TO THE MANOR BORN
| Date | 01 September 1981 |
| Pages | 21-23 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb057213 |
| Published date | 01 September 1981 |
| Author | Alec Snobel |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
CONFERENCE VENUES TO THE MANOR
BORN
by Alec Snobel
The very stones of the Cotswold,
with the soft patina that makes them
look mellow with time even when
newly quarried, are conducive to
quiet contemplation, and the
ancient hills reinforce the reflective
mood. So few locations could better
serve the company or professional
association planning a seminar
where concentrated thought is the
requirement . . . with, say, long-
term strategic planning on the
agenda rather than a slick sales pre-
sentation.
Thus,
we found it easy to tune in
to a cerebral frame of mind when
we visited two conference venues in
the heart of this huntin', shootin'
territory; the grand seigneurial
Lygon Arms and the baronial Lords
of the Manor Hotel, the former hav-
ing an added incentive factor- it is
so tastefully luxurious that it gives a
preview of the good life that the
executive may aspire to via corpo-
rate success and, so, personal afflu-
ence.
The Lygon Arms typifies the bait
with which the British Tourist
Authority lures overseas visitors
here;
certainly it encapsulates the
best of olde worlde English charm
combined with highly attentive ser-
vice,
a superb bill of fare, furnish-
ings that are the answer to an anti-
quarian's dream, premises combin-
ing Tudor coach-house authenticity
with a twentieth-century extension
that is a model of good taste, and
management under Savoy-trained
Kirk Ritchie which is proficient as it
is friendly.
Indeed, despite a painful slipped
disc,
Kirk insisted on personally
showing us the conference facilities:
the Torrington suite, seating 120
theatre style; the Edinburgh Room,
seating 80; the Drawing Room, 25;
the Cromwell, 15. The first two,
purpose-built, are fitted with every
appropriate device: spotlights and
dimmers; sound-mixing, loud-
speakers, table and stand and hand
microphones with simultaneous
translation loop; carousel, overhead
and cine-projectors; fixed, portable
and tilt screens and flip charts;
speaker lecterns. The latter two
rooms are authentic period cham-
bers,
suitable for board meetings,
high-level think tanks and private
banquets for the most sophisticated
tastes.
Tradition has it that Oliver
himself slept in the first-floor
Cromwell Rooms before the Battle
of Worcester in September 1651,
and the room is much as it then was
with a fine hand-carved Elizabethan
fireplace, an early 17th-century
plaster-enriched ceiling and frieze
and a wealth of antique furniture.
It is characteristic of the Lygon
that such charms of the past do not
compromise needs of the contem-
porary: the conference organiser
will find at his disposal an office
with direct telephone line, electric
typewriters and full secretarial ser-
vice as required; an internal elec-
tronic paging system; a conference
notice board, delegate badges and
outer sleeves for delegates' con-
ference papers.
There is parking for over 100
cars,
under-cover garaging avail-
able,
a prompt taxi service to/from
stations and airports, a helicopter
landing pad in the grounds (does
anyone really use it?) and executive
jet hire from Staverton Airport 15
miles away (does anyone really use
this,
either?).
There are nine golf courses in the
area; racing at Cheltenham, Strat-
ford, Worcester, Chepstow, and
Warwick; a hard tennis court in the
grounds; bowling in the village; and
the North Cotswold Hunt meet at
The Lygon before setting off. You
may follow on foot.
There is a choice of seven log-
fired, ingle-nooky bars, several of
which can be used exclusively by
delegates. Some are adjacent to one
of two small private rooms seating
20 and 16 people. The Russell
Room, overlooking the courtyard
gardens, seats up to 100 for lunch or
dinner, and will accommodate 150
for a cocktail party and finger
buffet. The magnificent Great Hall
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1981 21
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