Review: The Talbot Inn, Ripley, Surrey, UK /

Passengers often wrote their wills before embarking on a stagecoach journey. Not only were the stone roads dangerous, but they were also plagued by ruthless highwaymen.

There has been a coaching inn in this Surrey village since 1453. Christopher Columbus was only a two-year-old toddler and the Wars of the Roses hadn’t even begun.

Passengers risking a journey on the London to Portsmouth Road were relieved when they arrived at the cozy Talbot Inn, 25 miles from London. Pulling in through the high arch of the carriage so that the horses are changed for the next 10 to 24 mile leg, guests would be relieved to feel The Talbot’s warm, cozy hug. They needed a pint of beer and a hearty meal.

Visitors arriving today at the Talbot Inn, with its old beams, some sourced from ship’s timbers, and dark wood panelling, still feel like a sanctuary.

The welcome

While parking is a challenge in busy Ripley, the hotel has plenty of room for customers.

Our restaurant dinner reservation is checked at the reception and the key is handed over.

The room

Also known as Room 1, Trafalgar is one of the four-poster bedrooms, up a creaky flight of stairs, on the first floor of the original inn. A dark wood canopy bed matches the aged colors of the ceiling beams. Ivy lines windows that are now double glazed.

Two armchairs stand on either side of what was once a bosom, now filled with a small decorative box. Prints of pencil-drawn grand Regency-era buildings hung on pale cream walls take guests back to the stagecoach era.

The four-poster rooms are equipped with both a kettle and a coffee machine.

The bathroom

Stagecoach passengers who had endured chilly, bone-shaking journeys could only dream of robust stainless steel taps that pour copious amounts of hot water into a long bath.

For more 21st century cleaning tastes, there is also a shower. Sustainable toiletries with aloe leaf are from Eco-Boutique.

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The facilities

Large walled gardens, stylishly furnished and shaded by large parasols, are perfect for coffee and afternoon tea.

Going in, the low-wood bar with pints of Hogs Back draft beer is quintessentially Merrie Olde England.

The restaurant moves from book-lined, exposed brick, historic copper ceilings to a modern, bright conservatory overlooking the garden. Softly decorated chairs – aubergine, mustard, sage and russet – await at light wooden tables.

With small plates on the menu and many dishes offered as starters or mains, it’s tempting to go tapas style. Maybe the shichimi squid or ham hock fritters. Perhaps paired with a pear and stilton salad or a Caesar or Niçoise salad.

Grilled Sea Bass is one of the stars of the menu’s classics, which also includes Chicken Supreme and Beef Tenderloin. A sea bass fillet, firm and juicy, rests on a compote sea of ​​tomato, fennel and capers. A careful sprinkling of capers ensures that the soft taste of still crunchy fennel comes through.

Today, the dessert menu is a bit lighter than it would have been in the days of hearty coaching puds. There are ice creams, posset lemon and sorbets. In addition, guests are tempted by warm chocolate brownie or a delicious baked peach-raspberry pie with shortbread.

Rent

With pubs called The Ship and The Anchor in the village, although it’s still a full 50 miles to the sea, there’s no doubt that Ripley, on the Great Portsmouth Road, appealed to the maritime desires of traveling seafarers. Monumental buildings with their half-timbered and bottle-glass frames create a historic feeling.

Just a five-minute drive takes guests to the gardens at RHS Garden Wisley and it is just eight miles to the National Trust-owned historic home of Polesden Lacey.

Landscaped gardens, in the style of the 18th century at Painshill, add to Surrey’s large collection of gardens.

Other nice keys

Throughout the historic inn, artwork focuses on The Talbot’s rich past, there are portraits of naval battles and of Lady Emma Hamilton, a frequent visitor.

A page on the website tells of the visits of Lady Emma Hamilton and Lord Horatio Nelson, of a Daisy Wheel carved into the banister to ward off evil spirits, and of the ghost of a drunken sailor and a lady in the black.

Costs

Four poster rooms, including breakfast, start from £149.

More contemporary rooms, off the main house, start from £89 per night, again including breakfast.

The best bit

Emma’s room celebrates the scandalous encounters of Lady Emma Hamilton and Lord Horatio Nelson that took place in a secluded corner by the fireplace. They were both married and society was outraged.

When Emma moved to Merton and Nelson traveled from Admiralty House to Portsmouth, the Talbot Inn became a convenient meeting place for their contacts,

Later, though both still married, they lived as a married couple and had their daughter Horatia. Although Nelson’s will asked for Emma and Horatia to be looked after, after his death in Trafalgar they were not.

The final verdict

A sensitive blend of Merrie Olde England charm and contemporary comfort. The Talbot Inn instinctively knows when to lovingly preserve and when to tastefully modernize. Coaching inn fare has never looked or tasted better.

Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by The Talbot Inn.