Daily Times

Looking for an alternative to a traditional B&B? Try a Wolsey Lodge – often cheaper and certainly better value. There’s nothing corporate about them, either. The non-profit association, offering places to stay in the UK and Ireland, was founded 30-odd years ago by Procter Naylor, who believed that ‘an Englishman’s home, with its grandeur and rural splendour, had more to offer than just B&B. It could be an experience’. Guests often aren’t even given a key and are welcomed as if they were family or friends. There are 75 B&B properties using the Wolsey Lodge name, ranging from grand halls and country estates to modest townhouses. Procter’s choice of name was inspired by King Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey, who toured the realm in the 16th century and received generous hospitality at country houses. Wolsey Lodges’ chairman, Carey Chapman, and his wife, Diana, own Priory Steps in Bradford-on-Avon, near Bath.