One of England’s oldest pubs reveals ‘charming’ new rooms following £4million renovation

AN English pub dating back hundreds of years has revealed it's £4million renovation.

The White Horse, in Dorking, dates back to the 13th century, although a large part of it was rebuilt in the 1700s.

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Being more than 400 years old it has also had some very famous guests in the past, including Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

It is thought that the White Hart pub mentioned in Jane Austen's The Watsons novel was inspired by the White Horse.

Similarly, Dickens not only is said to have often visited, but used it as inspiration for his novel The Pickwick Papers.

And the pub has recently reopened following a £4million renovation, with 56 rooms ranging from Snug to Really Fancy.

Guests usually get a home-baked snack on arrival to their room, but anyone visiting until March 3 will also be given a free glass of fizz to celebrate the opening.

The pub also serves classic British food, as well as having a "stick library" for dogs to pick out snacks from.

Also this week are a number of events to continue the celebration, including wine tasking, gin sampling and dog photography.

Richard Ferrier, CEO at Heartwood Collection, said of the opening: “We’ve taken incredible care when restoring this important building; it dates back to the 13th century and is believed to be where Dickens wrote his first ever novel, the Pickwick Papers. 

“We know it’s a cherished local pub on the high street, so it was hugely important to us to do it justice.

"We hope people in Dorking and beyond will fall in love with it all over again once they come and get settled in for a Sunday roast, a pint or a stay.” 

Rooms start from £100.

The White Horse is the first of the Heartwood Collection to launch its rooms.

Other pubs set to reopen with rooms include:

• The Rope & Anchor, Emsworth - summer 2024
• The Coat & Bear, Newbury - summer 2024
• The White Hart, Lewes - autumn 2024
• The Royal Forest, Epping Forest - autumn 2024

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In the mean time, you can also visit the house that inspired Rosehill Cottage in the Christmas film The Holiday while in Dorking.

While the film's cottage doesn't exist, a similar one called Honeysuckle Cottage can be seen from the outside.

Otherwise there is also Denbies Wine Estate just outside of Dorking, which is the largest vineyard in England.

Here are some other interesting pubs in the UK you can visit too:

Tap on the Line, Richmond

A pub in Richmond is one of the last remaining pubs that sits inside a London Underground station.

Tap on the Line opened in 1869, and is right by Kew Gardens.

It used to be connected to Platform 1 via a door, but this has been removed - although there are till amazing views of the trains travelling through.

The Prospect of Whitby, Wapping

The Prospect of Whitby, has a secret beach behind it.

While that may not sound that surprising, it isn't found in some beach town - but in London.

The tiny beach also has amazing views of The Thames.

The Royal Standard of England, Beaconsfield

The oldest pub in England is found in Buckinghamshire, dating back 900 years.

The Royal Standard of England has been used to film a number of movies such as The Theory of Everything and Hot Fuzz.

it was even recently named the cosiest pub in the country.