Our History

The Lensfield Hotel is a Grade II listed building that dates back as far as c.1812.

Converted from a row of Georgian & Victorian houses it has undergone many changes. The main building No: 53 was home to a Boarding House back in the 1800’s and continued the commercial route for many years to come until it became the home of the Thomas family who ran it as a small hotel. It was finally brought from the last living surviving Thomas family member who was in her 80’s and was sold to a very young couple, just married by the name of Mr & Mrs. Andreas Paschalis who acquired the main Victorian House of No: 53 in 1959 and ran it as a small Hotel.

Over the years No: 55 & 57 Lensfield road were purchased from private residents back in 1969/70’s and 47, 49, & 51 were sold in the 1980’s.

These houses were built to a symmetrical design over all, in 1819 (Cambridge Chronicle, 10 Dec). The four houses at the W. end were remodelled and heightened to three storeys late in the same century. Downing Terrace presents an original architectural composition to Lensfield Road, which despite inconsistency in scale between the centrepiece and the rest and ill-advised alterations, makes a valuable contribution to the interest and variety of the street architecture in Cambridge.

47, 49, & 51 became the subject of an extensive new build in 2012 and consists of three projecting storey structural forms to rear which continue beyond the existing eaves line.

The row of Georgian houses originally belonged to Peterhouse College who acquired them from private sales, and were predominantly used as student accommodation for Cambridge University students. These were eventually sold to Mr. & Mrs. Andreas Paschalis in the 1980’s who for the past 60 years have gradually modernised all buildings bringing them into the 21st Century making it the Boutique Hotel & Spa it is today.