LAURA Ashley has opened a brand new tea room in the enviable location of Hawkchuch, on the Dorset/Devon border.

The Fairwater Head Hotel has become home to the sixth Laura Ashley Tea Room in the UK. The textile company has helped redesign and redecorate the Edwardian drawing room at the hotel, preserving its history while adding a touch of style with bespoke lighting and designer furniture.

The Fairwater Head Hotel also welcomed a new head chef, David Brown, to their Greenfields Restaurant earlier this year.

The hotel is owned by couple Adam and Carrie, who previously ran the Prince Hall Hotel in Dartmoor for more than nine years.

When asked about their partnership with Laura Ashley, Carrie said: "We feel this is the right match for us and our guests. The style is perfcetly suited for our building and the renovations have made a beautiful room into an outstanding one."

Adam added: "We are thrilled to be able to offer something else to our guests that is truly unique in the area."

The pair fell in love with Hawkchurch's Edwardian property in 2007 and have been there ever since, winning awards and accolades including AA one and two rosettes and the Taste of the West Gold.

The hotel was originally built in 1900 as a home for Harrietta Briscoe, a daughter of the rector of Hawkchurch, and her family. She is believed to have designed her home on the site of medieval ley lines and at the highest point of the region, in order to capture the magnificent views over the Axe Valley.

These days, Fairwater Head Hotel is family- and dog-friendly, and popular with walkers and visitors to the nearby Jurassic Coast.