Historic Suffolk Hotels: Butley Priory, The Angel

Little-known National Treasure

While many on Nights In The Past have an historical claim-to-fame from the latter half on the last millennium, Butley Priory owes its to the first. And what a history.

The structure one sees today is all that remains of an Augustinian monastery founded in 1171 and largely constructed in the early 1300�s. Centuries ago, however, there would have been many buildings on the site (the priory grounds were once twenty acres in area and surrounded by a thick stone wall). This, it is said, was once an important destination for medieval pilgrims.

The first most-notable visitor we know of was King Henry III, who arrived on the 9th of March 1235 (although then he would have been known as Henry of Winchester). His son, Edward I, is also believed to have spent time at Butley in later life (1303), long after he had gained such epithets as �Longshanks� and �Hammer of the Scots�.

During the early 16th century the premises became a popular venue for the hunting nobility. Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, was a frequent guest between 1515 and 1519, and in 1527 stayed for two months accompanied by her new husband Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk.

It is said that on 6th August 1527 - a particularly hot summer�s day - she ordered her supper to be laid out in a shaded corner of the garden on the east side of the gatehouse. This she so enjoyed that picnic suppers in the Priory gardens became a regular feature of her stays.

There is, however, one particularly romantic legend to Butley: it is said that somewhere within the Priory grounds is buried a Silver Coffin containing the body of Michael de la Pole, third Earl of Suffolk, who fell at the side of Edward Plantagenet, Duke of York, at Agincourt.

The Angel is certainly old � records show it dating back to the 12th century � and has welcomed guests for hundreds of years in its role as a coaching inn. Evidence of its age is to be found in the Vaults Restaurant, an atmospheric undercroft dating back to the 1100�s and once part of the old abbey.

The Angel is known to have welcomed �literati and gliteratti� during its history (jncluding one or two famous Hollywood names) although from a times past perspective, Charles Dickens and King Louis Philippe of France are arguably the most notable.

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.

Abbey Hotel, The. BURY ST. EDMUNDS. Medieval, Tudor and contemporary accommodation. LateRooms

Angel at Lavenham, The. LAVENHAM. First licensed in 1420, the Angel is possibly the oldest inn in this beautiful medieval town. LateRooms

Bell, The. Nr SUDBURY. A partly timber-framed structure dating back to the 16th century. LateRooms

Best Western White Lion. ALDEBURGH. A thirty-eight bedroom property first established in 1563. Expedia.co.uk

Belstead Brook Hotel. IPSWICH. 16th century former hunting lodge on the outskirts of the town. Expedia.co.uk

Bull Hotel, The. LONG MELFORD. First operating as an inn in 1570, the timber-frame structure was built some 120 years before that. LateRooms

Cornwallis Arms, The. BROME. Dating from the mid-1500�s, this hotel was originally built as a private residence. LateRooms

Hintlesham Hall. Nr IPSWICH. Part-Elizabethan and part-Georgian, Hintlesham Hall offers four-star accommodation in a splendid rural setting. Expedia.co.uk | LateRooms

Rutland Arms, The. NEWMARKET. An attractive Georgian coaching inn. Expedia.co.uk

Swan, The. LAVENHAM. Beautiful 15th century timber-frame building at the heart of this famous medieval town. LateRooms

Westleton Crown, The. Nr ALDEBURGH. 25 guest rooms in a building whose origins are said to be 12th century. LateRooms