About

Malcolm and James

Malcolm and James took the reins of the Knights Court in December 2014 moving from London to be closer to family and for a new adventure. James is Norfolk born and bred, having started his career at The Imperial Hotel, Great Yarmouth and then moving to London where he managed restaurants, bars and cafés across high-profile heritage venues including the British Museum, The Tower of London and The National Gallery. Malcolm is originally from the Midlands and has a background in fundraising and events in the culture sector having worked for Tate Galleries, the Royal Academy of Arts and the ICA London.

James and Malcolm have two dogs – Archie (working cocker spaniel) and Boo (Jack Russell terrier). The Hotel is pet friendly but sadly only for our pets – in our first year we did try to accommodate others’ pets but there were too many disasters for us to be able to take pets… sorry.

There is always something to look at!

The Knights Court seems to always been in a state of renovation – as one guest told us, decorating the hotel is just like painting the Forth Rail bridge… it never ends!!! Over the years we have continued to update the decor and introduce artworks and belongings to common spaces and bedrooms. We can’t quite pin down the aesthetic – it’s somewhere between calm and relaxing, quirky but unique, and a bit like being at home. There is always something to look at!!!

• Our crockery is a mix of old and new – at last count we have 93 tea and coffee sets that we use. We have one Midwinter dinner range that comprises of 145 pieces including soup terrines!! Our serving ware ranges from original plates from the Toby Carvery in the 1970s to a tomato-shaped terrine that we bought in Berlin! Big thanks to all our families, friends and regular guests who keep adding to our collections!
• We have a range of artworks across the building that reflect our tastes – this goes from the wonderful Chinese Girl by Tretchikoff (you might know her as the Blue Faced Lady) to a fantastic Damien Hirst print. We have young and old local artists including Ernie Childs, and international artists including Sir Peter Blake, David Shrigley and Chris Offili.

Every element of the team is important to us and we are delighted to call the team our Great Yarmouth Family. Please don’t hesitate to call us and the team will do all they can to help you – whether you want to request a specific room, know more about parking or have a special diet that you need us to be aware of.