The Most Historic Accommodation in the UK

Online reservations for The Angel & Royal are available through the following secure booking engines and operators (links are to The Angel & Royal�s specific page where possible):
Expedia.co.uk | | Hotels.com | LateRooms

Have Your Say...

Disagree with our Top Ten? Think we�ve overlooked a historic gem?
Get in touch.

We�ll post a selection of comments in due course.

Still Looking For A Historic Place to Stay in the UK?

Try searching via UK Location or by Historic Connection

Our Most Popular UK Searches...

Historic Hotels in London
Historic Hotels in Cornwall
Historic Hotels in the Scottish Highlands
Historic Hotels in Oxfordshire
Historic Hotels in Gloucestershire
Historic Hotels in Yorkshire
Historic Hotels in the Lake District

Britain is fortunate to have retained so many historically important buildings, be they stately homes, castles or more modest rural houses. And yet while hundreds of thousands of visitors to the UK will spend time at one or more of the numerous architectural gems open to the public, few will realise that one of the nations most significant buildings is actually a hotel: The Angel & Royal.

Some believe that this is the country�s oldest surviving inn - a fiercely contested claim to which others can make an equally strong case. But we are in no doubt that this is the most historic in the UK, and quite probably the world.

To spend a night within the walls of this relatively unknown building is to follow in the footsteps of many of England�s monarchs and rulers. King John (Magna Carta) and his Royal Court stayed here in 1213; Edward III (victor at the Battle of Crecy) during the 1300�s; Charles I for the first time in 1633; and George IV in the early 19th century.

Add into the equation that the building was originally a hostel for the Knights Templar; that it was used by Oliver Cromwell following the Battle of Grantham on the 16th May 1643; and that its foundations may date back as far as the 9th century, and its pedigree is almost breathtaking.

And yet these facts alone are not sufficient to warrant it being considered the most historic place to stay in the UK.

What makes The Angel & Royal truly special is its connection to one of England�s most controversial kings.

Whether one believes Richard III to have been a true villain or simply the victim of a malicious smear campaign, the Plantagenet king has far more than a mere passing association with the building. Indeed, it was here that he held court in 1483 with the room in which he conducted his affairs during that time - The Chambre de�Roi - today being the hotel�s restaurant.

Visitors to the British Museum may well gaze upon a letter sent by Richard III to his chancellor in which he proclaims the treachery of the Duke of Buckingham. This, though, is the very place in which it was signed.

The Angel & Royal is undeniably a jewel of British heritage - a national museum where there are few artefacts. But to touch the fabric of the building is to be taken back through 800 years of England�s history.

The Angel & Royal
High Street
Grantham
Lincolnshire
NG31 6PN