Whittington Inn, Whittington near Kinver

Image: © P L Chadwick Taken: 21 Apr 2012

There are a number of conflicting claims about the history of this building which make it difficult to sort the truth from the myths. It clearly is a very old building, which many sources say was built in 1310 by Sir William de Whittington. He is said to be the grandfather of the famous Dick Whittington, Lord Mayor of London. The latter was born in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, but his family did come from the Kinver area of Staffordshire, so the connection may be correct. English Heritage say the building was originally a timber framed open hall house built in the late 14th-15th century and rebuilt in the late 16th century. Subsequently the building was extended and altered at various periods. It use as an inn commenced in 1783, according to English Heritage, but other sources give 1788. The inn is now a Marston's pub. Interestingly when it was owned by Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, extensive restoration was carried out in 1999, this was after the date of the English Heritage document. The restoration uncovered the remains of an early 14th century cruck-framed hall, which does tie in rather nicely with the suggested date of 1310. Today the pub retains a fascinating interior, with a real historical ambiance and offers good food too!

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0