Former home opens as country hotel and restaurant

A former family home in Backwell has been converted into a new hotel and restaurant.

Backwell House, in Farleigh Road, boasts nine en-suite bedrooms with views of the walled garden and the surrounding valleys and fields.

Guy Williams is running the venue as a joint venture with the Hobbs family, which owns the impressive property.

Mr Williams and a group of friends used materials such as old floorboards, pallets and scrap metal to build the beds, the bar and tables to give it a quirky, country feel.

A new restaurant serving game, venison and seasonal dishes from locally sourced food will also be opening at the hotel on January 1.

Mr Williams said: “We opened the bedrooms about six weeks ago and we’ve already got lots of regulars which is nice.

“We’re close to Bristol and the airport, but in the countryside so it’s the best of both worlds.

“The house was last refurbished in the 1960s so it needed a lot of work. We tried to upcycle so the bar is made from the old floorboards of the kitchen and a lot of items are made from the metal on the site. It’s a bit quirky and different.

“We’ve got a cinema room and basement bar, which will be finished in mid-January and the swimming pool will be ready in March.

“We want to add some more bedrooms and put in spa facilities as well. We’ve got big grounds with a walled garden so we’re going to start growing produce.

“I want to get the word out that we are here. It would be lovely to get customers in and enjoying the space.

“We will be open for lunches with food in keeping with the house. We will keep the menu simple with a few starters, mains and desserts and locally sourced sustainable food.

“We also want to start running a café in the day and serving afternoon teas.”

The hotel also caters for weddings and private parties and people can hire out the nine bedrooms for the weekend and have exclusive use of the hotel.