Angel and Royal

The hotel, originally named The Angel, started as a hostel built by the Knights Templar in 1203 on the Great North Road, which at the time passed through the centre of Grantham.{{cite web|url=http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/10-best-hotels-Lincolnshire/story-13920090-detail/story.html |work=Lincolnshire Echo |title=10 of the best hotels in Lincolnshire |date=23 November 2011 |accessdate=13 October 2015}}{{cite book|last=Royal|first=Lauren|authorlink=Lauren Royal|title=Emerald: The Marquess's Scottish Bride|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PYcjAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT339|year=2012|publisher=Novelty Publishing|isbn=978-1-938907-01-2|page=339|chapter=Author's note|oclc=45177879}}{{cite book|last=Brown|first=Pete|authorlink=Pete Brown (writer)|title=Shakespeare's Local: Seven Centuries of History Seen Through One Extraordinary Pub|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ffIiJx9RCRQC&pg=PA84|date=8 November 2012|publisher=Pan Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-76126-1|pages=84–85}} The hostelry was run by the Knights until their dissolution in 1312. The hostel started developing into a coaching inn over the years.

In 1812 the Inn was sold by Lord Brownlow to Sir William Manners, along with his other property in Grantham.{{cite book|last=White|first=William |title=History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Leicestershire, and the Small County of Rutland|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c2MRAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA672|year=1846|page=672|chapter=History of Grantham|oclc=6334203}} In 2002 the hotel was purchased by Ashdale Hotels and underwent extensive renovation.

A number of English royals are known to have stayed at The Angel. The first to stay was King John, who held court at the hotel on 23 February 1213.{{cite book|last=Nyren|first=Elva Wilson|title=Wilsons: England to America, 1600-1970: a genealogy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JrNbAAAAMAAJ&q=angel |accessdate=29 April 2015|year=1970|publisher=Express Pub. Co.|page=17|oclc=86728}}{{cite book|last=Measom|first=George Samuel|authorlink=George Samuel Measom|title=The Official Illustrated Guide to the Great Northern Railway|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AaZYAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA142|year=1861|publisher=Reed and Pardon|pages=141–143|oclc=680989572}} Edward III and Queen Philippa stayed at the hotel in the 14th century; their heads are carved on the front of the building.{{cite book|last=Sympson|first=E. Mansel|title=Lincolnshire|url=https://archive.org/details/lincolnshire00sympuoft|accessdate=30 April 2015|series=Cambridge County Geographies|year=1913|publisher=Cambridge University Press|pages=[https://archive.org/details/lincolnshire00sympuoft/page/139 139]–140|oclc=5969618}}

On 19 October 1483 Richard III held court at the inn.{{cite book|last=Moore|first=James|title=Murder at the Inn: A Criminal History of Britain's Pubs and Hotels|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BROLBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT41|year=2015|publisher=The History Press|isbn=978-0-7509-5683-3|page=41|chapter=Inns and Executions|oclc=893454095}} It was from the "Chambre de' Roi" that he sent a letter requesting for the Great Seal to issue the death warrant against his cousin, Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham for his instigation of Buckingham's rebellion.{{cite book|last=Turner|first=Sharon |authorlink=Sharon Turner|title=The History of England During the Middle Ages|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bdY_AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA505|volume=3|year=1823|publisher=Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown|page=505|chapter=Richard III|oclc=831592282}} Copies of the letter, the original of which is kept by the British Museum, are displayed in the hotel's dining room.{{cite book|last=Fidler|first=Kathleen |authorlink=Kathleen Fidler|title=Stories of Old Inns|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TCAiAAAAMAAJ|year=1973|publisher=Epworth Press|isbn=978-0-7162-0231-8|page=31|oclc=2119966}}

After this, the next royal to visit was Charles I who stayed on 17 May 1633 to receive homage from the alderman of Grantham at the time, Henry Ferman.{{cite book|last1=Larwood|first1=Jacob|last2=Hotten|first2=John Camden|authorlink2=John Camden Hotten|title=The History of Signboards: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924029896564|accessdate=30 April 2015|year=1867|publisher=J. C. Hotton|page=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924029896564/page/n319 268]|oclc=851323}} Oliver Cromwell, fighting against Charles, quartered troops at The Angel in 1643 during the English Civil War, after a successful battle near Grantham.{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Hywel|title=Cassell's Chronology of World History|url=https://archive.org/details/cassellschronolo0000will/page/259|url-access=registration|location=London|publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson|year=2005|isbn=0-304-35730-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cassellschronolo0000will/page/259 259–260]}} George IV stayed on a number of occasions in the 19th century.{{cite book|last=Dale|first=Thomas Francis|authorlink=

Thomas Francis Dale|title=The History of the Belvoir Hunt|url=https://archive.org/details/historybelvoirh00dalegoog|quote=George IV.|accessdate=30 April 2015|year=1899|publisher=A. Constable and Company|page=[https://archive.org/details/historybelvoirh00dalegoog/page/n337 236]|oclc=5884930}} Edward VII, who was the Prince of Wales at the time, stayed in 1866.{{cite book|last=Rothwell|first=David|title=Dictionary of Pub Names|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k-4SrdUPNFoC&pg=PA19|year=2006|publisher=Wordsworth Editions|isbn=978-1-84022-266-1|page=19}}

The Angel and Royal consists of a number of buildings surrounding an internal courtyard open at both ends, to allow the passage of coach and horses when the hotel still operated as a coaching inn.

The arched doorway at the front of the building is the oldest part of the facade, originating from the 14th century, as do parts of the courtyard buildings.{{cite book|last1=Albert Edward|first1=Richardson|authorlink1=Sir Albert Edward Richardson|last2=Harold Donaldson |first2=Eberlein|title=The English inn, past and present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V9AgAAAAMAAJ |oclc=459803235 |accessdate=8 May 2015 |year=1926 |publisher=B. T. Batsford |pages=7–8,97,112,223–224}} The heads of Edward III and Philippa are carved on the corbels on either side, underneath an oriel window. Directly under the window is a gold-painted carved wooden figure of an angel. The rest of the facade is approximately a century newer.{{cite book|title=Vanishing England|first=P. H. |last=Ditchfield|publisher=Echo Library |year=2007|isbn=978-1-4068-6148-8|page=117 |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14742/14742-h/14742-h.htm}} The front of the building is built of ashlar blocks of locally sourced oolite.{{cite book|last=Denby|first=Elaine|title=Grand Hotels: Reality and Illusion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NhLyGME7734C|year=1998|publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=978-1-86189-121-1|page=17|oclc=40065676}}

The "Chambre de' Roi", Richard III's room for his stay at the inn, covers the whole of the first floor with the two mullioned bay windows for both ground and first floors at either end.

The 'Angel' part of the hotel's name comes from the gold-painted wooden demi-angels at the front of the building, holding the crown of Richard III. Despite the many royal visits in previous centuries, the "and Royal" suffix was only added to the name in 1866, when the inn was visited by the future King Edward VII (though he was Prince of Wales at the time).

• Pubs and inns in Grantham

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{{Commons category|Angel and Royal Hotel, Grantham}}

• {{Official website|http://www.angelandroyal.co.uk}}

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Category:1203 establishments in England

Category:Coaching inns

Category:Grade I listed buildings in Lincolnshire

Category:Buildings and structures in Grantham

Category:Hotels in Lincolnshire