Historic Sussex Hotels - About Historic Sussex Hotels

Historic Sussex Hotels is a privately owned collection of three exceptional hotels and a pub set in some of the most beautiful locations in West Sussex: Bailiffscourt and The Black Horse in Climping, Ockenden Manor in Cuckfield and The Spread Eagle in Midhurst.

A family business

Historic Sussex Hotels is a business firmly rooted in family, bringing people together since 1957, and continuing right up to today with members of the family actively involved with the day to day running of the business.

Our Joint Managing Directors, Pontus & Miranda Carminger, are supported by both their family and a close management team providing a winning combination of skills, experience, diversity and enthusiasm for hospitality.

The Spread Eagle was acquired in 1957, followed by Ockenden Manor in 1987 and Bailiffscourt in 1993. And now the third and fourth generations of the family, together with the teams, work side by side to evolve the hotels, spas and restaurants with carefully considered additions and renovations, and to meet and exceed the ever changing desires of today's guest.

And introducing our most recent addition, The Black Horse in Climping. This 17th century pub has always been a popular haunt for locals to gather, a well-loved and welcoming place for the community, families and visitors to the area and we are delighted to re-ignite this tradition following a careful and extensive renovation.

Our interest & passion

We have always been interested in historic and architecturally curious buildings both from the outside and inside. Each of our hotels and spas, and the pub, are unique in style, character and history, and together with our team, we strive to create an atmosphere that you'll want to spend time in and be part of.

As a family we are passionate about delighting our guests when they visit us, with fabulous four-posters, dreamy spas and pools, delicious food, amazing treatments, space to explore and time to relax all served with enthusiastic, friendly and professional service.

Perfectly charming, indulgently laidback and gloriously welcoming.

PoB Hotels

Bailiffscourt and Ockenden Manor are proud to be members of PoB Hotels, a collection of carefully curated rooms, the finest restaurants and spas, and the most authentic regional experiences across the British Isles.

PoB Hotels only invite the very best independent hotels to join their collection - but there's much more to it than that. Think of PoB Hotels as the key and each hotel as a door to new experiences. Each completely unique. Each hand-picked. Each the Pride of Britain.

Established in 1982 by a group of 12 passionate hoteliers, PoB Hotels today has grown to over 50 city-based, countryside and coastal locations. The essence of PoB Hotels is built on its British heritage, honouring provenance and sincere, authentic service. They love the independent nature and unique culture at each property. What ties the hotels together is not being the same but celebrating individuality with a common vision- offering guests the best experiences.

They're all about pairing each guest with an experience that's extraordinary and unique, so all members are inspected annually to ensure they live up to the PoB standard. Plus, admission of new members is subject to successfully passing an anonymous overnight inspection and a ballot of the membership.

In 2022, PoB Hotels partnered with EarthCheck, the leading global sustainability certification programme. This step formalises an ongoing commitment to responsible travel and an effort to promote sustainable practices across its collection.