Wednesday 16 August 2017

White Rose Award Shortlist 2017

2017 saw Holdsworth House recognised as one of the best hotels in Yorkshire as it was shortlisted for the prestigious White Rose Award for Large Hotel of the Year, for the second consecutive year.

The White Rose Awards are the region's top tourism award and Holdsworth House is proud to be ranked alongside Rudding Park, The Devonshire Arms and the Black Swan.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the end of October 2017.

Monday 15 August 2016

Halifax Comedy Festival - where to stay

If you're visiting the Halifax Comedy Festival for some of the world's brilliant stand up comedy acts, then be sure to book your accommodation at Holdsworth House, the town's award-winning four star hotel.

We've put together a special offer just for Festival goers from £85 per room per night for two people including a welcome drink, free parking on site, wifi and a fabulous freshly cooked Yorkshire breakfast, or continental style buffet if you'd prefer.

The Halifax Comedy Festival runs from 1-29 October 2016 and you can book tickets here for the events taking place at the Victoria Theatre, Square Chapel or any of the venues.

We're also offering a pre-theatre early bird menu if you want to try the 2 AA Rosette-winning food or bar menu.

It's set to be a fabulous event with headline acts including Jimmy CarrRomesh Ranganathan Al MurrayAndrew Lawrence and James Acaster.

HALIFAX COMEDY FESTIVAL GOERS OVERNIGHT STAY AT HALIFAX'S TOP HOTEL
£85 per Snug Double room
£95 per House Double room
£115 per Suite

2 AA Rosette Restaurant, Bar menu, Dog friendly*, Wifi, Free parking. Subject to availability and includes continental buffet or cooked to order breakfast. *£10 per dog per night, selected rooms only

Quote 'HALIFAX COMEDY FESTIVAL' on booking
Tel: 01422 240024
E-mail: info@holdsworthhouse.co.uk

Thursday 28 July 2016

A Tale of Two Naughty Rabbits

When two adorable rabbits were in need of a home, the management team at Holdsworth House came to their rescue.

The two brothers were nameless, but quick thinking guests at the hotel thought up 'Ringo' and 'Paul', after two of the four most famous guests that have stayed at the historic manor. After all, the little white rabbit had black rings like smudges around its eyes - Ringo was a very fitting name.

Paul and Ringo were treated to every kind of luxury, as is the Holdsworth House way. They were met on their arrival with lots of 'oohs' and 'aaahs'; they'd even had the most wonderful hutch and expansive rabbit run built. John, the hotel gardener, ensured the lawn was rich and green whilst Chef even saved some of the finest carrots fresh from the Yorkshire fields. The road ahead was a life of bliss.

Whilst extra comforts and fine food was already a given, it was the customer service and daily attention lavished on the two rabbits that was to ensure their regal existence. Daily feeds, cleaning and human contact, in particular with wedding coordinator Sophie, was to help the timid little creatures settle in.

All was wonderful in the bountiful gardens of Holdsworth House and as time went on, the two rabbits soon found their paws. But then things began to change... and cuteness grew up into adolescent cheekiness!  Perhaps all the lavish attention went to their heads, perhaps they were just born scallywags. Whatever the change, these two rabbits certainly heard the 'Exit' in 'Brexit' and their escape artistry skills were honed.

The first notion to be tested was 'how deep is the ground?' Paul and Ringo joint forces to dig their way under the hutch. Great Escape style, they tunnelled down and out. Some lovely Yorkshire stone flags put a stop to that.

Next was 'can rabbits fly?' This test involved Paul climbing on top of the hutch and launching himself towards the outer run fence - let's just say this was more Chicken Run than rabbit run.

Finally as repairs were made to the rabbits' bedroom ramp (yes you read correctly), which had broken in the melee, Ringo decided to nibble the toecaps of maintenance man Charles' boots as he worked, probably in a bid to hitch a ride to nirvana beyond the run's picket fence.

Of yes, even today the rabbits are exceptionally well loved. But maybe Houdini and Copperfield might have been more appropriate names! #butterwouldntmelt

Sunday 26 June 2016

Shortlisted for the White Rose Awards final - for second consecutive year

Holdsworth House has made it to the finals of the Welcome to Yorkshire White Rose Awards for the second consecutive year.

The prestigious awards recognises the best of Yorkshire's accommodation and tourist attractions and Holdsworth House is once again shortlisted for the Large Hotel of the Year title.

Hotel general manager, Mr Joseph Farrar, said "This is amazing news for Holdsworth House. To be shortlisted last year was incredible, but to reach the finals again this year is extra special. There are some incredible hotels in the final and to be ranked alongside them makes us all feel very proud. This comes off the back of our recent win at the I Do Wedding Awards for
Best Wedding Venue, making 2016 a great year for us."

Farrar continues, 'We've continued to invest in the hotel and we're always looking to develop new ideas so that we can offer guests something special, somewhere unique. We've just created two new roomy suites by knocking together our former single rooms which are going down very well with our wedding parties, plus we've upgraded the bar area with new flooring and furniture. There is lots of investment behind the scenes too to ensure the operation continues to run smoothly."

The White Rose Awards judging process continues throughout the summer and the winner is announced at a glittering awards ceremony in the autumn.

Monday 13 June 2016

Bronte Yorkshire - 5 Top Bronte Attractions on a trail from Holdsworth House

2016 marked the 200th anniversary since Charlotte Brontë's birth. Sisters Charlotte (the eldest of the surviving girls born to father Patrick and mother Maria), Anne and Emily lived in Haworth, West Yorkshire, with their brother Branwell. Their parsonage home, adjacent to the church where Patrick preached, is now a world-class museum dedicated to preserving the Brontës' artefacts and works.

If you're London-based then we suggest you hop on a Grand Central train and take the direct journey from Kings Cross to Halifax, West Yorkshire to combine a luxury short break with visiting the Bronte sights first hand. Stay at Holdsworth House in Halifax and you'll have the perfect base from which to explore.

There are some brilliant Bronte Places listed on the Bronte website, but here are our Yorkshire recommendations to enhance your literary trail:

Bronte Parsonage, Haworth
1. The Bronte Parsonage Museum, Haworth. 
A 20 minute car ride from Holdsworth House takes you across the rolling landscapes to the beautiful town of Haworth and the Brontë Parsonage Museum. Feel goosebumps as you wander their halls, see their writing desks, jotters, drawings, paintings, clothes and artefacts. In Haworth you'll find plenty of coffee shops, the Black Bull pub that was frequented by Branwell and the famous cobbled street that was the scene for the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014. (N.B.Brontë Parsonage closed each January).
2. Visit the film locations of the latest chapter in the Bronte story.

Filming of Sally Wainwright's To Walk Invisible 2016 Brontë drama, written for the BBC, took place on Penistone Hill - half a mile from Haworth (around 20 minutes drive from Holdsworth House). Out on the moors a fake parsonage was built for filming. Penistone Hill makes a wonderful visit if you're a walking enthusiast; it boasts 179 acres of undulating grass and heather moorland with many rough paths and breathtaking views; you'll see the actual landscapes that the Brontë sisters wrote about and cast your eyes where theirs once fell.

To Walk Invisible was a drama about the lives of the Brontë sisters and brother Branwell. It took the viewer on an unmissable journey through the Brontës' everyday struggles - as Emily, Anne and Charlotte attempted to get their works published under male pseudonyms.



The fake parsonage for the BBC drama To Walk Invisible

3. Top Withens - Haworth Moors. Thought to be the most likely inspiration for Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights house. A lonely farmhouse (now ruins) that you can walk to from Haworth along the well-marked path which runs past the Brontë waterfall. For more description and directions click here.

Red House, Gomersal
4. Red House, Gomersal is 30 minutes from Holdsworth House by car. This Grade II* Listed 1830s cloth merchant's home has fascinating Bronte connections and is featured in Charlotte Bronte's novel Shirley. As well as seeing the restored house and outbuldings you can wander the beautiful gardens.

5. The Lord Nelson Pub, Luddendon is just five miles from the hotel and was the drinking place of Branwell whilst he was station master at Luddenden Foot Railway Station and where he met with the Luddenden Reading Society. Here you'll get another good Yorkshire pint in an lovely country setting. 

Book a Holdsworth House Bronte Break from £135 per room for one night including tickets to the Bronte Parsonage Museum, or book our Best Available Rate online for the number of nights you need.
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