The Lion + Pheasant

This attractive historic inn, occupying a sixteenth-century building, is situated in a great position on the town-centre side of the English Bridge and River Severn, in the beautiful old town of Shrewsbury. With its friendly, cosy, relaxed ambience, it's a welcome oasis, with fresh and tasteful interiors with eclectic furniture and soft furnishings combined with charming original features – flagstone and wood floors, oak beams and fireplaces – which keep it chock-full of character.

The bar is a really nice space, and there's a popular and very chic wine bar adjacent to the hotel, linked via the main entrance, which serves a wide range of wines and beers. You have a choice of eating spaces: a cosy restaurant downstairs (with its inglenook fireplace), and another, more spacious, upstairs restaurant with rustic oak beams and wooden flooring. Food is really good, and of a high standard, using foods from local suppliers and producers, and they serve a tapas menu in the wine bar.

 There are 23 light and airy en-suite bedrooms, where the building's original character couples perfectly once again with the stylish contemporary design. Enjoy the modern wooden furnishings, natural floorings, wrought iron and four-poster beds, crispy white linen, large walk-in showers (some rooms have baths), and a colour palate of instantly calming soft creams and gentle greys. In addition, there are 2 self-catering apartments with private entrances.