Hotel · Malmesbury
The Old Bell
A Grade I listed hotel beside Malmesbury Abbey, which says it has welcomed guests since 1220, with the Abbey Row restaurant, afternoon tea and dogs welcome.
Dog-friendly
Sleep next to the abbey in a building the Victoria County History thinks is probably monastic in part, with dogs welcome in many rooms and the lounges. It is an old building, so ring about the layout if stairs matter.
- Good: Beside Malmesbury Abbey
- Good: Dogs welcome in many rooms and the lounges
- Good: Afternoon tea every day, 12pm to 4.30pm
- Good: Private dining for 10 to 60
- Worth knowing: Historic building: ring to discuss the layout
- Worth knowing: Dogs cost £25 a night each
About
The Old Bell stands on Abbey Row in Malmesbury, beside Malmesbury Abbey. It is listed Grade I, says it has welcomed guests since 1220 and calls itself rumoured to be England's oldest hotel; that is its own claim. The Victoria County History records it as the Castle in 1703 and the Bell by 1798, and thinks its central range probably monastic. Kim and Whit Hanks have owned it since March 2021 and refurbished it with antiques and collected curiosities.
The Abbey Row restaurant, under a ceiling hand-painted with 8,000 gold stars, serves local, seasonal dishes from a daily menu and an à la carte, with Sunday lunch, and private dining for 10 to 60. Cream teas and afternoon tea are served every day from 12pm to 4.30pm, the bar serves cocktails until 10.30pm, and the Tyger Bar opens at weekends.
Rooms are in the main house and the coach house, which joins it: master suites, one with a four-poster, junior masters, five character rooms in the main house, classic and cosy rooms, singles, and two Master Cosy rooms in the coach house with a lounge and sofa bed for families, one of them on the ground floor. Some cosy rooms interconnect. The self-catering Townhouse Suites on Abbey Row, a few minutes away; the largest, 35 Abbey Row, sleeps up to five, and the hotel lists dedicated parking for some of them. Dogs are welcome in many rooms and the lounges for £25 a night each, with a bed, bowls and treats. Trip.com lists check-in from 3pm, check-out by 11am and free private parking for guests at the hotel.
The Malmesbury and the River Avon walk starts a few minutes from the door.
Opening hours and season
Breakfast
| Monday | 07:00 to 10:00 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 07:00 to 10:00 |
| Wednesday | 07:00 to 10:00 |
| Thursday | 07:00 to 10:00 |
| Friday | 07:00 to 10:00 |
| Saturday | 07:30 to 10:30 |
| Sunday | 07:30 to 10:30 |
Restaurant
| Monday | 12:00 to 14:30, 18:00 to 21:00 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 12:00 to 14:30, 18:00 to 21:00 |
| Wednesday | 12:00 to 14:30, 18:00 to 21:00 |
| Thursday | 12:00 to 14:30, 18:00 to 21:00 |
| Friday | 12:00 to 14:30, 18:00 to 21:00 |
| Saturday | 12:00 to 15:00, 18:00 to 21:00 |
| Sunday | 12:00 to 15:00, 18:00 to 21:00 |
Lunch and dinner in Abbey Row.
Bar
| Monday | 11:00 to 22:30 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 11:00 to 22:30 |
| Wednesday | 11:00 to 22:30 |
| Thursday | 11:00 to 22:30 |
| Friday | 11:00 to 22:30 |
| Saturday | 11:00 to 22:30 |
| Sunday | 11:00 to 22:30 |
Bar and cocktails; 10.30pm is last orders.
Cream teas and afternoon tea daily, 12pm to 4.30pm. The Tyger Bar opens at weekends only; the hotel's own pages give different times for it, so ring to check.
The details
- Serving
- Breakfast · Lunch · Afternoon tea · Dinner · Sunday lunch
- Check-in
- From 3pm
- Check-out
- By 11am
- Features
- Restaurant · Bar · Private dining · Family rooms · Dogs in rooms · Dogs inside
- History
- Says it has welcomed guests since 1220
- Parking
- Free private parking for guests at the hotel, no booking needed, as listed on Trip.com.
Photos
The drawing room 
A bedroom 
The garden 
Afternoon tea
Location
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- The Abbey Café, Malmesbury 0.1 km away
- The Three Cups Inn 0.1 km away
- Michael's Butchers, Bistro and Deli, Malmesbury 0.1 km away
- Athelstan Museum 0.2 km away
Sights nearby
-
Malmesbury Abbey
Sight · Church · Malmesbury
The surviving nave of Malmesbury's great Norman abbey church, built mostly about 1160 to 1180 and the parish church since 1541, with a south porch of carved Romanesque Apostles and King Athelstan's empty tomb. Grade I; free, open daily.
-
Market Cross, Malmesbury
Sight · Historic building · Malmesbury
Malmesbury's octagonal stone market cross of the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century, a vaulted shelter with pinnacles, flying buttresses and a lantern of saints, built, John Leland wrote, to keep poor market folk dry. Grade I; free.
-
River Avon at Malmesbury
Sight · River · Malmesbury
The two branches of the Bristol Avon that almost ring Malmesbury's hilltop and meet below it, with riverside meads, old mill sites, Daniel's Well and a level path round the town. Free, on public paths and town council parks.
-
St Paul's Bell Tower, Malmesbury
Sight · Historic building · Malmesbury
The tower and spire of St Paul's, Malmesbury's medieval parish church, left standing alone on the edge of the abbey churchyard after the church fell. It has clocks below its spire and still holds a ring of eight bells, long rung for the abbey. Grade I.