We recently had a night away in Melksham, near Chippenham, to attend the wedding of family friends and - as is usual with these friends of ours - they booked us into a local bed and breakfast and then (as usual) paid for our stay! After a mind-numbingly terrible journey down the M6 and then the M5 that took the best part of four hours, I must admit, I was hoping this bed and breakfast would at least be comfortable.
I'm going to start at the end of my stay in order to give some background to Sandridge Tower which the proprietor Mrs. Woodhouse kindly filled us in with after breakfast before we left. It's actually the last place in the world I would expect to have a webpage, but - using that - I learnt that it was built as a "folly" (ie. a building that is basically decorative but doesn't have any special purpose, if I understand the term correctly) on the site of a fourteenth-century church, and is a Grade 2 listed building. The entrance hall is quite fascinating - Mrs. Woodhouse's ancestor was at one time a local mayor, and she pointed out photographs of him and his wife which were taken when he was in office - and she also told us that, until very recently, Sandridge Tower was a nursing home. (I noticed when I left that there was an Investors In People plaque outside the front door dated 2005, so I am guessing the move to bed-and-breakfast is a very recent one.)
The tower is accessed from a road leading off the A3102, but only had quite a small sign so it is worth keeping a careful eye out if you're staying here and you're not sure where it is. Turning off the road, we drove down a tree-lined drive with fields on either side that ended in a front drive with a few parking spaces.
Like most bed and breakfasts, it doesn't have that many rooms (three, in fact) but they were a decent size and quite well-decorated. I had a twin room to myself which I think could have seemed on the the small side had my sister come along with us but would probably have been bearable even if two were staying in it and was certainly big enough for me! I didn't bring my suitcase - just a holdall - so I didn't have to try to move that around, but as there was a bed free it meant I could use it for my hairdryer and other bits that I'd brought.
I did think the room had a relaxed, home-like feel as the curtains in both the bathroom and bedroom were made of brightly coloured, floral patterned material. They weren't that effective at keeping the light out as I don't think they were lined but they were definitely clean and well-made - I never thought to ask, but they looked as though they could
possibly have been home-made. Those in the bathroom were fairly short, but the bedroom ones went all the way down to the floor even though the windows were the normal two or three feet above the floor. Both beds had matching satiny dark red bedspreads over the top (although, naturally, when I woke up the next day it had managed to slide off the bed) and a cream scatter cushion by the pillow, so the room wasn't completely cream - it could have looked a bit bland, but I thought the red colour added a bit of contrast. The only slightly annoying thing was the absence of a table by the bed (I like to have my glasses on hand when I get up in the morning, otherwise I spend ten minutes walking round peering at everything to try to find them!) but - had I chosen the other bed in the room - I could have used the chair or TV table.
Because I really hate having to get out of bed to turn the light off at night, I also appreciated the fact that the tall lamps on one side of each bed had on/off switches attached to the cable down one side. I quite liked the up-lighting these provided as sometimes I think my own bedside lamp is too bright because the shade faces downwards so this option seemed less glaring. Three fluffy white towels were provided on each bed (one large towel, one small and one hand towel) - I only used one set, but they were spotlessly clean and in such good condition that I think they might have been quite new.
A neat section of what I am tempted to call "open wardrobe space" was built into an alcove on one side of the bathroom door, basically looking like a fitted wardrobe with no doors. One section had a small set of shelves which would have suited jumpers or shoes etc (I didn't actually use this bit as I normally keep folded things in my bag when I'm travelling and unpack as necessary!) but the rest of the wardrobe had a full-length drop underneath the rail so I was able to hang my dress up without it getting creased. As it happened, I'd brought my own coat hangers but if I'd forgotten them, I would have been able to use the ones provided. I was really impressed with the "extras" in the room - they weren't very showy but I thought the inclusion of extra blankets for the bed, an electric fan and even a small cloth on the table under the window were nice touches.
A tray of biscuits, tea, sugar and coffee sachets and the ever-present UHT milk in those tiny containers was on the table by the window, along with an electric kettle and a couple of cups and saucers (all clean). I must admit that the tea didn't taste that drinkable - even as somebody who accepts tea however strong, hot and with or without sugar - but I think that's probably because I don't normally drink UHT milk. The little table looked like a miniature version of a drop-down dining table (the kind where you prop up the folding sides to make the surface area larger) and had a small tablecloth, as well as coasters to leave my cup and saucer on. I was pleasantly surprised by the biscuits - they were the small packets with two or three biscuits in each but instead of the usual digestives and custard creams, I had a choice of chocolate chip cookies and orange chocolate biscuits as well as a flat finger biscuit - so I thought these were just a bit "different" and made a change to the typical offerings.
Mrs. Woodhouse - who made us very welcome - advised that, because of the system of plumbing in the house, the hot water might take a while to get going and to test the temperature by running the water in the sink before turning the shower on. Although my bathroom was fairly small (the house was a nursing home up until a few years ago, so I don't know whether or not the en suite bathrooms were added when the bed and breakfast was established) it still had a toilet, shower and sink, as well as a mirror. (As with the wardrobe space, the shower was in an alcove and I am guessing it was bigger than the average shower tray because a little "step" to fill in the gap up to the wall was there. I quite like these level surfaces - it means there's somewhere for my shampoo and shower gel.) Being a bed and breakfast, I expected sachets of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel but actually my room felt quite "personalised" - there was a 500ml bottle of Flower Shop Plum and Passionflower hand wash on the side of the sink, not a brand I've heard of but I still liked it. A couple of bottles of supermarket own-brand shampoo and conditioner were behind the curtain, on the window sill, so I don't know whether these had been bought in by the owner or left by other guests but they certainly added to the "homy" feel. The soaps were more typical guest-house offerings - tiny Palmolive ones wrapped in paper. Having double-checked online (my memory isn't quite that good and my photos aren't that clear) they were the Palmolive Naturals Sensitive Soap with Almond Milk. The only disadvantage I found with the bathroom was that - with the door open - I could see straight through the window in my bedroom onto the front drive and the bathroom window was positioned directly behind the toilet, so when showering I found it easier to close all the curtains!
I'm not sure if the shower was a power shower (I don't think it was - unless it was a quiet one!) but I thought the water pressure was quite impressive and it definitely made it really easy to lather up my shampoo and body wash when I was getting ready to go out. Something I did have a bit of a concern over was the plug socket under the bedroom window - it was basically a 4-socket extension lead nailed into the wall. I didn't actually encounter any problems with it, but - for the sake of safety - I felt it was better to unplug the kettle when I used my hairdryer. I did miss the absence
Pictures of Sandridge Tower, Wiltshire
The bathroom window, sink and mirror
of a mirror in the bedroom when doing my hair but I made do with the reflection in the picture over my bed. The bedroom I slept in was called The North Room and I had a perfect view of the drive, trees and a buddleia plant being pestered by butterflies in the early evening. The North Room is the nearest bedroom to the front door, but I can't say that I was disturbed by anybody else going out or coming in.
I didn't have a patio door in my room, although my parents did. All rooms seemed to be on the ground floor so their sliding door (they had The Blue Room, if I remember correctly) led out to a patio area with some seats so we could sit outside for a bit (although, thanks to the busy weekend traffic on our trip down, we didn't have a lot of time to sit out and enjoy it). Being a double, their room was a bit bigger and seemed longer than mine. The view from the patio was really peaceful - I think we saw a couple of rabbits in the surrounding fields, I spotted a bird box in one tree and we also had occasional visits from the proprietor's two pet cats. (I can't remember whether or not dogs were welcomed, but - as with all cats - these seemed to keep to themselves anyway!)
Something I've rarely come across in a bed and breakfast was a breakfast menu sheet that had been provided. I'm not much of a breakfast person - cereal and toast is adventurous for me! - so I hate ever having to be in a position of trying to insist that I don't want a full English breakfast, but I simply had to tick that I wanted tea, cereal, white toast and apple juice. (My dad had porridge and I think my mum had a cooked breakfast, with two fried eggs - she loves to save the yolks till last!) The cereals came in the single-portion boxes (slightly larger than variety pack ones) and I had Shreddies with semi-skimmed milk. (Usually I have full-fat, but I didn't mind - if it had been skimmed, I might have asked for another type of milk, though!) I got the impression that the room we had breakfast in might also be used as a lounge. There was a TV and also a bookcase full of videos of older series like Poldark and The Onedin Line. We only spent one night there so I don't know whether guests are free to watch these or not - I never got round to asking.
As our friends who were hosting the wedding (parents of the groom) did their usual trick and paid for our bedrooms before we'd even got there, my parents didn't actually pay so I'm not sure if they knew the costs. However, I did a little detective work on the website, which gives prices (as of 2008) as £35 for either a double or a twin room if one person sleeps in it, and £55 for either type of room for two. (The website also offers a price reduction for those who don't need breakfast and says packed lunches can be provided for an extra charge.) Sandridge Tower seems to be strictly bed and breakfast so doesn't offer dinner but there are said to be good places to eat locally. I think it would be a good option for anyone wanting to use it as a base to explore the surrounding area but it might be a bit basic for anyone wanting more of a luxury break. As a bed and breakfast, I can't fault it.
Sandridge Tower is easier to find than I thought (admittedly, I wasn't driving!), and is on the A3102 going from Melksham to Bromham. It is within 15 miles of Chippenham, Bath, Devizes, Melksham, Marlborough and is quite close to Avebury Stone Circle, Lacock Abbey and Salisbury Plain so it might suit anyone wanting to visit that general area. I would definitely consider staying here again.
The contact details listed on the website are: Sandridge Tower, Sandridge, Bromham, Chippenham, SN15 2JN http://www.sandridgetower.com 01225 705382
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