A shopping list with a difference

A new, luxury Durham hotel has been on a shopping spree with a difference in the countdown to its official opening, purchasing rather more unusual items on which you don’t splash the cash every day. The Fallen Angel, in Old Elvet, Durham, which has an official media pre-view day of October 2, is a hotel that is distinctly different, which is why its shopping list isn’t par for the course.

The ten-bedroomed hotel has each room themed in a quirky manner, providing guests with opportunities that include starting married life as a Russian bride, sleeping in a library, being beamed up by a teleport shower and saying farewells alongside a Brief Encounter-style platform.

The shopping spree enjoyed by owners John Marshall and Sandra MacDonald has included items such as a crocodile-skin luggage trunk on a stand, a marble Caesar bust, a stand-mounted ancient battle helmet, a red velvet art deco chair, a pair of angels on a plinth and a rather stylish rocking horse.

A large glass cloche, black mirrored armoire, round French clock, fur throw, egg chair and vintage leather Ottoman, are just a few of the other purchases that furnish rooms.

This is just the tip of the iceberg for a hotel that is the most lavish Durham has ever seen and probably one of the talking points of the North, once its unique personality is unveiled.

Style is the watchword of this hotel, which certainly will not do things by halves, providing guests with the best of everything, to deliver a visitor experience second to none.

The Fallen Angel is located opposite Durham’s main legal hub and within the city centre. It is setting its sights on the legal profession, business professionals, discerning tourists and parents visiting children studying at one of Britain’s most prestigious universities.

Owner Sandra MacDonald says: "We want the Fallen Angel to be one of Britain’s most desirable hotels and are creating a venue that will be high on the wish-list of romantics, sci-fi enthusiasts, academics, bohemians and newly-weds alike, every room appealing to a particular character type.

"We are sparing no expense and are sure this will be a hotel of which Durham will be immensely proud. It has the style and panache to equal, if not exceed, anything in any other city in Britain, or Europe."