The grand country house reached its height in Britain a century ago. All over the country, dukes and earls, industrialists and politicians entertained in their rural ‘piles’ of varying magnificence.

But Downton Abbey’s days were numbered. After the Second World War, social revolution, death duties and a plain shortage of cash (and servants) meant the upper classes could no longer afford their large country mansions. Some of those piles became tourist attractions; others became schools and conference centres.

And now, increasingly, they are becoming hotels. In the mid-1990s, the funky boutique revolution found some unlikely adherents in the British shires once Nick Jones of London’s Soho House snapped up an elegant Queen Anne mansion called Babington House for a new breed of affluent weekender.

Now, you’ll find contemporary country house hotels all over the world. Something else has changed, too. They’re places where you can switch off from reality, venturing out for wild winter walks before retreating into the glow of a warm rural bolthole. Expect that warm, fuzzy feeling to kick in soon after check in at these five cosy country house hotels around the world…