Bull Inn, Sonning
The Bull Inn (aka The Bull at Sonning or just The Bull) is an historic public house — now also a restaurant and hotel — in the centre of the village of Sonning in Berkshire, England.[1]
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[edit] Overview
Traditionally, the Bull was owned by the Bishop of Salisbury, whose palace once stood nearby. The present 16th century timber-framed building,[2] it is suggested, was a hospitium for pilgrims visiting the relics of the mysterious St Sarik at the adjoining St Andrew's Church. The name stems from bulls which supported the coat of arms of Sir Henry Neville. He was steward at the palace after it was sold to Queen Elizabeth I.
The inn was featured in Jerome K. Jerome's book Three Men in a Boat:[3]
If you stop at Sonning, put up at the "Bull," behind the church. It is a veritable picture of an old country inn, with green, square courtyard in front, where, on seats beneath the trees, the old men group of an evening to drink their ale and gossip over village politics; with low, quaint rooms and latticed windows, and awkward stairs and winding passages.
The Bull was an 'accommodating inn' owned by the Hampshire brewers, George Gale & Co Ltd. It is now owned by Fullers.[4]
The two storey timber-framed building dates from the late 16th century with 19th/20th century additions.[5] It was Grade II* listed in 1967. Opposite is a well-hidden Lutyens-designed house, Deanery Garden.
[edit] See also
- Great House at Sonning
- Sonning Bishop's Palace
- The Barley Mow, Clifton Hampden, also mentioned in Three Men in a Boat
[edit] References
- ^ Paddy Burt, The Bull, High Street, Sonning-on-Thames, Berkshire. The Daily Telegraph 21 September 2002.
- ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966). The Buildings of England: Berkshire. Penguin Books. p. 221. ISBN 0 14 071045 0.
- ^ Jerome, Jerome K. (1889). Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog). J. W. Arrowsmith. ISBN 0-7653-4161-1.
- ^ The Bull Inn, Fullers Hotels, UK.
- ^ "The Bull Inn, Church approach, Sonning, Wokingham, Berkshire". Images of England. English Heritage. 10 April 2007. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=41165}.
[edit] External links
- Details from listed building database (41165) . Images of England. English Heritage.
- Royal Berkshire History: Sonning
Coordinates: 51°28′25″N 0°54′43″W / 51.47367°N 0.91196°W
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