The Talbot, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Overview
The Talbot is a historic pub with rooms in the Herefordshire market town of Ledbury. Its black-and-white timbered frontage dates back to 1596. It has 12 en-suite bedrooms, a cosy bar with a roaring fire in the colder months, and a courtyard garden at the back for sunny days. Cats are welcome. Breakfast is included in the room price, and the Malvern Hills, Wye Valley and Eastnor Castle are within easy reach.
The Property
The Talbot offers six Classic and six Superior bedrooms, all en suite. Rooms come with tea, coffee and biscuits, towels and complimentary toiletries, a hairdryer, a TV and free Wi-Fi. An iron and board are available on request. A breakfast from the Talbot menu is included in your stay, and breakfast is served daily from 8am to 10am.
Downstairs, the pub has local cask ales, a seasonal menu with gluten-free choices and plenty of historic character. The courtyard garden has tables and parasols, and you can eat and drink outside. Secure cycle storage is available.
Seven rooms are above the bar and may have some noise. There is live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Several quieter rooms are in the stable block at the back of the hotel.
There is no on-site parking.
For the Cat
Cats are welcome at The Talbot. Dogs are welcome too, so you may meet four-legged guests in the bar. £15 per pet per stay charge.
Accessibility
The building has no lift and a range of flooring wheelchairs may find unsuitable.
Location
The Talbot is on New Street, a one-way street just off Ledbury’s high street. Ledbury is known for its timber-framed buildings, independent shops and cafés. Butcher Row House Museum is close by, and Ledbury railway station is about a 14-minute walk away.
The Malvern Hills are a 10 to 15 minute drive. They are good for gentle strolls, longer hikes and horse riding. Eastnor Castle and its deer park, with gardens and walking trails, are a short drive away. So are the Wye Valley and Ross-on-Wye, which suit riverside walks and cycling. Hampton Court Castle and its gardens are about 30 minutes by car.
Other nearby options include Westons Cider, Three Counties Showground (which hosts RHS festivals in spring and autumn) and Hellens Manor at Much Marcle. Great Malvern has theatres, independent shops and cafés.
Haunted History & Halloween
The Talbot has been welcoming guests since 1596, and it has the creaky floorboards, low ceilings and winding corridors you would expect of a building that age. The pub says it has an apparent resident ghost.
The inn also has Civil War links. Ledbury was the site of a Royalist–Parliamentarian battle in April 1645, and two bullet holes in the oak-panelled dining room are said to date from it. A cut in one of the beams is said to have been made by an officer’s sword. A good stop for anyone drawn to ghost stories and Civil War history.
