Sandford Hotel

The Sandford Hotel, initially Sandford Cottage, was designed by M.H. Baillie Scott for James Harben Valentine and built between 1901 and 1902. It is an example of the English Arts and Crafts style of an advanced nature. The house is laid out in an L-shape, with two storeys facing west and north, and a single storey with a double attic within the courtyard. It is harled externally, with steep red English tile roofs – originally thatched, but replaced after fire damage. The building incorporates an ingenious split-level design, including a 'sunk lounge' at the southern end, extending over two storeys with a tall, piend-roofed rectangular half-timbered bay, overlooking a pool below. A retaining wall and pergola form the third side of the courtyard, and a circular fountain made of ceramic tiles is present. On the north wing is a three-arch loggia, and there are steps leading down to the garden on the west side. The interior retains a simple, distinctive Arts and Crafts character, although it has been partly altered for hotel use. The design was documented by M.H. Baillie Scott in Houses and Gardens in 1906.