B&B Downham Hall

We held our wedding ceremony & reception at Downham Hall at the end of June and the team there really helped to make the day special for us! The venue itself is stunning and has the loveliest of views all around. The food was amazing and we had so many compliments from guests - we’ve had people still mentioning the quality of the food weeks later! Debra, Christina, Ben, Andy & the rest of the team really were wonderful in the lead up to & on the day. We’re so grateful for all of their help! We had multiple guests describe it as the ‘perfect wedding venue’ and we couldn’t agree more. Thank you for helping to make our wedding day unforgettable!

I wish I could base this review on my stay at Downham Hall, but unfortunately we didn’t get that far… In October 2024, I booked a double room for one night on 27 Dec. This was to provide accommodation for myself and my partner whilst visiting family nearby over the Christmas period. A deposit was paid at the time of booking. The day before our stay (Boxing Day) I received a voice mail from Christina, advising that the room we were due to occupy was experiencing plumbing issues – the sanitary ware in the room was intermittently overflowing and although she had contacted a plumber, she wasn’t convinced the problem could be resolved in time for our stay. I phoned Christina and discussed the issue in more detail, expressing our disappointment that we were due to be travelling some distance for our stay at Downham Hall just a few hours later. Christina maintained her stance that she had no idea if the plumbing issues would affect our stay or not – and because of the Christmas period, she could not guarantee a plumber attending by the next day (which we totally understood). What concerned me most was Christina’s attitude – completely non-plussed about the impact to our Christmas plans with family. Her response was basically that we could take the chance if we wanted to, but she couldn’t guarantee that we wouldn’t have an overflowing shower or toilet! We asked if another room was available. She said no. I reminded her that her booking had been made some two months earlier, and asked if ours was truly the last reservation to be made. She admitted that it was not, but other guests were either paying more or staying longer!!!! The idea of staying in a room overflowing with sanitary waste was not appealing and after some debate, she agreed to refund our payment and cancel the reservation. Despite this, I received several automated emails saying how much Downham Hall were looking forward to welcoming us for our stay! But no refund… When I raised this with Christina, I received a very curt message saying she was trying to juggle “emails, breakfast, phone calls, emergency plumbing and housekeeping.” She attributed this to having given her staff a well-earned break but as a business owner myself, it is the responsibility of the proprietor to ensure that staff levels should be maintained in keeping with customer bookings. The refund appeared the following day. It was at this point I realised Christina had refunded the total amount for the booking, when I had only paid a deposit. I immediately flagged this up to Christina, asking for her bank details so I could reimburse the over-payment. Christina thanked me for my honesty and assured me she would send the relevant details. This was on 29th December. It was on 27th January, nearly a month later, that Christina emailed me her bank details. I was busy with work and personal commitments so flagged the email for my attention at my earliest convenience. Barely a week later, Christina was chasing me for

Go on and book your stay at enchanting Downham Hall. You will not be disappointed! Wonderfully furbished room, welcoming and accomodating staff, food to die for and such a great atmosphere. The whole experience was top.