The Old Bell Hotel and Restaurant, Grade I listed hotel and restaurant in Malmesbury, England
The Old Bell Hotel and Restaurant is a stone-built hotel and restaurant next to Malmesbury Abbey, listed as a Grade I building, with rooms decorated with antiques and stained glass windows. The building sits in the heart of the town and offers both accommodation and dining in the same historic structure.
The building dates to 1220 and was first used to house students of the Benedictine monastery next door, on the site where Malmesbury Castle once stood. Over the centuries it gradually shifted from monastic lodging to a public inn.
The restaurant inside serves English dishes beneath a ceiling painted with gold stars and medieval-inspired motifs. This makes the dining room a memorable setting for an evening meal.
The hotel sits right beside Malmesbury Abbey, so the town's main sights are easy to reach on foot. Pets are welcome in certain rooms, and on-site parking is available.
Inside the building there is an original 13th-century ashlar fire hood, one of the earliest known examples of a domestic fireplace design in England. It is still visible today and gives a sense of how heating was handled in early medieval homes.
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