ANCIENT AND MODERN
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb057268 |
| Date | 01 July 1982 |
| Published date | 01 July 1982 |
| Pages | 15-18 |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
CONFERENCE VENUES
ANCIENT
AND
MODERN
Alec Snobel assesses
the contemporary facilities
of three historic inns
The
Spread Eagle
Hotel
Midhurst
Few indulgences are more welcome to
the contemplative mind on a cold, in-
clement day than to lie amid the
centrally-heated, air-conditioned,
electronically serviced ambience of a
contemporary habitat and thus to in-
voke the fondly imagined felicities of
life in time-distance merrie England.
New and old, practical and romantic,
utilitarian and aesthetic is a combina-
tion of irresistible appeal to the
British character, and it accounts for
the prosperity of those of our ancient
inns which have added all mod cons
to their heritage of open hearths, an-
cient beams, latticed windows, un-
dulating floors and four-posters in
which Good Queen Bess once slept
the sleep of an innocent virgin.
Deeply-rooted tradition accounts
for the warmth of their hospitality.
Fynes Moryson, a seasoned European
traveller of the 17th century, stated:
"The world affords not such inns as
England hath, either for good and
cheap entertainment after the guest's
own pleasure, or for humble atten-
dance on passengers, yea, even in
very poor villages. There is no place
in the world where passengers may so
freely command as in the English
inns."
Pragmatic business sense accounts
for the efficiency of organisation, ex-
travagance of useful services and
elaboration of modern facilities that
the innkeepers put at the disposal of
their now most important customer,
the conference organiser. The two
together are bliss.
I experienced this recently in three
venues that provide an embarassment
of riches in all dimensions, ancient
and modern
—
enough history to cap-
tivate an Oxbridge don, enough
amenities to satisfy an IBM boffin,
and, as a bonus, the classic cuisine to
sate the appetite of a Michelin
epicurean: the Spread Eagle Hotel,
the Lythe Hill Hotel and the Bear
Hotel.
All three have superb management
experienced in organising conferences
and seminars for the most
sophisticated companies, interna-
tional as well as British, and the
amenities to meet the most exacting
standards within their defined
parameters of accommodation and
priorities between private and cor-
porate guests.
The main conference facility at the
Spread Eagle, at Midhurst, Surrey, is
the Jacobean Hall which dates from
1650.
Beflagged, beamed, stag-
headed and minstrel-galleried, it is
completely self-contained with its
reception area, bar and cloakrooms.
Up to 120 people can be accom-
modated within its rough stone walls,
and special aids are available: closed
circuit television, projectors, sound
equipment, secretarial services, etc.
JULY/AUGUST 1982 15
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