The Old Railway Station

Two nights B & B in restored Pullman coach. Good parking, friendly staff. Station building well restored serving breakfast in the old waiting room. Pullman coaches offer bedroom/bathroom/utility area. Traditionally furnished. Need a lot of upkeep and still a lot to do in each room. Not much space around the bed but that's the nature of the size of the carriage itself. One Pullman coach superbly finished offering fine dining. Breakfast slow to arrive and average to say the least. Half a tomato, one small mushroom, not served particularly in an appetising manner.

WOW Absolutely amazing venue, concept and service! A place with a large WOW

Having previously stayed at the Old Petworth Railway Station several times and seeing the Princess Ena under restoration, we were keen to try it out once opened, so booked to go as a party of 5 for my father in law's birthday. We had such a lovely evening. The carriage has been beautifully restored. We were taken to our seats and the two servers were professional and friendly throughout the evening. The food was amazing. Classy, but not overly fussy, which is just what we like. They were very accommodating, fitting us onto a table for 5 and providing a separate small table for his presents. We would definitely recommend it and will be back. Thank you very much.

We know The Old Railway Station from years ago so we thought we’d introduce our friends to West Sussex by staying a couple if nights here- big on quirky value and the promise of fine dining on a newly renovated dining car. Overall it was a pleasant stay- we opted to stay in the main house as the railway carriages themselves, while unique, looked rather small, and we would sample the railway carriage experience with an evening meal on Princess Ena. The rooms were cheerful enough and perfectly comfortable except for the lack of blackout curtains which would have stopped the early morning light from seeping through the shutters. The hospitality tray, while perfectly adequate, lacked the little touches that usually make a luxury b&b stand out. We seemed to receive several reminders pre-arrival re strict check-in and check-out times, stressing we couldn’t arrive early or leave later which I found a little off-putting, as if guests were a minor inconvenience they could do without. Princess Ena is a jewel in their crown, beautifully restored with exquisite attention to detail, and we thoroughly enjoyed the setting. However, food was slightly disappointing. At £59 per person for three courses (a £5 supplement for beef wellington) we were expecting bells and whistles; instead we were informed that they’d run out of baba ghanouch for the duck breast, which when served was actually half a duck breast. The rare beef wellington I requested came in two thick slices, one rare, one not at all. The temperature of all the dishes was lukewarm despite being brought from the kitchen under cloches. Three of us ordered sticky toffee pudding which was, in reality, a very small slice of sponge with no sticky toffee sauce at all. We felt similarly disappointed with breakfasts. In other upscale b&bs, breakfasts are usually superb, with bowls of yoghurt served with homemade granolas, berry compotes… I always look forward to the selection of pastries and different breads, in addition to a variety of fresh fruits. And the full English and other hot dishes are usually a highlight. Here we were served one mini croissant or pain au raisin at the table with some rather unimaginative brown or white toast, and the ordinary selection of Kellogg's individually boxed cereals which I could have every day at home. We weren’t able to make up our own breakfast hot dish; it was the full English or nothing. Once again, food from the kitchen wasn’t hot, and on our second morning two dishes arrived a good five minutes before the others, a real pet peeve. If you can’t serve everyone at once, hold everything until you can. No-one likes the “Please do start otherwise yours will get cold” scenario. The biggest gripe was the drinks service before dinner. We had imagined the waiting room would be made up for evening drinks before we took our table in the dining car. Not so. We arrived at 6.30 for a 7pm table to find the room in darkness and all tables made up ready for breakfast. When we a

Second visit to this wonderful hotel would recommend highly

Well what can I say - this is my 2nd review of the Old Railway Station and 2nd time of staying - we stayed last year in February 2024 as it was my girlfriends birthday, and she loved it, however the dining car at the time was not open - fast forward a year, and I booked another overnight stay in the carriage for her birthday, and a meal in the dining car this time. First off, as always you cannot fault the service, the staff and the friendliness of the people working around the hotel, it's always good to chat to the people working there, and have a laugh it's great, the carriage was how we remember it inside, although outside they are looking a little tired, so I hope they address this, but again inside cant fault anything - I did ask my girlfriend if its deliberate that when you turn the light on in the bathroom, the fan makes a noise like a train moving, classic love that ! (PS if its not intentional its still good...) Then got ready for our experience in the dining car, OMG - it was well worth the wait for over a year, the ambience, the dining carriage, everything about it was exceptional, the food was literally out of this world - my girlfriend is a vegetarian and opted for the Beetroot roast, and after tasting it, I am still wondering how the chef can make Beetroot taste like pulled pork it was amazing, and how the hell did Cauliflower ever become sexy (and I hate cauliflower !) I am a pescatarian, and wanted the cod, however it was wrapped in Parma Ham which I do not eat, so the lovely owner had a word with the chef, and voila out it came wrapped in salmon, and it was amazing - I literally cannot tell you how good it was, my girlfriend who is very fussy when it comes to food was struck by how good the good was to the point that she said that is prob one of the best meals she has had ! - round of applause I think. It really was worth the wait, the service was amazing (love the way they life the lids on the meal at the same time) and just the setting, amazing - My girlfriend and I love this place, the station and the accomodation. Just some gentle love and attention and maintenance on the outside of the carriages, but keep being you - "unique" - love it and thank you.