Ye Olde Bell History

Ye Olde Bell began its life as far back as the 16th Century, if not before, as a farm.

The hotel rose to fame and fortune in the days of the stagecoaches and highwaymen, Dick Turpin probably being the most famous, although due to popular belief he didn't actually stay at the Bell.

The first stage coaches started running between London and Edinburgh in 1635 when King Charles 1st inaugurated the postal service which, in the beginning, took six days in total.

By the 19th century the Bell (known as the Blue) was already a "famous baiting place for the stages that passed between London and York".

Some of the old stabling still exists to the right of the main building.

In 1835 the young Queen Victoria stayed with her mother the Duchess of Kent in the now aptly named "Victoria Suite" while journeying along the Great North Road from London to the music festival at York.

In the mid to late 1850’s the hotel was turned into a private house, this is when most of the alterations were made as you see it today. The archway leading to the courtyard where travellers disembarked for a short rest while on their journey was converted into a reception room and can still be seen today if you look to the ceiling just outside the restaurant.
The horse pond which formerly stood in front of the Bell has been filled in for many years and the car park now marks the spot where the ablutions of the coach and horses were once performed.
Not much else has changed at the Bell apart from the old stables, which had been converted, into cottages. During this time it was actually divided into two houses.
As the village did not have a church at this time a chapel was formed out of part of the Bell and was approached by a flight of stone steps, which were outside the building. In recent years this has been transformed into bedrooms with the centre aisle being the corridor between rooms (rooms 5-17).

In 1905 a Mr. Deny Dundas resided as the manager of the now re named Ye Olde Bell Hotel. Mr. Dundas was a member of the newly formed road club, which stayed at the Bell on April 13th while on tour of the local area.

The hotel also held the official appointment of the Royal Automobile Association and at the time there was an inspection pit for all the cars to be tuned up before setting off on to the open road. This particular day, lined up outside the Hotel, were classic cars such as Minervas, Argylles, Daimlers and Renaults.

One of Ye Olde Bell's best claim to fame was that in 1932, film stars engulfed the hotel for one night on the 23rd of Sept ember. Certain scenes from a Gaumont film called "The Good Companions" written by J. B. Priestley were shot at the Bell. The film which is about Jesse Ackroyd, a run-away husband that goes in search of fame and fortune in the south, starred Henry Ainsley, Heather Thatcher, Wallace Everett and Jesse Mathews.

During the 1950s Queen Maude of Denmark kept a suite of rooms at the hotel, which, as far as we know is now our Bell Room and Room 1.

In 1953 when it was Leger Week at Doncaster racecourse a great fire nearly destroyed Ye Olde Bell. The first and second wings of the hotel were destroyed, a total of 30 bedrooms. . Several of the affected residents were race goers who returned from Doncaster to see the hotel ablaze, but, according to true hotel fashion the then manager Mr. Leigh kept the bar open and served drinks by candle light!

After the fire the Bell was bought by a Mr. Hans Neilsen, he bought the Bell in 1954 for just £28,000. Mr. Neilsen is responsible for changing the inside of the hotel to what you see today.

He built the now existing Wiseton Room (just off the Bradgate Suite) which was to accommodate the ceiling, panelling and windows from Wiseton Hall when it was demolished. He paid just £4.10s for everything.

He also turned the now aptly named Neilsen Suite into a conference room; this was originally part of the stables and hayloft.

The original hotel restaurant was where the Bradgate Suite stands today. Mr Neilsen moved the restaurant to the front of building, where it is to this day and this is when the Bradgate Suite was born. The Bradgate took its name from Bradgate House where all the panelling around the walls came from on its demolition. Bradgate House was the home of the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey who was Queen for just nine days before Queen Mary had her executed in 1554.

In the winter of 1959 the Bell was again host to the great cars of the era - the Monte Carlo Rally. Over 70 competitors stopped at the hotel which was the only British check point that year. (please click on the map to enlarge it.)

Mr. Neilsen was the last private owner of Ye Olde Bell (until now) and he stayed at the Bell until his retirement in 1966.

Although the last stage coach that ran past Ye Olde Bell was in 1845, in 1972 a re-enactment of the original mail coach run from Edinburgh to London was organised.

Famous Guests

Many famous faces have passed through our doors over the years including Charlie Chaplin, Oliver Reed, Joan Crawford, Sir Harold and Lady Wilson, Paul Daniels, Louis Theroux and Rik Wakeman to mention but a few.