are to be included in Charming Small Hotels for the first time.
Like the Good Hotel Guide, Charming Small Hotels is an independant publication, who, in their own words are, ''one of the very few that don't take money for a review'', adding ''just read one of our lively, well written, objective reviews, and compare it with the gush of approval in a pay guide''.
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Britian's Finest Guide: Soulton Hall on Cover
Soulton Hall is on the front cover of BRITAIN'S FINEST: Small Hotel's and Inn's of Excellence this year.
Out listing says: '' An imposing hotel set in acres of park and farm land. Bedrooms are spacious and have a unique character, each with fine antique furiture and architectural features from the 1500s. Dining is traditional yet elegant. A distinctive hotel which thrives on personal service.''
The photograph shows Soulton Hall as seen from the White Garden, looking South East.
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Soulton Hall on German TV
Filming took place recently at Soulton Hall for ''Galileo Mystery'', a mainstream documentary on the national German network ProSieben. The epeside was called ''Geisterfotografie'', and was concerned with the Wem Ghost, photographed in the burnig town hall in the 1990s.
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AA ''BEST BED AND BREAKFAST'': Soulton Hall on Cover
A bedroom in Soulton Hall currently features on the front cover of this AA publication.
We have recently been awarded Highly Commended status with the AA.
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Hot air balloon lands on farm
A hot air ballon landed in a filed th the south of Keeper's Cottage and Soulton Wood.
The filed is fallow this year. The hot air balloon piolt is considerate about farming/cropping needs. We have agreed that they can land on this field for the rest of the season, so expect to see more hot air balloons landing here this year.
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New Bathrooms
Three new bathrooms are being installed in Shooter's Lodge at the moment.
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Social Media Highlights
Keeping in line with recent trends, we now have a platforms with various socail media.
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Filming and Photoshoots
We have a new platform to enhance the information available about this service with UK Film locations.
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Soulton Hall Blog
We will try to add the same information as appears on this news page to aa eblogger account, to enhance its ease of use.
You should this at the end of this link
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Soulton on YouTubeWe have some footage of wildlife on the farm, which has been added to our new YouTube profile.
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Soulton Establishes Flickr PhotostreamWe now have a Flickr photostream.
This has made it possible to: (1) show many of the 100+ Victorian photographs we are so lucky to have, and (2) present contemporary images Soulton Hall, its grounds and gardens, the interior, and the farm and wildlife in organized and inter-active way.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
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Soulton Establishes Facebook Presence
Soulton Hall has a small precence on Facebook; we're not sure where this will take us yet, but for the moment it is a handy place for information that doesn't fit on the website, and for pointing the way to some of the historical/farming content on this website which makes Soulton such a distinctive place.
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Finalists in National Awards - Conde Nast Johansens
At Conde Nast Johansens Annual Awards for Excellence Dinner at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London, Soulton Hall was an award finalist for ''MOST EXCELLENT INNOVATION IN SUSTAINABLE HOSPITALITY''. This recognised work done in finiding fresh purpose to 300 year old agricultural buildings, as well as the stuardship of the farm, involving the mainitance of our 50acre wood, planing of 1/2 a mile of new hedges, and the provision of specially seaded areas for birds and insects. It further recognised the efforts gone to to source our own food, including game and honey.
In the months since the award was given, we have continued to enhance the farm, most recently in a bank side coppicing project over a mile of Soulton Brook, the wood from which will fule a log burner in Soulton Court.
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Soulton Hall gains Conservation award
The Farming and Wildlife Group (Shropshire) have acknowledged the environmental stewardship work done on the Soulton Estate, with a prize in a local conservation competition. The management of the farm at Soulton Hall has always been sensitive to the interests of the wildlife which flourishes there, and we are pleased that this has been recognised.
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Guardian Listing
In May, Soulton Hall was included by the Guardian in its "indispensable guide to Britain's finest B&Bs".
We were delighted to be included.
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Hospital Fundraising
A fundraising event for both the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital, Oswestry, and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital were both held recently at Soulton Hall. Both events raised several hundred pounds.
We are very happy to allow our facilities to be used and to provide catering to support charitable courses, particularly local ones. If you are involved in helping to co-ordinate fundraising for a Shropshire linked charity, please consider getting in touch with us. (Sadly, owing to practical constraints, we are not able to proceed with all the approaches which are made).
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Red Arrows visit Soulton Hall for Grand Charity Ball
£20,000 was raised for the Severn Hospice at a Grand Charity Ball and Auction held at Soulton Hall on the evening of 28 July.
260 guests, including test cricketer Ashley Giles and Rally Champion David Higgins, attended the black tie event which John and Ann Ashton were delighted to be able to support by making Soulton Hall and the newly developed meeting and special occasions facilities in Soulton Court available.
The event, organised in conjunction with the VW dealers Inchcape Shropshire, also served to launch the new Volkswagen Golf Estate car.
A flypast of Soulton Hall by the RAF's Red Arrows was a particular highlight of the evening which included a four course meal prepared by celebrity chef Nigel Smith and inspired by a tour of Near Continental Europe in the launch car.
In addition the VW dealers Inchcape Shropshire and Soulton Hall, the event was also supported by Clive Freeman Associates Marketing, Cobra road seats, Jack Flash Fireworks, The Meadow Inn at Ironbridge, Villeroy & Boch, Tents and Marques of Shrewsbury, Style Matters, and Ribby Hall Village.
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ITV1 Filming at Soulton
You can see extracts of the filming above, in an embeded Youtube film.
Filming for ITV1'sTonight with Trevor MacDonald recently took place at Soulton Hall. The gardens, terrace and façade of Soulton Hall itself were used for location filming, while the Long Room in Soulton Court was used for interviews.
Soulton Hall is a Licenced Wedding Venue
We are licenced with Shropshire Council as a Wedding Venue
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Shropshire ShowsDates for the Shropshire County Show have been released here
Dates for the Shrewsbury Summer Season are Show are here
