From the outside, 40 South Street is an unassuming Edwardian property. Inside, Forty Winks is a cornucopia of curiosities just waiting to be explored, says Adele Cooke

WHEN you pack your bags and head off to a guest house for the weekend, a stuffed alligator adorned with pearls is the last thing you expect to find. Or a diver’s helmet. Or a human skeleton, for that matter.

But then Forty Winks is no ordinary guest house. Step over the threshold and you’re transported into a world of pure imagination and decadence. Around each corner lies a surprise, something to stop you in your tracks. Taxidermy giraffes, penny farthings and chandeliers are set against a backdrop of luxury fabrics and elegant fittings.

Wander into the study and you’ll be greeted by the hotel’s oldest resident, a medical skeleton set amongst leather armchairs and antique fittings. As you take in the dramatic staircase, follow the leopard print carpet up to one of the sprawling suites, which combine Edwardian architecture with modern comforts and beautiful views of the cathedral. This house is one of a kind, with something to reveal behind every door.

“The vision was to create a Gentlemen’s abode,” says owner Deborah Gadd. “The classical period design playfully merges with an imaginative blend of the unusual, outrageous and intriguing”. Thus anatomy models sit next to antique paintings, diving helmets next to decadent throws.

Many of these pieces were purchased at well-known auction houses. “We have collected over the years at auctions from London to Scotland,” says Deborah. “We wanted a nod to the slightly eccentric with plenty of theatrical flourishes.” There’s no doubting the drama.

Edwardian splendour rubs shoulders with 21st Century comfort as the interiors pay homage to the building’s rich history – thankfully without the dodgy plumbing. First converted into one dwelling in 1901, the building was occupied by the same family until 2005, when it became the Grafton House Hotel. The Gadds bought the house from the receivers in 2009 and proceeded to give it a new lease of life, initially as their family home.

“The family are all grown up now, so it made perfect sense to operate again as an eight-bedroom guest house,” says Deborah. “In less than a year we were attracting people from around the world visiting the Cathedral and university.”

This is not the Gadds’ first venture into the hotel business. Deborah and husband Nigel already have 23 years’ experience and three small hotels under their belts. And the couple are expanding their empire further with the opening of The Rabbit Hole on Hallgarth Street, Durham – the front, an antiques shop selling bespoke pieces and period items; the back, a 1920s-style speakeasy with a side door leading to a restaurant.

Much like Forty Winks, The Rabbit Hole seeks to transport you to a new world of curiosity and child-like wonder. Down the rabbit-hole indeed, Alice…

n Forty Winks Guest House & Residence

40 South Street, Durham, DH1 4QP.

T: 0191-386-8217