The Ten Most Historic Places to Stay in the United Kingdom

AUSTRIA
BELGIUM
CZECH REP
DENMARK
FRANCE
GERMANY
ITALY
NETHERLANDS
PORTUGAL
REP. IRELAND
SPAIN
SWITZERLAND

Online reservations for The Lygon Arms are available through the following secure booking engines and operators (links are to the hotel�s specific page where possible): Expedia.co.uk | www.lastminute.com | | LateRooms

Enthusiasts of medieval history would need to search far and wide to discover somewhere to stay as special as this extraordinary relic.

Offering only 3 rooms on a bed and breakfast basis, the structure is the only part to remain of an Augustinian Priory founded in 1171. This former gatehouse - which itself dates from the early 1300�s - would once have stood in front of a church and other buildings which covered some 11 acres of land.

Notable visitors have included King Henry III during March of 1235, and reputedly Edward I. It is also said that Mary Tudor - sister of Henry VIII - was much enamoured of the place and made frequent visits in the early 16th century.

Legend also has it that somewhere in the grounds is buried a silver coffin containing the remains of the 3rd Earl of Suffolk who was killed at the Battle of Agincourt.

Visitors to the attractive Cotswold town of Broadway could never fail to notice the beautiful stone building at the centre of its main thoroughfare.

Once known as the White Harte its present name is owed to a former owner, William Lygon, who served as a general with the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo.

It is, however,. its connection to the English Civil War�s two central figures which ensures its place in this particular list. Indeed, the room in which Oliver Cromwell spent the night prior to the Battle of Worcester is today a suite available to guests. Moreover, the it was in the Charles I sitting room that the king had previously rallied his supporters.

It should also be noted that The Lygon Arms features in Simon Jenkins� England�s Thousand Best Houses.

There have been three houses on this site, the first having been constructed in 1666. But it is the present mid-nineteenth century property which possesses by far the most colourful history of the three.

It was here that Nancy Astor would throw lavish parties with presidents, prime ministers and literary giants of the early twentieth century all on the guest list. Queen Victoria was a regular visitor, too - she would often spend time here seeking solace after the death of Prince Albert.

However, one of Cliveden�s most notorious claims-to-fame took place more recently. It was at Spring Cottage (a property within the grounds available to guests) that Christine Keeler and Stephen Ward were staying when the Profumo Affair broke in 1961.

Online reservations for the Cliveden are available through the following secure booking engines and operators (links are to the hotel�s specific page where possible): Expedia.co.uk | www.lastminute.com | | Hotel Guide | LateRooms