This England -- Hanging Out in Hungerford

After visiting the beautiful, historic Basildon Park, it only seemed right that we overnight in a wonderful town and stay at a historic inn. So we were off to Hungerford, a town Jenny and T know quite well and one I had wanted to visit, in part because of their antique market, the Hungerford Arcade. (If you watch "Celebrity Antiques Roadshow" on PBS Passport, you'll find it in one of the episodes.)

Now, the last thing I needed to do was buy something, but looking is free, right? And there was plenty to look at in this multi-dealer arcade of shops. 

There were plenty of things that I would have loved to take home, although my luggage was already bulging and I wasn't too keen on getting anything too large or breakable. So everything in this chest was out! (And to be honest, what I liked most about this display was the color and lighting. It's basically not my style but it was very eye catching.)

I am a huge fan of Clarice Cliff pottery and I have none of it so I spent a lot of time eyeing everything in this case.

I love the shapes here and her colors are beautiful.  

Tulips are difficult for me to resist, especially in dishes (I have three patterns that have tulips on them already!) So I did resist. But it was hard!

And I passed on the rabbits, too -- I see a lot of these in the States. But I did love them!

This would have fit into the luggage, but wasn't all that practical.

And if I could have brought home some furniture I would have taken this art deco case. 

Or maybe this one!

Instead I left with a King George V/Queen Mary drinking cup and three vintage postcards, small and easy to pack. I left this Clarice Cliff dish behind. (Later Note: I had originally written Edward VII and Queen Mary cup. Gill pointed out that was unlikely and she was right, of course! I have corrected the post to George V!)

Then it was to our lodging that night, a historic inn called The Bear Inn. This building dates back to before Henry VIII -- It served as a hospice in the 1460s and was even visited by Elizabeth I. Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, later owned it and the inn was eventually given to two of his wives -- first, Anne of Cleves and then Catharine Parr. (Below: Views modern and older)

Other guests far more illustrious than us included Charles I, William of Orange (King William III) and Samuel Pepys, among others. 

The lobby is heavily beamed and down the hall en route to the rooms there is a still-working Tavern clock that was made by the Marsh family and dates back to the 1730s. Large clocks in inns, such as this one, had to be kept on a very accurate time schedule because of the coaches that passed through the town. At one point, the clock was removed for Auction and the description read as follows: "By Marsh of Highworth. An early tavern clock with rectangular shield dial, gilt Roman hours and outer Arabic minute ring with diamond half hour marks, signed beneath the chapter ring Marsh Highworth either side of a gilt painted Father Time type figure, the large ears attached to the trunk decorated with barrels and vine leaves, the door now glazed, cushion base, the rectangular plated movement with four ringed pillars, the four wheel train with large diameter barrel wheel, brass hands with counter balanced minute, circa 1735, 62in (157cm) high."

 

 Of course, it is always nice to have a handy pub and then you can toddle off to bed! Rick and T picked up our drinks at the bar.

Once we were comfortably settled, we ordered a terrific dinner. I had (as usual) the meat pie. (Blogger Jeanie in Paradise asked if I was doing a study on meat pies in England, as I'd enjoyed them in a number of spots. No, I wasn't. Well, not officially!) I ranked the Bear as #2, after Hope and Anchor in Bath, though who is to say that had I dined on them in reverse order, that rating might have switched, too!

This is one of the two dining areas (the one where we had a fabulous breakfast). For dinner, we ate in the pub. It was very comfortable, well lit, and the food was terrific.

And after dinner, off to our very comfy rooms we settled!

The next morning we took a look around town. In the charity shop, I found the book "Riding Out," which I knew Rick would love (and that I reviewed HERE, after I read it, too!) Unfortunately, many of the other shops were closed, as it was a Monday.

We made another stop at Hungerford Arcade, where Rick bought a gift for the one of the kids, and continued our browsing. I was sorry these two stores were closed!

And then, we were off to our next destination!

No, not Oxford or Sarum -- I just loved the sign. We were off to the quirkiest historic home/museum I've ever seen!

Travel Tips:  

• If you are based in London and without a car, finding a town like Hungerford is a treat because it is easily accessible by rail (through London Paddington). The journey is about 90 minutes (depending on stops) and with advance booking can cost as little as 7 pounds one way. This may not be your chosen destination but it is worth remembering that a train from London to other spots is a good way to see more of the country than the big cities at a reasonable price. 
• Jenny made our hotel arrangements at the Bear and I'm glad she did. It was fun staying at the pub (and easy, too, for dinner and breakfast). It can be a fun and convenient spot, more local than staying at a more generic hotel and very worth checking out. 

For past posts on the England trip, see the menu tab at the top of this page.