Great Inns of Britain

Throughout history and in more recent times, the Great Inns have provided hospitality for all manner of customers and characters – from famous painters and prime ministers to queens of the realm, the stage and the screen.

Perthshire’s Royal Hotel is an 18th century coaching house that takes its name from a visit by Queen Victoria, accompanied on the trip by her faithful servant and confidant John Brown, who signed the guest register on her behalf. Other visitors have included Sarah Bernhardt, queen of the stage and Lloyd George who stayed during his frequent fishing trips. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was a guest between the two world wars and her signed portrait hangs in the hotel.

In the 14th century, The Inn at Whitewell was a manor house, lived in by the keepers of the Royal Forest and the royal connection remains to this day as the Inn is part of the Duchy of Lancaster estate. More recently, Her Majesty the Queen dined in the Inn’s restaurant during a visit to East Lancashire, whilst other members of the Royal Family are also patrons. During a visit by the Queen of Pop, Madonna declared her favourite tipple to be Timothy Taylor's Landlord!

The Peacock at Rowsley is well used to welcoming stars of the big screen - much of the cast from The Other Boleyn Girl, including Scarlett Johansson, stayed here during filming, which took place in the nearby Haddon Hall. Prior to that, Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen made it their base while filming of Pride & Prejudice and the Hotel has long been one of Colin Firth’s favourite haunts.
 
Delving back into history, The Pheasant, which became a Lakeland hostelry in 1778 was legendary 19th century huntsman John Peel’s local and he enjoyed many a pint in the taproom (now the hotel bar). In the 1920s the artist Edward Thompson did the same but, unable to pay his bill, the landlord accepted two of his watercolours to settle the debt and they still hang in the bar today!

The Kings Head Inn in the Cotswolds goes back even further – to the late 1500s when it was a cider house; the first man of repute to sign the hostelry’s visitors’ book was Prince Rupert of the Rhine who lodged there prior to The Battle of Stow in 1646.

Ye Olde Bull’s Head in Beaumaris was a staging post on the route to Ireland and was commandeered by Cromwell’s General Mytton during the English Civil War in 1645; Charles Dickens and the diarist Dr Samuel Johnson are just two more of its famous past guests.

So, when you visit one of the Great Inns you’re sure to be following in some famous footsteps!