Dillington House wins top accolade

Somerset's flagship residential business conference centre has been awarded a unique five-star rating by VisitBritain, the official website of the British Tourist Authority.

Guest accommodation at the beautiful hamstone country house set in acres of parkland near Ilminster, was judged as exceptional, with a degree of luxury.

The former home of George III's Prime Minister, Lord North, Dillington came top of a list of 36 college and universities in the campus section; the only one awarded a five-star billing.

The website is viewed by tens of thousands of potential visitors every year.

It was a good day for Somerset.

The county itself soared to second in the VisitBritain league of most visited destinations just behind Yorkshire.

VisitBritain, impressed by the quality their independent assessors found at Dillington, said people were looking for somewhere different to visit and had woken up to the ancient charms of Somerset.

It was now providing competition for its Cotswolds neighbours.

Dillington House, while providing first-class conference facilities for up to 160 delegates, is also the county's prestigious seat of adult residential learning.

It is an ideal base to explore the region's great attractions - and, said VisitBritain, at a surprisingly reasonable cost.

"This house is a true gem in a jewel of a county - both are well worth discovering," said a spokesman.

"People are now looking for somewhere different to go and Dillington and Somerset are providing fresh, exciting locations for the discerning traveller.

"The Mendips, Wells, Glastonbury, West Somerset, Bath and Bristol, Dorset's Jurassic coastline, Plymouth and access to Devon and Cornwall, Stonehenge and Avebury, and the region's famous gardens are all within easy reach of Dillington House.

"Dillington is perhaps unique in offering wonderful accommodation and conference facilities, while not losing its charming, homely atmosphere, whether for the business guest or student".

Manager Wayne Bennett is delighted with the award.

"Dillington House is an amazing venue for business.

"A wide range of rooms and settings together with all the latest technology and customer support make any meeting away from the office a complete breeze", he said.

It is a creative place where colleagues can work together and get things done without the usual distractions.

"Come and see us and you will be hooked from the moment you arrive".

That is an offer which comes with a free lunch - no small matter.

Dillington's home-cooked cuisine, much from the estate's walled garden run by former Fleet Street editor and organic grower Rosie Boycott, is a mouth-watering favourite with all who venture inside this classic country house.

But alongside the old something amazingly contemporary is emerging.

At the end of the year the historic buildings will be complemented by a new building adding two large studio rooms and 15 bedrooms complete with stylish wet room facilities.

Bennett added: "Our approach has been to create the ultimate sense of warmth and privacy.

"Taking in the amazing views towards the Brendon Hills and The Quantocks, the new bedrooms will provide quiet rooms in which to think and dream".

Dillington House is blending the old with the new in ways that bridge the divide between the best of the past and the world in which we live today.

TV icon Valerie Singleton is a regular visitor to Dillington, where she studies subjects from mummification to digital photography.

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