The Harper: Boutique hotel drives off the beaten track in North Norfolk
The Harper: Boutique hotel drives off the beaten track in North Norfolk
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‘Irreverent’ is how they like to describe The Harper, a bold addition to the boutique hotel scene in north Norfolk, adding an extra splash of colour to a particularly pretty, unspoiled corner of the county. ‘Inaccessible’ might once have been the word, but with the dualling of the previously congested A11 - and now a special new partnership with a luxury car-hire firm based in EC1, aimed at providing ‘seamless travel’ - it’s an easy enough drive from London to this laid-back coastal-countryside retreat. Especially at the wheel of a luxurious Range Rover….
![[The sitting area with art books at The Harper]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2025/01/24/16/28/Sitting-area-with-art-books-at-The-Harper-David-Williams.jpeg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
It’s hard to believe as you roll into the courtyard on arrival, but just a few years ago this was the site of a glass-blowing factory. That business left Langham and relocated nearby, allowing a developer to move in and convert the premises, conjuring up a hotel complete with 32 rooms, spa, bar, lounge, restaurant and den, all arranged around a large central courtyard open to the big Norfolk skies.
![[The Bar at The Harper]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2025/01/24/16/52/BAR_HERO_026-1.jpeg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
Refurb complete – and a clutch of private cottages erected on-site - the building was taken over by the Cutmore-Scott family, comprising a mother-and-father-and-son team whose decades-long experience in the hospitality and wedding business bubbles through in the playful presentation of this unusually-styled, well-run hotel.
![[Fergal in the dog bed]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2025/01/24/16/03/Fergal-in-the-dog-bed-David-Williams.jpeg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
Converting what could easily have been a clankingly cavernous - potentially characterless - space, took a certain kind of genius. But it works. The artfully designed interior, complete with old beams criss-crossing the upper floors, a cosy, spirited hideaway with pleasing surprises around every corner – belies the plain flint-and-brick outer shell.
![[Wall art at The Harper]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2025/01/24/16/41/Wall-art-at-The-Harper.jpeg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
