Ever since I was a little girl, I loved when company was coming.
My grandmother Louise set the table with china, crisp linens, daffodils from the garden and polished silver.
Freshly baked breads and cakes made especially for us and the chatter of happy voices filled the house.
I invite you to my home.
I look forward to your company!
Ali A. Winston, Innkeeper
Ali A. Winston, Innkeeper Extraordinaire "The Sheffield Times"
"The hospitality at Staveleigh House is deeper and more thoughtful than any you will find anywhere else"
HOUSE AND GARDENS MAGAZINE
When House and Gardens magazine wrote about the Staveleigh House, they were writing about it's innkeeper, Ali A. Winston. Ali who pronounces her first name with a broad "Ah" and the accent on the "i", is a whirlwind of energy whose charm and warmth can be felt with her first "hello." She has cropped salt-and-pepper hair, a twinkle in her eyes and a smile that brightens her whole face. Guests return to Sheffield because they love the Berkshires, but they return to the Staveleigh House on Main Street because of her.
In 2001, Ali became the very proud new owner of the inn whose original structure was first built for a young minister from Dartmouth in 1818. That minister, James Bradford, was the third pastor of Old Parish Church, and he lived there for 25 years with his wife and seven children. The original building, which was a plain colonial, was half the size of the current house. In the 1890s, Harry Andrew Staveleigh bought the house modernized and expanded it, built the grand staircase and added the ornate hearth and fireplace mantle and had the name Staveleigh carved into the mantle. In the years since she bought the inn, Ali has put her own imprint on the house, while trying to keep its traditional flavor. She repainted it and added private baths, remodeled the kitchen, and finally had a place to showcase the china, glassware and other treasures she so lovingly collects. She considers the style of her B & B as
"sophisticated country."
