insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 17 - July 2016 | Page 92

GETAWAYS

A journey of gin and relaxation at
The Spread Eagle Hotel & Spa
Ever since I first heard about it from an enthusiastic Londoner who uses it as a pocket of
escapism away from the madness of the city, I have always wanted to visit the Spread Eagle
Hotel & Spa. One of the oldest coaching inns still in existence in the UK today, it dates back
to 1430 and is set in the heart of the historic Sussex market town of Midhurst. Will it be oldfashioned I wondered? Will there be ghosts? (I have a vivid imagination.) What I discovered
was a hotel that all at once satiated my need to step back in time, but that has skillfully
blended in more than a touch of contemporary comfort too. B Y P O L L Y H U M P H R I S

Arriving at The Spread Eagle Hotel & Spa, you breathe a sigh of relief.
Bolstering each other’s charms, Midhurst is a beautiful location anyway
and the ideal setting for a 15th-century, ash-beamed building as redolent
as this one, and, in turn, the presence of such a slice of history makes
Midhurst that bit more attractive too. Pushing the existence of a light
and airy conservatory to the back of your mind for a minute (a more
recent and very lovely addition to the hotel), before you walk through
to reception and remember that it’s 2016, you could be forgiven for
expecting a ruddy-cheeked innkeeper’s wife to rush out offering you a
tankard of ale and a seat beside the fire.

A quintessentially historic hotel it may be, but, cleverly, The Spread Eagle
has also found ways to move with the times, not least where food and
drink is concerned. In May this year, they announced a new partnership
with the nearby Blackdown Distillery, an innovative, family-run and awardwinning producer of finely crafted spirits set amongst a sprawling ancient
woodland in the village of Lurgashall. Invited for a behind-the-scenes tour
and gin tasting at the distillery with Sarah and Nathan