The Old Bell is a hotel and restaurant in the Cotswold market town of Malmesbury, Wiltshire. The hotel is in the centre of the town, immediately next to the 12th-century remains of Malmesbury Abbey. The Old Bell is a Grade I listed building because of its architectural and historic significance. Substantial parts of the fabric of the hotel date back to the 13th century when it was the guest house of the Abbey. It has a claim to be considered as the oldest hotel in England. It was built in about 1220 on the site of Malmesbury Castle, which was obtained by the monks and demolished in 1216.
In 2021 the Old Bell was purchased by new American owners, Kim and Whit Hanks. Although from Texas, the new owners have historic family connections with Malmesbury. Immediately following the acquisition, the ground floor of the hotel was substantially refurbished as the first phase of planned improvements.
Malmesbury Castle
The Old Bell was not the original name of the hotel: until 1798 it was known as The Castle Inn. It was thought, almost certainly correctly, to be built on the site of Malmesbury Castle. In the 1120s Bishop Roger of Salisbury was given control over Malmesbury – both the monastery and the town – and built a castle next to the Abbey, much to the annoyance of the monks. Roger was a powerful man because he was the chief minister of King Henry I.
The castle had a relatively short life but witnessed some dramatic events. It was of strategic importance during the so-called Anarchy (1139–1153), a civil war between King Stephen and his cousin, the Empress Matilda. The castle was important to Stephen because it gave him a base in a part of England that was largely sympathetic to Matilda. In 1139 King Stephen came in person to Malmesbury in order to besiege and retake the castle which had been seized by Flemish freelance mercenaries. In 1144 forces loyal to the Empress Matilda besieged the castle and again Stephen brought an army to help his garrison. He successfully ended the siege and retained control of the castle. In January 1153 the son of the Empress Matilda, Henry Plantagenet, invaded England intending to seize the crown. His first act was to march to Malmesbury and besiege the castle. During the siege his men carried out a massacre of townsfolk and monks in the Abbey church. Stephen responded by bringing an army to Malmesbury to support the castle garrison. After some inconclusive skirmishing Stephen retreated and Henry proceeded to take control of the castle. The events at Malmesbury were a turning point in the struggle for the crown of England. Following Henry's success many barons changed sides and a few months later Stephen admitted defeat and recognised Henry as his heir. In 1154 Henry Plantagenet was crowned as King Henry II.
The monks always resented the presence of a castle which was, according to the historian William of Malmesbury, "just a stone's throw" from the Abbey church. In 1216 King John, the son of Henry II, was desperate for money because he was fighting a war against both baronial opponents and an invading French army. He had been a frequent visitor to the castle but he agreed to sell the site to Abbot Walter Loring who immediately demolished the castle.
The oldest hotel in England? Scholars consider that the function of the building erected by Abbot Walter in about 1220 was as the guest house. The Historic England official 'listing' of the hotel as a Grade I building, for example, describes the hotel as having been originally the 'Abbey Guest House'.
After the Dissolution of the Abbey in 1539 and the departure of the monks the building became an inn offering accommodation to travellers on the road from Bristol to Oxford. The claim that the Old Bell is the oldest hotel in England is based, therefore, on the strong possibility that there was more or less continuous use of the building as a place of hospitality from about 1220 to the present day.
In the Middle Ages there were frequent royal visitors to Malmesbury. After the demolition of the castle the kings and queens of England, and their senior courtiers, lodged in the Abbey guest house, in what is now the Old Bell.