The New England House Bed & Breakfast

About New England House

The New England House Bed & Breakfast is located at 258 Main Street, in Andover, New Hampshire, abutting the grounds of Proctor Academy—an internationally acclaimed private high school. The three-story, six-bedroom, New England-style home was built in 1906. It has in excess of 5,700 square feet of living space and sits on a two-acre, beautifully landscaped lot. The house was converted to a bed & breakfast in 1995 with renovations and improvements throughout. The house also has an attached apartment and third floor innkeepers quarters.

A retired English Colonel and his wife operated the English House as a successful Bed & Breakfast for nearly eight years until illness forced them to sell the property. The home was then occupied for a short time as a single-family home. Enter Chris and Michelle. Seeing the existing quaintness and potential of the house and grounds, they now desire to recreate the once successful bed & breakfast inn. After compiling a long list of possible names and themes with the input of family and friends, Chris and Michelle chose the new name of New England House Bed & Breakfast, building on the similarity with the old “English House” name and decided to theme each of the six rooms after one of the six individual New England states.

Town History

According to the "Topographical and Historical Sketch of the Town of Andover" published in 1822 by Jacob B. Moore, Andover was originally called New Breton "in honor of those brave men who achieved the capture of Cape Breton in 1745." Most of the original grantees were out of this expedition. The regimental surgeon, Dr. Anthony Emery, was a college friend of John Phillips, founder of the Phillips Andover Academy in Massachuetts, which was completed in 1779. The town was incorporated as Andover in that same year. Andover, New Hampshire's first private school, as referenced in John R. Eastman's "History of Andover, NH 1751-1906," was started in 1822 and closed in 1828; another was started in 1848 and became Proctor Academy.

Area Attractions

Experience the old New England traditions of fairs, craft shows, antique auctions, and small towm parades. Enjoy the quiet fresh air of mornings in the country. Go apple picking, fishing, sking, rock climbing, boating, or even enjoy a round of golf. You can experience the thunder and excitment of NASCAR racing at the New Hampshire International Speedway, enjoy snowshoeing, scuba diving, hiking, horseback riding, sailing, and kayaking, and don't miss Laconia Bike Week at Weir's Beach on Lake Winnepesaukee.

About Chris and Michelle

Michelle and Chris started a bed and breakfast simply to be able to spend every day together. Having a very close and loving relationship themselves, they love to welcome other people into their home, and entertain joyfully. Their combined strengths, talents, and experiences contribute to them becoming fun and efficient Innkeepers, a livelihood and lifestyle that suit them well. Married in an intimate beach ceremony in the Cayman Islands on June 16th, 2003, friends and family all comment on the compatibility of the couple, and see their obvious happiness in their time spent together. All agree, Chris and Michelle should be together in all they do.

Michelle graduated the Maryland Institute College of Art with a degree in Art Education. She lived and worked in Andover most of her young life, attended Andover Elementary/Middle School, and worked in a country store off Main Street as a teenager. Most of her large family still lives in the immediate area. Chris is semi-retired after a successful twenty-five year career in the fire service as a Nationally Registered Paramedic, Fire Marshal, and Assistant Fire Chief. Chris spent his early years in Pennsylvania, and later moved to Florida, where he resided for over 30 years.

Chris and Michelle’s dream to have a business they can pursue together has come true, and their only hope is that New England House brings peace of mind and spirit to all those who visit.