White Lion Hotel

The White Lion has stood solidly by the river since 1657 and it has doubtless fed and watered coach drivers and their horses ably for many year and still does. Not so many horses these days, and it’s had a recent spruce up – more a lick of Farrow & Ball than a refurb, though, and the ancient flagged floors, stone fireplaces and wood paneling have been kept, resulting in a smart, comfortable and stylish interior. The beautiful big open fire at the far end of the bar hasn’t been tampered with, and you can eat your lunch in front of it if you like, or anywhere else for that matter – the sleekly carpeted dining room, the pleasant stone-floored room just off the bar or the cosy dining room. A crowd-pleasing menu ranges from sandwiches (Yorkshire ham and piccalilli with homemade chunky chips is a corker) to ‘Infamous’ beef stew and a ‘right and proper pork pie’ via veggie burgers (plus a menu for kids). For many years, various writers, poets and painters have colonized a corner of this comfortable pub; why not pull up a chair with a pint of Timothy Taylor, Copper Dragon or Black Sheep and wait for the muse?