In my travels while living abroad for the past 45 years, I’ve perched in fine French cafes, “gemütlich” German bars, and inviting tavernas across Europe, but, England’s oldest pub, The Porch Inn, has been, by far, the most intriguing watering hole I’ve tested.
Situated on the Roman Fosse Way, at the intersection of several historic roads, The Porch Inn is on the ancient market square of Stow-on-the Wold, the gateway to the Cotswolds, UK’s most beautiful countryside.
Timbers of The Porch Inn have been carbon dated to the tenth century. In 947 AD, on orders of Aethelmar, the Saxon Duke of Cornwall, it was built to serve as a hospice accommodating pilgrims, and run by the Knights Hospitallers.
When I ducked into the stone building dating back hundreds of years I was enchanted. The Porch’s low slung, wood beams, stones walls, warm hearths, and antique decor created a bewitching atmosphere that make an ideal writer’s lair.
Once inside, we stood at the main bar to order drinks as is customary in British pubs.Then we climbed the stairs to settle in The Snug of the Governor’s Room(Snug is a British term for a small, comfortable place, sheltered from cold weather.)
While lounging on a stuffed couch in front of a stone fireplace, I noticed the historical artifacts. Bookshelves with tomes lined one wall, leather chairs surrounded low tables laden with board games and antiques, a Roneotype copier filled one corner, and a WWII era lightbulb radio rests in the other one.
As if time stood still, each of the rooms created an illusion of yesteryear, With my imagination, I could become lost in my muse for hours, tucked in a nook, hibernating away from England ’s damp, dreary winters .
The Porch’s original features, including steep, crooked staircases, open fires, oak beams, and long-forgotten underground passageways, would be worth a detour on any European tour.
The pub’s history is a macabre contrast, a dichotomy of good and evil. A safe haven for pilgrims in one century and a center for blood sports in another, the building eventually became a hotel, The Royalist
In medieval times, this part of Stow on Wold would have been renowned for popular blood sports — dog fighting, badger baiting and cock fighting. During earlier building alterations, a three foot deep pit, used for fights, was found under what is now the restaurant.
The inn’s long, and at times, sordid history, only adds to its mystery.
From the moment I ducked through the front door, I was cast under a spell from witches of the past. In the dining room, I studied the witch symbols scratched on the 16th Century fireplace that once warded off evil spirits.
We all agreed that we should return one day to sample the cuisine in The Porch’s award-winning restaurant. Simple, robust meals are served from the finest British fare sourced from local producers.
Even better, we could stay a spell by booking one of the 13 available quest rooms. I could fall asleep in the past century and wake up to the contemporary comforts of present-day like a full English breakfast including honey straight from the hive and a morning newspaper.
Unfortunately, we had to leave, as we had dinner reservations farther down the road, deeper in the Cotswolds. As if in a trance,I stumbled outside, spellbound. This pub, a paradise for creative souls, will lure me back soon.