Bohemia Village Voice

Alfredo and Liz of Summerfields Guest House

Liz O’Rourke opened her luxury bed & breakfast establishment, Summerfields House, in Bohemia Road in March 2001. The house had been the family home of Liz and her husband Michael since 1969, and they had brought up their children there. Liz had taught speech, drama and theatre studies in various local schools for thirty years, but gave it up in 1999 to look after her husband when he had a severe stroke. The couple had run a prize bingo and amusement arcade business on the pier, “Fourfun”, but had been evicted, along with other businesses, when the pier company went bankrupt in October 1999.
“I had no income, a big house, and a very poorly husband, so I decided to make the house work for me,” said Liz. “My husband wanted to spend his remaining years in the house, so we had building work done to make it into a B & B, including a wing for guest accommodation. By the time it was all completed, it was spring 2001”
The country-style house was formerly the residence of the headmaster of Summerfields Preparatory School. This famous school, whose pupils included King Hussein of Jordan and Prince Rainier of Monaco, moved to Oxford in the mid 1960s. The headmaster’s residence was originally called Meads, but Liz changed the name to Summerfields House.
Alfredo Gutierrez came to help Liz nurse her husband, then stayed on to help her run the B & B. He is a graduate of English, who originally came to England from Spain to improve his mastery of the language, and never went home. Liz’s son Max runs the exotic Zanzibar International Hotel in Eversfield Place, previously having run the Pier Pressure nightclub on the pier.
Summerfields House is open all the year round, guests coming for the many special events in the town, because they are working here, or for a traditional holiday.   “They come for the Chess Congress in January, the Marathon, Jack-in-the-Green, Hastings Week, and the bowling.”  She and Alfredo cater for a wide range of guests. “We had a knight of the realm and his lady who stayed here, builders and tradesmen, and various families.” Many become friends and return year after year.
“We love what we have here, Alfredo and I – the people we have are super” says Liz.

Liz and Alfredo have a break on the rockery