Gaskell Arms

The Gaskell Arms were so accommodating for our family group of 12 gathering for a 99th birthday. We had originally booked another hotel who let us down and the Gaskell Arms stepped up to accommodate us for dinner, bed and breakfast, so our gathering could go ahead as planned. Everybody was so welcoming and helpful, especially towards our 99 year old who was made to feel special. The food was excellent and we had 3 meals with them, lunch, dinner and breakfast. The garden was beautifully presented and the outside furniture was if good quality. Congratulations to the team.

We had 3 wonderful nights here. We stayed in room 7 which was fantastic, large room and bathroom. Very clean and nicely furnished. Breakfast was excellent with a good choice available. The evening meals were extremely good and the Christmas meal was very enjoyable. The staff are amazing, so friendly and helpful, especially Jean,wonderful lady. Also must mention Laura and Jackie but a big thank you to everyone. Sadly I didn't meet Maxine but my partner did. We are looking forward to our return in December 2025, already booked.

Located at the end of Much Wenlock High Street, at a junction with through traffic but our Mews 'suite' in what would once have been the stables block was quiet enough and had the advantage of level access from the car park and own front door; not what you would call a nice view over the car park, obviously, but the historic centre of Much Wenlock is only a moment's walk and there is a large, secluded beer garden. Suite was spotlessly clean, well-furnished and nicely decorated. Not quite in the latest syle but spacious and comfortable with a lounge, wardrobe and shower/toilet downstairs and double bedroom in the eaves upstairs. Bed a standard double and I would have liked it bigger but the mattress was excellent and pillows and bedding all of good quality. Shower / toilet small and dated but clean and perfectly adequate, with toiletries provided. Lounge had standard-sized fridge and a nice hospitality tray including two packets of Border biscuits, and sachets of hot chocolate and cappuccino (one of each) though no bottled water. Small-screen TV both upstairs and downstairs (we didn't try either). Radiators blasting out heat when we arrived (a hot day) and I couldn't figure out how to turn them off but they are both controlled from a thermostat at the top of the stairs; once that was off the rooms cooled down nicely. Some problem with our room's wifi router but we got a good enough signal from the suite next door and wifi elsewhere in the hotel was fine, including in the beer garden. The bar had our favourite alcohol-free beers, Guinness and Peroni, so that was fine. Main building has a quaint pub-style lounge and very pretty dining room. Evening menu slightly limited, the cuisine being plain English, competently prepared, much as you might cook at home. We saw big plates of fish and chips going by but I had cottage pie (a huge portion), husband had pork fillet with brandy-cream sauce, which he said was excellent. Plain boiled vegetables alongside. I imagine there are other eateries only minutes walk away, if you prefer something more exciting. Breakfast was good with cereals, fruit yoghurts and fresh fruit on the buffet and hot items brought to the table. The bacon was really good but I didn't like the fried bread which seemed to have been deep-fried. I would also have preferred the option of plain yoghurt, also better-quality preserves, but you can't have everything. 10 am check-out may seem a bit early for some; we were sightseeing so an early start was fine by us. Location is very good for Ironbridge Gorge and Coalbrookdale museums, also Much Wenlock is very pretty and lovely scenery thereabouts so I expect we will stay at The Gaskell Arms again. Good value for money overall (our suite for a summer Saturday was £150 including breakfast, or £125 without). Happy to recommend.