The hotel was recently sold in January 2023 and since then, the new owner, with her two siblings alongside her, have worked tirelessly to renovate and rejuvenate the hotel and grounds. Work is continuous, ranging from paint touch ups to replacement furniture, Whilst keeping the character of the historic building with all its quirks. Keep a look out for changes coming in 2024, including that of a new arrival in November!

We are incredibly pet friendly with everything welcome. We frequently have dogs & cats staying, even the occasional parrot! We have many of our own pets on site, including the new and improved duck garden, these are pets and only their eggs are used on the menu, collected fresh daily.

We have a small but dedicated team, many of whom have been with us for a significant amount of time.

The main bar area dates back to 1689 and has always been a public house. The building is grade 2 listed. It was originally known as the White House but had the nick-name ‘Mortal Man’ from the rhyme about Sally Birkett’s ale “O, mortal man, that lives by bread What is it makes thy nose so red? Thou silly fool, that look’st so pale, Tis drinking Sally Birkett’s ale.”   It earned its name from the locals at the turn of the nineteenth century, who became fond of the ‘Sally Birkett’ rhyme depicted on the inn sign. In time, the nick-name became so universal that ‘The White House’ was dropped in favour of  ‘Mortal Man’.

The original inn sign was painted by a famous landscape water-colourist, print-maker and writer called Julius Caesar Ibbetson (1759-1817).  He completed the work by way of payment to the proprietor for the “wonderful hospitality” he had enjoyed during a fishing trip.  The supposed exchange between ‘Nat and Ned’ allegedly took place within the The White House.   The Mortal Man sign was not the only indication of Ibbetson’s sense of humour, in 1800 he showed four humorous paintings of sailors at the Royal Academy.