Average Prices £
Features
Free parking, Restaurant, Internet, Free Internet, Bar/Lounge, Wifi, Non-smoking rooms, Suites, Meeting rooms, Banquet Room, Accessible rooms, Conference Facilities, Non-smoking hotel, Breakfast Available, Free Wifi, Breakfast included Description
Steeped in History.
With ancient timbers ghostly rumours and half-forgotten nooks and crannies The Lion and Swan Hotel Congleton has everything you d expect from a traditional English coaching inn but a lot you might not expect like modern style comfort and convenience.
Spanning Four Centuries.
There has been a Licensed Inn Alehouse or Travellers Resting Place on this site since 1496 or earlier and a small part of this remains in the present building which dates from the 16th Century. It was built from reclaimed ships timbers with wattle and daub infill and a section is exposed for historical interest next to the reception area.
Originally two separate taverns The Lion and The Swan the buildings were extended and merged from the 18th Century onwards to provide stabling and additional accommodation as stagecoach canal and ultimately rail travel expanded across the country.
A Medieval Mystery
The original fireplace in the restaurant is something of a mystery with a complex mixture of carvings of lions and figures. These may be associated with tales of the ghost of a young brown haired woman who appears at the new moon wearing only clogs and a smile. Some scholars suggest that the carvings may have originally been part of a bridal bed and linked to ancient fertility rites.
Local Archives have shown that around 1496 the Lion & Swan was once a Licensed Inn Alehouse or a Traveller s resting place. In the years 1570 the building at this stage resembled a 2 story barn with a frontal gable above the main entrance. A section of the original walling has been exposed for historical interest within reception.
In the 18th century the building became Congleton s principal Hostelry and Coaching Inn an original preserved guest s bill from 1798 is framed and hung by reception today. Congleton gradually became the penultimate night stop before heading into Manchester as the stagecoach service was becoming more popular.
