newport house

The house, with private fisheries on the tidal Newport river, was established by the Mumford-Smiths as a fishing hotel and the Thompsons have continued this tradition, retaining many of the long serving staff. Newport House is now a member of the Relais et Chateaux Association. The house itself is very interesting. Built on a far older site, up on the river bank, a pretty 1720s bow-fronted mansion has been encased in a later extremely grand edifice. The sitting room, with chandelier and fine fireplace, has dooors at one end which are curiously asymmetrical, since they were cut through into an enormous dining room added later to the end of the building. Huge windows throw light on vast oil-paintings, and the broad pale gold stripes of the wallpaper. An enormous drawing room directly above is being refurbished. Behind the modest original hall opens an unexpectedly vast inner hall, proudly graced by the famous monster Mumford-Smith prize pike. A staircase rises up to a galeried landing, topped by a splendid plasterwork ceiling with a heat-gobbling glass skylight.