For centuries, nobles and ne’er-do-wells have gathered on country estates for a bit of leisure, a lot of sumptuous food, sparkling conversation, and general good cheer. You’re invited to join us at Trevor Hall for a modern take on the traditional manor house weekend.
Together, we’ll make ourselves at home in this historic Georgian mansion surrounded by the picturesque North Wales countryside. We’ll talk about books, share gourmet meals in the Great Hall, play parlor games, ramble in the Welsh hills, listen to stories by candlelight, and be dazzled by an illusionist from London.
Our weekend begins in Manchester, England — a UNESCO City of Literature. We’ll take over a boutique hotel in the city center where we’ll enjoy an evening pub meetup, spend the night, and start our morning with a breakfast fry-up. Then we’re off to the Elizabeth Gaskell House for a private tour of the Victorian villa where the author wrote her classic novel North and South (and entertained literary friends like Charlotte Brontë and Charles Dickens).
After a restorative tea-and-cake break, we’ll ride together via private motor coach — just over an hour — through the rugged countryside to Llangollen, a charming historic town on the River Dee in North Wales. Our destination: Trevor Hall.
The Hall sits on a wooded hilltop overlooking green slopes dotted with sheep and horses. After a tour of the house and gardens, we’ll ease into country living in the Hall’s luxurious (and tastefully eclectic) rooms. With literary activities, entertainment, and surprises planned throughout the weekend, you’re sure to be delighted — and have plenty of time to connect with old and new bookish friends.
To create a sense of camaraderie and community before we all converge in the UK, Mel and Dave will host a series of exclusive Manor House events online for all registered guests, including:
These activities begin in March 2025, so we’ll all feel like old friends by the time we arrive in Manchester.
You’ll also receive Mel’s exclusive Manor House Monthly newsletter, starting February 2025, with country house gossip, Welsh folklore, travel tips, recommendations for books and screens, recipes, and other fascinating stuff that captures our imaginations.
Spend the day exploring this UNESCO City of Literature that inspired Elizabeth Gaskell’s classic novels Mary Barton and North and South. Discover some of Manchester’s many bookshops and historic libraries. We’ve reserved a cozy home base in the city center at a boutique hotel with a modern take on the Victorian gin pub. You’re on your own for dinner, then we’ll gather in the pub in the evening for snacks and an open bar. We’ll also celebrate our new friends IRL with a book exchange.
We’ll start the day in the hotel restaurant with a full English breakfast and a refreshingly strong cuppa. Then it’s a short ride in our deluxe motor coach to the Elizabeth Gaskell House for a 90-minute private tour of the author’s Victorian mansion, followed by tea and cake in the museum’s tearoom.
We’ll leave the bustle of the city behind on a drive through the wild, wooly countryside to Llangollen, where we’ll cross the River Dee and wend our way uphill to Trevor Hall. After a tour of the Hall’s three floors and gardens, you’ll settle into your well-appointed room to get refreshed for a cocktail party on the ground floor — with custom cocktails (good non-alcoholic options, too), Welsh canapés, and parlor games. At 8:00 p.m., a 3-course wine dinner — featuring Welsh specialties and ingredients from local farms (menu) — will be served in the Great Hall. You’ll end the evening with games in the billiard room, a movie in the drawing room, or reading in your private chamber.
Our morning begins with an optional walk in the nearby woods guided by Mel, followed by a lavish breakfast in the Great Hall, featuring the makings for hot breakfast butties (sandwiches) and waffles (menu).
Afterward, we’ll convene for the Manor House Book Club to discuss the book previously selected by the group. Next, we’ll enjoy a leisurely promenade in the garden, then revive our spirits with a traditional afternoon tea featuring finger sandwiches made with local ingredients, freshly baked scones, Welsh Bara Brith with salted butter, and sparkling wine. The remainder of the afternoon is free for you to write to friends, read, play games, or rest your head in your plush bedroom.
We’ll be reunited in the Great Hall for a lavish 6-course dinner with wine and cocktails (menu) before the evening’s entertainment: a captivating séance show with acclaimed London illusionist Christopher Howell and candlelight storytelling in the Music Room.
Our final morning together begins with an optional walk through the woods to the Llangollen Canal, guided by Mel, then we’ll convene for a full English breakfast, Bubble and Squeak, and warm Welsh cakes (menu) in the Great Hall.
After breakfast, we’ll pose for a Victorian-style group photo on the lawn. Then, we’ll gather one last time for a fond farewell. After a remarkable weekend together, you’ll board the private coach for transport back to the Manchester Airport or Manchester Piccadilly train station.
Note: After registration, we are happy to provide more details about how you might extend your trip in Manchester, Llangollen, or London before or after your weekend at Trevor Hall.
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Here’s the first thing you need to know about Trevor Hall: A house has been in its location for over 1000 years. The second fact of note is that its current owner is a rock band promoter turned horse breeder. So although the Hall’s facade is 100% dignified Georgian — and its Great Hall is an excellent example of medieval flair — Trevor Hall’s decor is now modernly whimsical, a thoroughly charming mix of Victorian elegance and rock-and-roll attitude. The wooden staircase is lined with vintage family photos, the upstairs halls are dotted with antique arcade machines, and you’ll likely find framed gold records on the wall next to a landscape painting.
Each of the 10 bedrooms is individually decorated (The Great Gatsby Room! The Moroccan Room! The Moulin Rouge!) with playful details and opulent fabrics — all with views of the manicured gardens and lily pond. The six bathrooms are wholly modern in function and elegant in design. There’s a Billiard Room and Music Room with a grand piano (and hand-painted wood floor), an elegant Drawing Room, an inviting Smoking Room, and a cozy kitchen for late-night snacks and conversation. At the heart of it all is the Great Hall, featuring a grand fireplace, stately oak dining table, suits of armor (!), and a colorful tile floor designed and installed by 19th-century tile magnate (and former owner) J.C. Edwards.
Trevor Hall has a real Jane-Eyre-meets-Tim-Burton vibe that stole our hearts. It’s a living, breathing country house that demands you have fun while reveling in its plump couches, cushy bedrooms, and majestic dining room.
The passage of time at a traditional country house weekend was marked by opulent meals throughout the day. We see no reason to deviate from tradition on this point.
Each morning at Trevor Hall will begin with a full breakfast in the Great Hall. As is custom, an array of hot and cold dishes will be laid out on the sideboard — a gentleman (or lady) is never waited on at breakfast. Saturday includes a traditional afternoon tea with plenty of savory finger sandwiches and freshly baked scones. We’ll also enjoy two formal sit-down dinners in the Great Hall — including the traditional six courses on Saturday evening.
Our menus were designed in collaboration with Welsh caterers Chris and Amy Yapp. Their carefully crafted meals feature Welsh specialties — Glamorgan Sausage Rolls, Welsh Lamb Lolly Pops, Laverbread, Welsh Cakes, Bara Brith — and local ingredients, including salted butter, honey, and produce from local farms. Our cocktail party will feature a Welsh Gin Fizz made with Chris’ own homemade Welsh Damson Gin — and you can look forward to a dessert of Sticky Toffee Pudding with Welsh Whisky Custard.
Our menus include delicious vegetarian options. A selection of non-alcoholic beverages and wine will be available throughout the day; evening meals are accompanied by wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks chosen to complement the menu.
Take a sneak peek at the menus!
In addition to casual amusements — billiards, charades, cards, table games — it was not unusual for professionals to arrive at a country house party to entertain guests.
On Saturday evening, London magician Christopher Howell will bring his ‘mind-boggling magic’ (Sunday Telegraph) to the Great Hall with a candlelit séance.
Born in the USA, Christopher is based in London and regularly works around the world in places such as Istanbul, Los Angeles, and Berlin. He’s a member of The Magic Circle in London and has performed at The Magic Castle in Hollywood.
At Trevor Hall, he’ll perform his séance show ‘Conversations in the Dark,’ a merger of interactive séance and psychological theatre. Is the séance real? How to explain the experience? Howell’s conjuring is about the things we believe and why we believe them. Participate in the show and decide for yourself.
Additionally, Dave and Melissa will share stories by candlelight in the Music Room. These readings will include (non-scary) tales of suspense, crime, and fantasy from golden-age mysteries and Welsh folklore.
Sensitive guests may opt out of the séance and participate only in the storytelling sessions instead.
In literature, as in life, a home can reflect a person’s status, motivation, and values — a nifty shorthand for conveying what’s important to a character. The physical description of their surroundings tells us plenty about what makes them tick. In the 18th and 19th centuries — the golden age of the country house — a grand estate symbolized power, wealth, and class.
For more than 450 years, authors like Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, the Brontë sisters, and E.M. Forster have placed their characters in unforgettable homes. Where would the story of Jane Eyre be without Thornfield’s battlements, rookery, and ‘mighty old thorn trees, strong, knotty, and broad as oaks’ — not to mention the infamous attic? Dickens sentenced Miss Havisham to Satis House, and Daphne du Maurier haunted her heroine at Manderly with Mrs. Danvers and memories of Rebecca. It’s no accident that Lizzie’s visit to Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley estate helps her realize he’s not only the man for her but also a truly good man.
In the months leading up to our time at Trevor Hall, we’ll read a manor house book or two — chosen by you — in preparation for an in-person Manor House Book Club. Our 20 guests will be divided into two groups, and each will select a book to read and discuss on Saturday between breakfast and afternoon tea. You’ll be sent the book club title in Summer 2025. (You can get an idea of the kind of books we’re considering right here.)
Mel and Dave will also host an optional online book club to read and discuss Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South. Described as ‘Pride and Prejudice meets industrialization,’ it’s a cousin to Jane Eyre and P&P, set in Milton, a fictionalized version of Manchester.
Mel and Dave have been partners in love and creative work since 1992. They’re the co-creators of Strong Sense of Place, a podcast and website dedicated to literary travel and books with vivid settings. They’ve also worked together to build websites for Fortune 500 clients, published three best-selling cookbooks, and played in Dave’s rock band. In 2017, they sold almost all of their stuff and moved from the United States to Prague. Their mission is to follow their curiosity, be guided by empathy, and create community among like-minded people.
It’s also worth mentioning that Mel has watched the film Gosford Park a ridiculous number of times and would like nothing more than to be transported to Thornfield Hall to drink tea with Jane Eyre. Although Mel is firmly anti-colonialism, she’s also smitten with all things tea-and-tartan; we contain multitudes.
Ellen is a writer and ghostwriter for children’s and adult books. Her published works include novels, poetry, nonfiction, and picture books, including Some Snow Is… (illustrated by Andrea Offerman) and Grandmothers Galore! (with Judith Henderson and Rashin Kheiriyeh). Ellen also teaches creative writing and has spent most of her adult life as a bookseller and farmer. She has many strong opinions on sheep. Just ask her. She lived in Prague for several years and currently makes her home in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Jennifer is an avid reader and life-long lover of books. Her dayjob as a pharmaceutical QA consultant helps fund her book-buying habit. When she’s not reading a book herself, she likes to help others find great books to read. As the Co-Director of the Newburyport Literary Festival, she organized an annual weekend of author readings, interviews, and panel discussions in person and online for 15 years in her hometown of Newburyport, MA. She currently manages a well-curated Little Free Library in front of her house and loves to talk about all things literary with her regular visitors. On rare occasions when she is not reading, you can find her on the beach with her Brittany Spaniel, Otis.
Manchester is the third largest city in the UK and is a UNESCO City of Literature. It boasts 10 independent publishers, dozens of independent bookstores, and four historic libraries. You can visit Chetham’s Library, the first public library in England, keeping readers in good books since 1653. Or explore the Manchester Central Library (curvy neo-Classical), John Rylands Institute and Library (spiky neo-Gothic), and The Portico Library (Greek revival) — all open to the public for a look around their stacks. You can also delve into history at the Working Class Movement Library or explore verse at the Manchester Poetry Library.
More Manchester firsts! In 1783, the first mill to use steam power was set up, paving the way for mass production and ushering in the Industrial Revolution. In 1830, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway became the world’s first steam-powered railway. In 1888, the first professional football league was created at the Royal Hotel — and today, the city is home to Manchester United, the Premier League’s most successful club. The first Marks & Spencer store opened its doors in Manchester’s Hulme neighborhood in 1894; we can only assume there was a run on tea and biscuits that day. At Manchester University, the first split atom was discovered (1918), and the first computer was designed (1948).
The storybook village of Llangollen is nestled among the wooded hills of North Wales. It’s part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes the Llangollen Canal and the spectacular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, known as the ‘stream in the sky.’ In town, you can stroll along the Victoria Promenade, picnic in Riverside Park, visit two lovely independent bookstores, browse for souvenirs in shops and art galleries, and tour Plas Newydd, the black-and-white Gothic fantasy home owned by 18th-century sapphic power couple The Ladies of Llangollen.
Llangollen is also a fantastic jumping-off point for outdoor adventures like mountain biking treks, white water rafting, hiking to the dramatic ruins of Castell Dinas Brân or Valle Crucis Abbey, and paddling a canoe over the Aquaduct.
Accommodations: One night in a traditional English inn (Manchester), two nights in a luxury bedroom at Trevor Hall.
Transportation: Deluxe private motor coach roundtrip between Manchester and Llangollen. You get yourself to Manchester, we’ll take care of the rest. Note: When you depart Trevor Hall, the motor coach will take you to Manchester Airport or Manchester Picadilly train station.
Food: All meals from breakfast on Friday to breakfast on Sunday (and the Trevor Hall kitchen will be stocked with goodies and drinks for midnight snack raids).
Entertainment: Private tour of the Elizabeth Gaskell House, Manor House Book Club, candlelight storytelling, séance magic show, guided nature walks.
Tips: All gratuities for transport, catering, entertainment, and housekeeping.
Photography: Dave will take photos throughout the weekend and make them available to all guests. We will also have several ‘photo spots’ set up throughout the house for selfies and ussies.
Other goodies: Pre-trip online events, a pre-trip package with a hard copy of the book club book, and other small delights.
Note: To enter the United Kingdom, your passport must be valid for the entire duration of your planned stay. US citizens will also need to complete a form and pay a £10 fee (approximately $12 USD) for an Electronic Travel Authorization(ETA).
$1850 USD per person, double occupancy
Traveling solo? Don’t worry! We’ll pair you with a roommate of the same gender in advance. On your own and during our exclusive online community events, you can get to know each other before you meet IRL. At the hotel in Manchester and at Trevor Hall, you’ll be provided with separate beds in shared rooms. If you have any questions about this before or after booking, send us an email!
Prefer single occupancy? You may opt for a private room to yourself, subject to availability, for a supplemental cost of $1150 USD.
Payment Plan: Payment may be made in full on booking, or you can opt for a payment plan.
Transfers & Refunds: Tickets are non-refundable. But if you can’t use your ticket, and we have a waiting list, we will do our best to find someone to take your place. If we’re successful, we will give you a refund. All tickets are transferable — which means you can give/sell your ticket to another book lover.
You will choose one weekend:
20 per weekend
We expect these weekends to sell out quickly. Our Patrons have priority access to tickets per the schedule below.
Join our Patreon now if you want to guarantee an option for early purchase. Explore the membership options here.
Join our free Substack newsletter to be notified when tickets go on sale. Sign up here.
Dietary concerns: Gluten-free and vegetarian options are built into our menus. After registration, we’ll collect dietary preferences to pass along to the chefs.
Alcohol: Non-alcoholic beverage options will be provided at all events and meals.
Introverts: We will establish ‘quiet zones’ in the house for guests who need a break from social interaction.
Covid Precautions: We are committed to hosting a Covid-safe event that’s accessible to the broadest spectrum of people. To that end, we will share Covid-related guidelines closer to departure dates, based on the situation in the US and UK in October 2025. Please note this will likely include requesting that you wear a face mask on airplanes and other public transportation and a rapid Covid test on arrival in Manchester. These precautions will help mitigate risk and help create a safe environment for all guests, allowing us to enjoy our weekend at Trevor Hall with peace of mind.
We are eager to meet you and share this unique experience together — this may be unlike any other trip you’ve taken in the past. The Readers’ Weekend at Trevor Hall might not be the right experience for you if…
you are unhappy with moody weather. The weather in North Wales in the fall can be sunny and cool — or cold and gloomy. We’ll have sunshine in our hearts, but take note if foul weather puts you in a foul mood.
you are uncomfortable with stairs or have limited mobility. The bedrooms in Trevor Hall are located on the second and third floors, requiring a climb up wooden stairs.
you are uncomfortable with shared bathrooms. The bathrooms in Trevor Hall are not en suite. There are six beautifully appointed bathrooms with showers, sinks, and tubs that are shared among the 10 bedrooms.
you prefer daily maid service. The house will be spotless and ready for our arrival on Friday afternoon, but there will not be housekeeping services in your bedroom during your stay.
you’re under 13 years old. Teenagers are welcome with adult companions, but this experience was not designed with children in mind.
Note: The information below is for introductory purposes only. After registration, we’re happy to provide more details about getting to Manchester and answer any questions you have about making travel connections.
Arrival in Manchester: You should plan to arrive in Manchester by 6:00 p.m. on Thursday to check into your room and participate in the pub night festivities.
Departure from Trevor Hall: The private motor coach will depart from Trevor Hall at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. It will arrive at the Manchester Airport at approximately 3:30 p.m. and the Manchester Picadilly train station at 4:00 p.m. Please plan your travel connections accordingly.
You can find information about direct flights from the USA to Manchester here.
You can find information about transport from Manchester Airport to the city center here.
If you prefer to fly to London and then travel to Manchester, you can find information about direct flights from the USA to Heathrow here.
You can find information about taking the train from London’s Euston station to Manchester’s Picadilly station here.
After registration, we are happy to provide more details about how you might extend your trip in Manchester, Llangollen, or London before or after your weekend at Trevor Hall.
We love to hear from you! Consider this your invitation to ask us questions you have about the trip — or to tell us you can’t wait to join us. Send us an email!
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