Check In: Olde Bell Inn

Hurley, Berkshires, UK
07.27.2010 | by: Meghan

It’s easy to see why people make such a fuss about The Olde Bell Inn—all rush matting, pewter pitchers, colorful Welsh woolen blankets, local high-backed chairs handcrafted in nearby High Wycombe, and a flock of sheepskin throws tossed in every direction. With makeover by Ilse Crawford (the revered former editor of Elle Decor known for bringing modern design to the English masses), the Olde Belle is the oldest functioning inn in England. Paint peels, stairs creak, rooms slant. And for it, there’s a tangible sense of place at Ye Olde Bell, as the sign reads out front next to the namesake iron bell. Crawford honors the long storied history dating back to 1135, instead of trying to re-create a new interior all glossy and pristine.

Old photos and postcards tell the stories. An ancient passageway through the fireplace runs from the pub to the old priory down the street. Monks used to welcome visitors in the bar when they heard the bell clanging; Elizabeth Taylor was a regular; Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower stayed here prior to the Normandy Invasion. The place has seen lifetimes of political upheavals, generational turnovers, natural disasters. Once, the present owner, who invested all his savings in wine, woke up to a flood and all his wine bottles floating in the street.

But the Olde Bell is not some kind of touristy living museum, preserved for show. When I stayed there (while writing a travel story for Interiors), I was blown away by the intimate level of service and impeccable local food effort. Hailing from famous farm-to-table London restaurant St. John’s, innkeeper Neil Irving, who pulls off red suspenders without a hint of irony, sums it up perfectly. “It’s been here for almost 1,000 years. We’re insignificant, just here as caretakers. The building is the character… Some people are annoyed because there’s no minibar in the room, but we want to interact with people. It’s not about pushing people into a room and forgetting about them because we have their credit card.”

We ate local English comfort food: Wood pigeon! Salt lamb shank!  Pheasant pie! Jam and bread! Raised beds in the brick-walled garden feed the kitchen with rosemary, thyme, oregano, arugula, strawberries, artichokes and tomatoes, while colorful jars of preserves and pickled vegetables decorate windowsills. We spent afternoons in the pub, planted in front of the picture-book roaring fireplace with a pint—or glass of cider from a nearby mill.

We took long walks along the Thames, which we could see from our second-story room with a peaked-roof and long view of the moor. There was even a freestanding soaking tub, from which, yes, I did, in fact, read a few chapters of the complimentary Pride and Prejudice.


Share/Bookmark

41,616 Comments on “Check In: Olde Bell Inn”

  1. I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your website.
    It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often.
    Did you hire out a designer to create your theme? Great work!

     

  2. buy colchicine nz

     

  3. colchicine otc

     

  4. Hello, all is going nicely here and ofcourse every one is sharing data, that’s really good, keep
    up writing.

     

  5. hello there and thank you for your info – I’ve definitely picked up
    something new from right here. I did however expertise some technical points using this web site,
    since I experienced to reload the site many times previous to I could get it to load
    correctly. I had been wondering if your hosting is OK?
    Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will often affect your
    placement in google and could damage your quality score if ads
    and marketing with Adwords. Well I’m adding this RSS to my
    e-mail and can look out for a lot more of your respective fascinating content.
    Ensure that you update this again soon.

     

  6. Excellent post. I was checking continuously this blog and I
    am impressed! Extremely helpful info particularly the final section :
    ) I deal with such information a lot. I was looking for this
    certain info for a long time. Thank you and best of luck.

     

  7. buy generic temovate temovate order online purchase cordarone for sale

     

  8. Wonderful blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
    I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
    Many thanks

     

  9. https://pharmacyindia.pro/# п»їlegitimate online pharmacies india

     

  10. Very nice blog post. I certainly love this site.
    Continue the good work!

     

  11. When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get several emails with the same comment.

    Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Cheers!

     

  12. If some one wants expert view concerning blogging afterward i propose him/her to pay a visit
    this website, Keep up the good job.

     

  13. Excellent beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your site, how could i subscribe for a blog website?

    The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been tiny
    bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered shiny transparent idea

     

  14. medication canadian pharmacy best mail order pharmacy canada canadian pharmacy 24 com

     

  15. Hello, I think your website might be having browser
    compatibility issues. When I look at your blog site in Firefox,
    it looks fine but when opening in Internet
    Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up!
    Other then that, amazing blog!

     

  16. tetracycline no prescription

     

Leave a Comment