MEET YOUR HOSTS
Here to look after you during your stay!
ELLEN & BILLY
Owners
We are a husband and wife team who took over Cross Lane House in November 2019.
Working in London over the last few years, the countryside became our haven. With Ellen having spent most of her teenage years growing up in the area, we got to know Exmoor well and couldn't wait to return to re-open a business and immerse ourselves into our local communities. Ellen's background largely consists of Hospitality, Private Dining and Events, working in an array of establishments, most recently within a wonderful team at Fortnum & Mason.
Billy, brought up in South East London, has a background in photography, film production and advertising. Having worked on a variety of projects including films such as Christopher Nolan's 'Dunkirk' and various TV commercials - Billy decided he was fed up with his South Eastern Commutes and much preferred the idea of a career in the country.
It's an exciting new adventure for us. Our hopes and dreams for this lovely 16th century building nestled in the beautiful Exmoor National Park, is for Cross Lane House to be a 'home-from-home' a 'pillar in the community' and an escape from the hustle and bustle of life for those that need it!
We look forward to you being a part of the journey and hope to see you through our doors soon.
Billy & Ellen x
ANDY
DENISE
'Head Gardener / The Garden Magician'
'Head Groundsman / Bit of this, bit of that'
Denise has 20 years of professional gardening experience in her wellies From small gardens, to large estates & now Cross Lane House - her passion is growing seasonal flowers for cutting & to create gardens for the enjoyment of others.
You'll often see her around with her loyal Golden Retriever Lottie - so do say hello to them both if
you see them!
Andy loves to garden in his spare time and you'll often find him our Paddock which runs alongside the River Aller. He enjoys restoring and maintaining the grounds here at Cross Lane House, making sure there are plenty of areas for wild flowers & wildlife to flourish.
He is particularly passionate about good craft cider, and can't keep his Gardening gloves off our
Secret Orchard cider stock!
JENNY
VANESSA
Front of House / Hostess with the Mostest
Housekeeper by Day, Artist by Night
Jenny is our Front of House superstar and when she's not dressed up for a shift at Cross Lane House, you'll find her on the Farm with her Husband getting stuck into farm life!
Jenny also enjoys riding out across Exmoor on her noble steed & is a classically trained
& experienced Actress.
It's great to have her part of the team.
Vanessa is our housekeeping hero
& talented self employed artist.
With cleaning even more of an important task
today and with all the extra precautions we take with thorough sanitising and disinfecting in between guests, we couldn't be more grateful to have Vanessa on board to help.
If you see her around, do say hello!