The Old Bell Hotel and Restaurant
Encyclopedia
The Old Bell Hotel and Restaurant is a hotel and restaurant on the edge of the Cotswolds
in Malmesbury
, Wiltshire
, England
. Built on the remains of outbuildings of Malmesbury Abbey
, it lays claim to being the oldest existing hotel in England, standing on foundations dated to 1220, and is a Grade I listed building. It is located in Abbey Row adjacent to the abbey, which was built to accommodate scholars studying at the abbey. The bell of the inn sign
refers to St Aldhelm's bell, the great bell in a peal of ten that once hung in the former west end tower of the abbey church, noted by John Leland's Itinerary and in William Camden
's Britannia.
. An ashlar fire hood may be the earliest domestic ground-floor fireplace, served by a flue, surviving in England. The abbey guest house was extended at the east end in the late 15th or early 16th century and the older structure partly refaced and reroofed. Following the dissolution of the monasteries
, the house was referred to as the Steward's Lodging and was used for some time as weavers' lodgings: "every corner of the vast houses of office which belonged to the abbaye", Leland noted in 1540, "be fulle of lumbes
to weve clothe yn" The present roofline and dormer
s date to the 17th century, and the west extension was added in 1908.
The Old Bell was listed as a Grade I listed building on January 28, 1949. The inn was originally built in 1220 next to the abbey. In the late 15th century and early 16th century it was expanded, and partly refaced and reroofed. A cloth mill was added around 1530. In 1908 it was again extended and reroofed. The 4-bay inn is made from limestone rubble and dressings. Mullion windows are a feature of the inn and the front is heavily covered in vegetation. The inn has a central cross-axial stack, with a 16th century 2-bay extension and 2 large gable dormers on the east side. The doorway here is dated to the 18th century with an architrave and shell hood. On the west side is the main porch and entrance.
A prominent feature of the inn is a fine ashlar fire hood which is believed to be one of the earliest domestic-style ground-floor fireplaces, served by a flue, in England, dated to the initial building in 1220. It was restored around 1980.
The central room to the first floor has a late 15th century and early 16th century compartmental ceiling with deeply moulded beams and 17th century dormers are cut through large trenched purlins. The current stairway is relatively new, replaced some time after 1950. A corridor connects the main building to the coaching house which has 6 rooms on the ground floor and several of the rooms are adjoining. Beneath the lounge to the inn is a vaulted cellar which has been reported to contain 8 stone coffins. The dwarf walls with iron railings attached to the property are also part of the Listed Building property.
The hotel and restaurant has been awarded the AA 3 Stars and AA 2 Rosettes.
The restaurant, which serves French cuisine
, is run by executive chef Tony Rains, who has previously worked for Marco Pierre White
and at Claridges.
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
in Malmesbury
Malmesbury
Malmesbury is a market town and civil parish located in the southern Cotswolds in the county of Wiltshire, England. Historically Malmesbury was a centre for learning and home to Malmesbury Abbey...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Built on the remains of outbuildings of Malmesbury Abbey
Malmesbury Abbey
Malmesbury Abbey, at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, was founded as a Benedictine monastery around 676 by the scholar-poet Aldhelm, a nephew of King Ine of Wessex. In 941 AD, King Athelstan was buried in the Abbey. By the 11th century it contained the second largest library in Europe and was...
, it lays claim to being the oldest existing hotel in England, standing on foundations dated to 1220, and is a Grade I listed building. It is located in Abbey Row adjacent to the abbey, which was built to accommodate scholars studying at the abbey. The bell of the inn sign
Inn sign
Inn signs have a history that extends beyond the Middle Ages, when many houses were identified by a sign, often a heraldic charge, which signified that the premises were under the special care of a nobleman, or a vivid image that impressed itself on the memory...
refers to St Aldhelm's bell, the great bell in a peal of ten that once hung in the former west end tower of the abbey church, noted by John Leland's Itinerary and in William Camden
William Camden
William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and officer of arms. He wrote the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.- Early years :Camden was born in London...
's Britannia.
Exterior
The inn has been extended and altered from a core built in 1220, probably by Abbot Loring, re-using material from the old keep built by Bishop Roger c1130, which had been demolished on the same site in 1216 by permission of King JohnKing John
The Life and Death of King John, a history play by William Shakespeare, dramatises the reign of John, King of England , son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine and father of Henry III of England...
. An ashlar fire hood may be the earliest domestic ground-floor fireplace, served by a flue, surviving in England. The abbey guest house was extended at the east end in the late 15th or early 16th century and the older structure partly refaced and reroofed. Following the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, the house was referred to as the Steward's Lodging and was used for some time as weavers' lodgings: "every corner of the vast houses of office which belonged to the abbaye", Leland noted in 1540, "be fulle of lumbes
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
to weve clothe yn" The present roofline and dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
s date to the 17th century, and the west extension was added in 1908.
The Old Bell was listed as a Grade I listed building on January 28, 1949. The inn was originally built in 1220 next to the abbey. In the late 15th century and early 16th century it was expanded, and partly refaced and reroofed. A cloth mill was added around 1530. In 1908 it was again extended and reroofed. The 4-bay inn is made from limestone rubble and dressings. Mullion windows are a feature of the inn and the front is heavily covered in vegetation. The inn has a central cross-axial stack, with a 16th century 2-bay extension and 2 large gable dormers on the east side. The doorway here is dated to the 18th century with an architrave and shell hood. On the west side is the main porch and entrance.
Interior
The interior of the hotel and restaurant is luxurious and illustrates a fusion of styles from Medieval to Edwardian in the main building to Japanese in the coach house. The hotel has 33 rooms and 8 suites with four poster beds and 3 single rooms.A prominent feature of the inn is a fine ashlar fire hood which is believed to be one of the earliest domestic-style ground-floor fireplaces, served by a flue, in England, dated to the initial building in 1220. It was restored around 1980.
The central room to the first floor has a late 15th century and early 16th century compartmental ceiling with deeply moulded beams and 17th century dormers are cut through large trenched purlins. The current stairway is relatively new, replaced some time after 1950. A corridor connects the main building to the coaching house which has 6 rooms on the ground floor and several of the rooms are adjoining. Beneath the lounge to the inn is a vaulted cellar which has been reported to contain 8 stone coffins. The dwarf walls with iron railings attached to the property are also part of the Listed Building property.
The hotel and restaurant has been awarded the AA 3 Stars and AA 2 Rosettes.
The restaurant, which serves French cuisine
French cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
, is run by executive chef Tony Rains, who has previously worked for Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is noted for his contributions to contemporary international cuisine, and his exceptional culinary skills....
and at Claridges.