Welcome to Crow Leasow, home to Sally and Robin, an ancient manorfarmhouse , Grade II* listed– a house of two distinct halves! Half is obviously Jacobean in appearance, built in the 1620s by Dutch brickmakers who had come to build for Sir Edward Pytt at nearby Kyre Park. It retains its original red brick, east- facing façade and mullioned windows, is heavily beamed inside and has very low ceilings. The other half is distinctly Georgian, whose frontage is south west facing with big windows and very much higher ceilings. It has been a challenge but fun to prepare the interiors to marry up two such different styles.
The name, Crow Leasow might well refer to the fact that there is, and probably always has been a large extended family of the very clever and gregarious jackdaw birds living here, often to be seen sitting in the Crow Leasow Oak having just bathed in the pond behind. They live very harmoniously with us and the sheep who are also a big part of our immediate landscape!

We perpetuate our particular type of hospitality here as we provided in our previous venue. - Chill, you’re here!
Expect friendly hosts happy to engage, but equally happy to leave our guests much to their own if here for a much longed for reunion. All is achievable with communication of needs and requirements – matching to our general style as described here.
Great comfort and attention to detail with a very relaxed, quirky feel . It is no surprise and flattering to know we are doing our job well to find a guest, shoes off, feet up on the sofa with a small dog or cat asleep on his tummy (by invitation only I hasten to add) , or a young couple in our snuggly bathrobes in front of the fire on a chilly evening playing scrabble – and best sound of all, laughter. We don’t think the term ‘luxury’ applies to us, it sounds too formal.We have all the trappings but our guests need to think “wellies and slippers” rather than the Jimmy Choos! Not the sort of thing one can often do downstairs in a smart hotel – but we are a home, not a hotel, we just borrow the best hotel attributes!
However, we can and do provide a great venue for a special, private dinner for 2 or a small group with china, crystal, silver and candles where the Jimmy Choos might have a role for at least that part of your stay!

We pay attention to the senses - smells, sounds, sights – the things that evoke the lasting feelings, the memories, the sense of warmth. We love happy guests, they are smiling and they make us smile.
We are not precious - aside from our décor, ourbeds , our food and our cleanliness and sparkliness where we all expect and need it, but – as with many creaky old places, there are wonky dusty corners and the odd cobweb and muddy footprints as we share some of our home with the 2 small hairy Norfolk terrier people- loving twin brother small dogs ,Bob and Bert , and their big brother Boot, the exceptionally large Springer spaniel – more the size of a Labrador. Then there’s Puss, the not uniquely named black cat. He rules the roost and can often be seen leaping on the terriers for the fun of it!
None of our animals are allowed upstairs, we keep them in areas of the house where a mop and bucket can be put to use. When the horses arrive, the odd bit of hay might end up being brought in on a jumper after filling hay nets and in the summer, the odd hen might cross the threshold of the always open doors on sunny, warm days.
If all that sounds like your thing, you will like it here! If anything puts you off, knowing the area well, we can make suggestions to help you find your ideal nearby. Local Knowledge is very useful addition to the internet.

Crow Leasow is set on its own within the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in a fabulous, peaceful spot and yet easily accessible and only a 5 minute drive from the wonderful Medieval town of Ludlow. A town full of great places to eat, a castle in the middle, great markets and festivals and many independent shops as well as a river and forests. It is famously described by Sir John Betjeman as ‘ Probably the loveliest town in England’ – and where Sally had her very popular shop for 9 years and therefore was proud and honoured to be a part of that community - prior to starting a bed and breakfast business!

In July 2018, we were given the opportunity to move our very successful B&B business based in Herefordshire, featured in the Daily Telegraph in September 2017 as a Top 10 UK Cool Bed and Breakfasts ( and sometimes dinner ) to this ‘new’ venue, 5 minutes from the gorgeous Ludlow – thus we have moved back home!
We bring our 5* reputation for hospitality, comfort and food to our new place – please have a look at some of the personal comments we drew from our often repeating guests on the testimonial page.
After several months of renovations before we moved in, in November 2018. Work continues to provide a top notch facilities for our guests, both old and new to open in Spring 2019.
Our move and renovation has been followed by the tv cameras – a period of highs and lows – for a new series on Channel 4 – Escape to the Manor House which Sally and Robin will watch mostly from behind a cushion when it broadcasts later in 2019 as several meltdowns occur thorough a somewhat stressful time! Hair and makeup artists were not on hand to tend to our appearances for sure….

Here, at Crow Leasow, you will find the same relaxed, warm and friendly hospitality that brought many guests back to us for repeat visits over our 4 years, but you will also now find better bedroom and bathroom facilities andmore guest reception areas than we were able to offer at our old place.
We are part of the fabulous Downton Hall Estate ,several thousands of acres of beautiful countryside with 360 degree fabulous views of hills –one of which- Titterstone Clee Hill is the only hill in England named on the famous Medieval Mappa Mundi world map (go and have a look when you stay with us – it’s currently homed in Hereford Cathedral about a 45 minute drive from here) , ancient pasture home to flocks of sheep and spring lambs, the Ledwyche Brook, babbling along at the bottom of the field below us and woodland all round.Peaceful and very dark at night!

The Crow Leasow Oak (pictured), in front of the house is over 1000 years old, therefore one of the oldest surviving in Europe. You can come and sit under his boughs and wonder what tales he could tell – or maybe he is actually a she!With a girth of 11.5 metres he (or she ) is the star of our gardens and will be one of the first things you see as you approach the house. It is thought provoking to realise this tree was already over 600 years old when this house was build 400 years ago.
Here at Crow Leasow we have now 3 rather than the 2 bedrooms, we had before all with en-suite facilities 2 with large walk in drench showers and underfloor heating and one with a bath and a sitting room / childrens’ room. One is a sumptuous 4 poster , handmade in Bath, one a twin or can be made into king sized double, and one with an antique French carved 7’x7’ with a separate sitting or childrens room with bathroom as the 3rd room of the suite. We have 2 guest reception rooms instead of the one we had before which means greater flexibility if some guests are having dinner and some are not. Both dining and drawing rooms have wood burners or an open log fire , lit throughout the autumn and winter months and any other time there is a hint of chill or dampness in the air!

Breakfasts and dinners( times and locations can be flexible!) are prepared using local and home grown produce – including eggs from our free ranging hens , cooked in and on our Aga in our Jacobean farmhouse kitchen in the middle of the house which leads off the dining room. Please see food and drink for more information.
We are very happy to take bookings for all 3/4 rooms ( as described ) for family/friends events – think big house booking but with the catering and room maintenance on site! Please contact Sally direct for costs.
As before, we are Dog Friendly – but have to apply stringent rules to keep everyone happy and relaxed - our guidelines are necessary – obvious if surrounded by sheep, lambs and our free range hens and our own 3 dogs and cat ) – if you and your dog are not fazed by them, you will find fabulous walking off roadfrom our doorstep as well as the forests surrounding Ludlow.

A new feature for us – coming soon when we get the stables prepared will be – Bring Your Horse on Holiday too! Stables, paddocks and utterly wonderful off road riding for miles. Our house literally sits on a bridle path.Please call to get an up date on our progress.
Our gardens are work in progress as we re-establish them after 10 years in which there was a period of neglect and also a new driveway is instated, bringing our guests to the Georgian frontage around the Crow Leasow Oak. There will be places to sit on warm summers’ evenings and dining outside when the weather permits. We welcome our guests’ interest in its development which will surely include a knot garden to go with the obvious Jacobean frontage! The old cider press will be repaired, and whilst it will not press apples again, will become an original feature involving water. Guests can play croquet or boules on the lawns – or just sit with a glass or wine and take in the views!
As with our old place, we choose not to use the big booking sites. We are very pleased to be recognised by the Alistair Sawday guide, ‘Special Places to Stay’ specialising in the unique and often quirky places to be found throughout the country and we like to have conversations with our guests before you come to stay to ensure we are able to meet expectations, especially if they involve special occasions!
Our aim is to get our guests to want to return! Hope to see you soon!

07812 602 122

sally@crowleasow.co.uk

Crow Leasow Farmhouse
Ludlow, SY8 3EE