Finding places to stay that are truly inspirational in this world of ours can be difficult. And finding such places that won't then charge you an arm and a leg for the privilege is usually a whole lot harder.
That is what makes John Mappin and his Camelot Castle Hotel so unusual in a cynical world - and such a breath of fresh air - because Mr Mappin has for some time now been offering free accommodation for artists.
Why on Earth, I hear you ask, would a successful businessman and newspaper proprietor do athing like that?
Well, you'd have to get to know a bit about John Mappin and his steadfast belief in the arts as a liberating and elevating influence upon human beings to appreciate it.
John Mappin is, as well as a hotelier and the successful proprietor of a string of newspapers, an artist himself, once an actor in several movies and also a poet, songwriter and singer.
One can therefore understand his close personal bond with the world of art, a bond that was not compromised by his business success and which extends to sincere efforts to help fellow artistswith their careers.
Typically, John Mappin is an individual who puts good intentions and fine sentiments into action. He puts his money where his mouth is, one might say. Thus he, his wife Irina Mappin and co-owner Ted Stourton, the renowned fine artist, have worked hard to turn the Camelot Castle Hotel into more than just a luxury hotel but into something rather unique: a centre of artistic inspiration that they hope will, as artists come together at their Round Table, generate a new aesthetic thrust that will elevate to new heights a civilisation sorely in need of some thrusting.
These are of course expansive dreams and very high goals but why aim merely at the mediocre?
True to form, Camelot has gone further than just offering free accommodation for fellow artists; it now also offers a scholarship program for talented artists, called Icons of the Future.
These innovative measures have proven highly popular and over 350 artists from all over the world have benefited from Camelot's hospitality since 2009; Camelot Castle's nascent center forthe arts enjoys the firm friendship of a veritable Who's Who of Hollywood celebrities, including legends such as Al Pacino, Nicholas Cage, David Carradine, Forest Whittaker, John Travolta,Simon Callow and very many more.
Meanwhile, Victoria Summer, an alumni of the Camelot Programme, openly acknowledges the influence of Camelot upon her burgeoning career
