The best new additions to the area -- like the ones assembled here -- respect their past, no matter how thoroughly modern they might be. From the dells of Devon to the wooded countryside of Hampshire, from charming Cotswold villages to the BrontÃ«s' wild northern moors, the evidence is manifold.  Crumbling estates have been restored into plush, contemporary hotels. And more are still to come: The Nina Campbell-designed Ellenborough Park debuts near Cheltenham in May, and a year from now, ex-Skibo Castle hand Charles Oak will open Heckfield Place in Hampshire.  Such is the mood afoot in England, with old-fashioned pubs serving inventive cuisine and upscale stores and spas catering to a cosmopolitan crowd. Today, Wilde be damned, the English countryside is very tempting indeed.  1. In Full Bloom: Barnsley House Barnsley, Gloucestershire  By the end of last year, the modern London design house Fox Linton Associates had left its mark not only on Coworth Park but also on the redo of this 18-bedroom property in the Cotswolds.  Before becoming a hotel in 2003, the house was the longtime residence of garden designer Rosemary Verey, who filled the 11-acre grounds with purple alliums and weeping cherry trees; now the hotel's bold interiors have been redone to better reflect Verey's aesthetic.  Garden-inspired furniture and soft creams and whites play off honeyed stone, and the spa pays further homage to Verey with treatments that highlight the rejuvenating power of plants. The nearby Village Pub, from the same owners, consistently delivers a cozy atmosphere and very good seasonal food, such as Dorset crab, ham hock salad or a bowl of clams and mussels with Cotswold cider, parsley and cream.  Rooms start at $435. At Rte. B4425; 44-12/8574-0000; barnsleyhouse.com.  2. A New Tradition: Lime Wood Lyndhurst, Hampshire
The English countryside -- still green, still rolling, still packed with charming eccentrics -- is more appealing than ever these days, as overwhelmed urbanites are flooding the area in search of a