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The Angel Hotel
The Angel Hotel
UK
The Angel Hotel – Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Enter a place of Myth and Fable

ClientGough Hotels Limited
Studio team Birmingham, UK
Size96 covers
AwardsInternational Property and Hotel Awards 2019
The Angel Hotel is an imposing, ivy-clad Georgian coaching house which overlooks Bury St Edmunds’ historic market square. Steeped in history with nearly a thousand years of stories. Our brief focused on reimagining the Lounge, Bar, and Restaurant areas designed to breathe a new life into these spaces while preserving the spirit of a hotel that once welcomed Charles Dickens, who stayed several times in the 19th century and referencing the hotel in his book The Pickwick Papers.

This is not just a hotel to redesign — but a story to retell.

The once separate bar and dining room areas are now a seamless, elegant but relaxed a place that feels curated, but never contrived.

Where history steps into every room.

Our creative direction was inspired around the idea of Fables & Tales, crafting a distinctive brand essence that informed every design decision, from spatial planning to the smallest touchpoint detail. The bar became the heart of the hotel with a bronze-topped centrepiece repurposed from a vintage jewellery counter, glowing with warmth and character. Beneath it, fumed oak floorboards, hand-toned in five shades create the illusion of time gently layered rather than artificially aged.

Historical and literary references are woven throughout with restraint. Ink-blue walls quietly reference the hotel’s Dickensian connections. A sculpted white bear watches over the snug, a subtle nod to the White Bear Inn that once occupied the site. Feathered porcelain lighting hovers above tables, echoing the hotel’s name without ever feeling literal.

Brand Creation

The past doesn’t sit quietly in the background. It joins the conversation turning hospitality into compelling storytelling.
Brand realisation to elevate the guest experience.
The Angel Hotel turning premium hospitality into authentic storytelling.
A complete suite of brand guidelines and marketing point of sale.
Transformation through folk law and fables and tails.
Every detail plays its part in a broader tale of heritage, mystery, and quiet magic.

Key Features

a mirror with text written on it, reflecting a window.

We are confident that our new look and feel has both impressed returning guests and made the Angel Hotel a genuinely unique destination for guests coming from further afield.

Robert Gough Owner, Gough Hotels

Let’s create something unforgettable

Fuelled by knowledge and imagination, we are driven by our ambition to evolve hospitality brands. 

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