Mary-Lou outside the Seaside Boarding House with Red her greyhound A Stylish Seaside EntErprisE Mary-Lou Sturridge is bringing a dash of London Groucho Club glamour to the Dorset coast with the creation of ‘a restaurant with rooms’ out of a Victorian cliff-top villa in Burton Bradstock Words by charlotte starling PhotograPhs by katharine davies ary-Lou Sturridge stands Scheduled to open its doors early next meets the Addams Family,” Mary-Lou has on the steps of the summer, The Seaside Boarding House big plans for it. “I want it to look like an former Burton Cliff Hotel Restaurant and Bar will see the Edward Hopper painting.” and surveys the transformation of a rather shabby Victorian Sturridge and her business partner, spectacular sweep of villa on the cliff-top at Burton Bradstock into Anthony Mackintosh, first spied the hotel in MChesil Beach and Lyme Bay below: “I a fabulously chic ‘restaurant with rooms’, 2007 in the pages of Country Life when it scoured the entire South Coast from Sussex catering for locals, London weekenders and was still running as a B&B. “The interiors to Cornwall for the perfect location,” she tourists alike. Describing the current were all salmon pink, it had a real old says, “and this is exceptional.” appearance of the building as “Crossroads people’s home vibe,” recalls Mary-Lou. But 12 DORSET September 2013 dorsetmagazine.co.uk sEasidE boarding housE “We are aiming to create simple and classic dining- somewhere for locals to come for a celebration dinner but also able to provide guests with a hamper of local crab sandwiches for a picnic” Inside the bar area the couple immediately saw its potential. seemed to be stalling until West Dorset MP “We do seaside hotels rather badly in this Oliver Letwin stepped in to lend his support. country. There are very few which are “West Dorset’s economy depends heavily on affordable, which also offer great service and tourism, and we have seen welcome levels of comfort. I want to change that.” increases in the number of people wanting Slim and elegant, with a mop of wavy to see the wonders of our heritage coastline,” brown hair and sparkling sea-blue eyes, he says, adding, “I think a reinvigorated Mary-Lou has a formidable track record in hotel at this fantastic location can play a big the hospitality industry. For many years she part in that.” was the iconic figurehead of London’s The hotel is one of two matching cliff-top famous media haunt, The Groucho Club. villas constructed between 1885 and 1890 as This exclusive Soho members’ club, beloved summer residences for the Pitt Rivers family of the arty crowd and infamous for its wild who owned much of the village of Burton parties, was co-founded by Mackintosh and Bradstock. The buildings were originally is where Mary-Lou cut her teeth as general called Alpha and Omega; the other villa is manager and then managing director. Since home to musician Billy Bragg and his wife. the press got wind of their new project at The hotel has had an interesting and Burton Bradstock, they have delighted in chequered history having served variously dubbing it The Groucho-on-Sea. as a guesthouse, hotel and retirement home. Keen to move on from London and spread During World War II it was requisitioned by her wings, Mary-Lou conceived the idea of a the Army to house Polish escapees who had string of Seaside Boarding House Restaurant joined the RAF. and Bars along the South Coast, offering Mary-Lou has a clear idea of what she top-notch service combined with a laidback wants the end result of the hotel’s atmosphere. Plans were submitted for a transformation to be, which will involve a complete overhaul and reconfiguration of fair amount of restructuring to achieve an the Burton Cliff Hotel but when it became understated modern classic design. To clear that the plans for a brand new oversee the project she has brought in 27-bedroomed hotel on the site were not renowned architect and restaurant designer, going to be accepted, they decided to go and co-founder of The Groucho, Tchaik back to the drawing board – literally. Chassay. Despite this rethink, council planners To take advantage of its dramatic > dorsetmagazine.co.uk DORSET September 2013 13 sEasidE boarding housE Currently a venue for hire for can come to eat here in jeans or in a taffeta occasional weddings, film screenings ball-dress, and neither will feel out of place. (it recently hosted a pop-up Either way, they will feel loved and screening of Kubrik’s The Shining gorgeous.” during Bridport’s Page to to Screen Mary-Lou is keen to point out there will be Film Festival), and parties, the no membership policy, the restaurant and interior of the hotel has been bar will be open all day to everyone. But whitewashed throughout, and given her past career, inevitably there will be sparsely furnished with quirky some clubby elements, like a snug library for vintage finds, junk shop sofas residents with armchairs to curl up in. and chintz lampshades. There is a “Overall,” she explains, “I want guests to feel dance floor complete with glitter like they’re in someone’s home, but without ball and a bar fronded by giant too much clutter.” To this end the seven yuccas and fairy lights which lends a en-suite bedrooms will have window seats, Hi-de-Hi meets Famous Five ambience. large beds piled high with pillows, books to With her white canvas pumps, bare read and radios to listen to, plus all the tanned legs and clipped vowels, and flanked mod-cons - such as Wi-Fi - which are Above: One of the quirky seaside inspired pieces by her two black greyhounds Red and Green, expected by guests these days. Mary-Lou could be an Enid Blyton creation Realistic about the vagaries of the British cliff-top location the facade of the hotel herself - until she starts explaining her vision climate, Mary-Lou knows that the Seaside will feature huge glass windows and pale for the Seaside Boarding House. It soon Boarding House must be as appealing on hot green clapperboard on its bottom half. becomes clear that she is a thoroughly sunny days and as it will be on wet, wintery There will be a wide terrace where guests modern businesswoman. ones. “When you think of the British can relax, sipping drinks on sunny days. Working with the light which floods the seaside, tropical weather doesn’t Inside, running the full length of the hotel, interior, the décor, she explains, will be immediately spring to mind,” she smiles will be an impressive open plan restaurant simple in style but of beautiful quality. The wryly, “but for me that’s part of the appeal; and bar areas, affording every seat a sea floors will be bleached wood, the furniture a being cosy inside watching a storm is just as view. The glass doors and windows will mix of antique and contemporary, and there much a part of our seaside holidays as a day frame the ever-changing seascape, so will be some great art on the walls, but on the beach.” whatever the weather, there will be everything pared back and emphatically not Food is another important aspect of the something to see. grand. “It’s important that people feel they project and Mary-Lou plans to snare a chef, “who is just as interested in making jams as they are in sourcing meat from local farms.” The kitchen is the heartbeat of this business “I want it to and Mary-Lou’s recipe for success is “a good chef, a good vibe and good service” and of look like an course, being in West Dorset, there is a Edward wealth of fabulous local produce. “We’re not going to be a ‘fish’ restaurant Hopper because we’ve already got those nearby with painting” The interior of the hotel has been painted white while it’s in this transition phase 14 DORSET September 2013 dorsetmagazine.co.uk The interior of the hotel has been whitewashed throughout, and sparsely furnished with the odd quirky vintage find Architects drawings of the Seaside Boarding House Copyright Chassay Studio Chassay Copyright Mark Hix’s Oyster & Fish House and The and Dorset boy, Mark Hix, is on the board of Hive. We are aiming to create simple and advisors. “It’s a fantastic location, bang on classic dining - somewhere for locals to the seaside with direct access to some of the come for a celebration dinner but where UK’s finest produce,” he enthuses. “We’re guests can also have a hamper of local crab surprisingly short on decent hotel rooms sandwiches for a picnic.” round here, so the Seaside Boarding House To ensure the best possible level of can only be a good thing.” service, Mary-Lou intends to oversee the The management team’s cool club staff training, and she is keen to point out credentials will undoubtedly draw a hip that this new venture will offer employment London crowd to rub shoulders with the opportunities in the local area. local beau monde, but should we expect Opening 2014 “I don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to something a little more sedate than the The Seaside Boarding House get a fabulous martini served in Dorset and Groucho Club? Restaurant & Bar it’s my intention to achieve that with Probably not. Surveying the huge Cliff Road, Burton Bradstock well-trained staff,” she says, thumping the dance-floor with a mischievous grin, Dorset, DT6 4RB table to make her point.