Historic Derbyshire Hotels: Rutland Arms, Old Hall, George Hotel

The Rutland Arms
The Square, Bakewell DE45 1BT

One of Romantic Literature�s Best-Kept Secrets

... �A large handsome stone building, standing well on rising ground and backed by a ridge of woody hills.� Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice.

And it remains the same to this day: The Rutland Arms, where the author is widely accepted to have revised the manuscript to her most well-known novel in 1811. Indeed, many believe the story to be peppered with thinly-disguised references to the building.

Situated in the ancient town of Bakewell and at the heart of the Peak District National Park, the hotel - built in 1804 - stands on the site of another famous hostelry: The White Horse Inn. However, it is The Rutland Arms which can lay claim to being the true home of the Bakewell Pudding. It was here that a chef once mistakenly altered the ingredients of a strawberry tart only for the finished product to surpass the expectations of the guest.

The George Hotel
Main Street , Hathersage, nr Sheffield, S32 1BB

Mr Rochester�s Local

Believed to have been built at some point during the late-fourteenth or early-fifteenth century. As such, it certainly has a rich local history, but it is its connection to Charlotte Bronte which is of greatest note.

It was while visiting friends at the local vicarage that the author became a patron of �The George�, and would go on to use her experiences of the inn while penning what is, perhaps, her most famous work: Jane Eyre. She used the name of the family who had previously owned the building as that of the heroine, and the name �Morton� after the landlord of the time.

The Old Hall Hotel
The Square, Buxton SK17 6BD

That House of Royal Intrigue

�This is indeed a very special place with its own special feeling� wrote Daniel Defoe of The Old Hall in 1727. And even that could be an understatement: it is, after all, reputed to be England�s oldest hotel.

In fact, many historians and archaeologists believe a building of some sort has stood on the site for over three thousand years - it is here that a natural warm spring emerges from deep underground (the Romans almost certainly created a thermal bath here, naming it 'Aqua Arnemetiae' ).

The fabric of the present building dates from a �mere� 1573, and stands on the site of the previous �Auld Hall�. This �New Hall�, as it was known back then, was built by the Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury, with the sanction of Elizabeth I, for the accommodation of Mary Queen of Scots.

Under house-arrest and in the custody of the Shrewsbury�s, Mary spent the late Summer of 1573 here - the spa waters thought to be capable of improving her rheumatism. Indeed, during her stay it was visited by so many Elizabethan notables - the Earls of Leicester, Pembroke, Suffolk and Lord Burghley to name but a few - that it became known as �That house of Royal intrigue�: it was said that the future of England was determined more at The Hall than in London.

Upon leaving, Mary scratched her famous couplet of Farewell to Buxton with a diamond ring on one of the bedroom window panes: �Buxton, whose warm waters have made thy name famous, perchance I shall visit thee no more - Farewell'

Avoid the new... The following may not necessarily be linked to famous figures or events, but all offer accommodation in historic surroundings. Click on the links for further tariff and availability information.

Biggin Hall. Nr BUXTON. A 17th century, grade-II listed building in the heart of the Peak District. LateRooms

Kegworth House. KEGWORTH. Seventeenth century property offering 11 guest rooms. LateRooms

Lion Hotel, The. BELPER. A 22 room, eighteenth century hotel. Expedia.co.uk

Marriott Breadsall Priory. Nr DERBY. Said to date back as far as 1260, this four-star hotel boasts four hundred acres of land and two golf courses. Accommodation is within both the original building and contemporary annexes. Expedia.co.uk

Risley Hall. Nr DERBY. A beautiful manor house whose origins are thought to be eleventh century. The present building is the result of restoration and improvements carried out over recent centuries. Expedia.co.uk | LateRooms

Riverside House Hotel. ASHFORD-IN-THE-WATER. With Wye river frontage, the hotel is a Georgian manor at the heart of the Peak District National Park. LateRooms

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