AN historic hotel near Worcester celebrated the completion of a multi-million pound refurbishment.

Stanbrook Abbey Hotel in Callow End, is owned and operated by country house hotel group Hand Picked Hotels, and marked the completion of a £4.2m renovation with the official opening of their new restaurant, The Refectory Dining Room and Terrace on June 13.

The launch event, hosted by Julia Hands, chairman & CEO of Hand Picked Hotels and Gordon Burniston, Stanbrook Abbey Hotel’s general manager with guest of honour Mike Forrester, president of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce, welcomed clients and special guests from the local community, and those involved in the project, to celebrate the landmark opening with a Champagne reception and canapés from Head Chef David Humphreys.

Mrs Hands said: "I am delighted to be here today at this very special hotel, to mark the official opening of The Refectory Dining Room and Terrace and the completion of a milestone development at Stanbrook Abbey.

"With such a unique building, we were keen to respect its heritage and carefully reconfigure the space in order to inject new energy into its walls and re-position the hotel as a premium, vibrant destination for dining, entertaining, meeting and celebrating within Worcester."

The design of the new restaurant, located in the original nuns' dining room, showcases the original features of the 16th Century hall such as hand-carved wood panelling, arched stone windows and stained glass, blended and bi-fold doors opening onto a sun-trapped terrace.

This renovation, representing the first phase of development at the iconic Grade II listed abbey, took five months to complete.

The new restaurant is the most dramatic transformation at the hotel given its relocation from the second to the first floor and the former restaurant and previously unconverted nuns' quarters have been converted into 15 new bedrooms, taking the total number of bedrooms to 70.

Gordon Burniston said: "We are delighted with the results of this renovation project which has seen Stanbrook Abbey transformed."