There has been an inn on the site since the 15^th century, which was previously known as "The George". In 1456-7 John Wattes held the licence for the inn and paid a rent of 8 pence per year. A ten-year legal battle arose in 1504 when the new owner of the George, Thomas English tried to evict the previous tenant, John Wise who refused to move out.

The name was changed during the Tudor Period to the White Hart, probably to reflect the resurgence in the popularity of the monarchy. Hunting was a favourite sport of King Henry VIII, and a white hart is a famous old English hunting symbol. The White Hart became a posting house at the time of the name change, where wagons would stop and collect post and parcels for carriage to London, Oxford and Henley.

Nettlebed had at least three inns at this time, for in 1536-37 the three Innkeepers where fined for overcharging!

The White Hart was used during the English Civil War as a billeting house for loyalist Cavalier troops. King Charles I fled to Nettlebed after his defeat at the Battle of Reading in 1643. It is not known whether the King himself visited the White Hart Hotel, as he would have probably descended on the manor house to stay in, but his troops stayed in the White Hart prior to their surrender. Both Royalist and parliamentary soldiers had a habit of lodging in local taverns where possible. The horses were kept in Nettlebed Church.

By 1665 the White Hart was in the possession of John Holding, and when he died in that year the property passed to his son Timothy. After his death the property passed to his widow Elizabeth, who held the inn until 1714.

Later in that decade Bishop Rawlinson stayed at the White Hart whilst writing his "Parochial Collections" in 1718. This was a collection of academic writings regarding the parishes of England.

The earliest reference to the White Hart Hotel by the current brewers Brakspear is in a rent ledger of 1796, where the tenant was recorded as Sam Clements. This was hand written by Robert Brakspear who founded the Henley based brewery in 1769. He joined with his uncle Richard Hayward ten years later and the business expanded, acquiring inns in and around the Henley area.

In 1826 the landlord of the White Hart Hotel had changed to a Thomas Risley, and the rent was being collected by one of the partners in the enlarged Brakspear Brewery. By this time Robert Brakspear had passed on and the company was run by his son William, whose name it now bears.

In the 1841 Census records for Henley, it shows that Jane Dyer was the innkeeper of the White Hart Hotel. Aged 50 she had three children who also lived and worked on the premises.

By 1851 the innkeeper was Henry Giles, who was born in Twyford in 1801. His wife Charlotte had died in 1845 at the White Hart Hotel and she may be the reported ghost that haunts one of the bedrooms, Butterscotch. The name Catharine has been associated with this ghost but any further details are not known.

The White Hart Hotel came under Brakspear’s direct ownership in 1908, when they brought the freehold from the previous landowners. The stable block at the rear of the Hotel, which contains some of the bedrooms, was built by Robert Fleming in 1913. It was extended again in 2001 to provide additional rooms.

The White Hart was run throughout the war and until 1968 by Mrs Clements, who was affectionately known as Clemmie. At the time the White Hart had lots of regulars from airmen at several RAF bases nearby, and a notable visitor was Douglas Bader who drank in the pub. His story of courage and overcoming adversity was made into the 1956 film "Reach for the Sky", scenes of which were filmed in the White Hart Hotel.

Recent filming has also occurred at the White Hart, with an episode of Midsomer Murders with John Nettles recorded in the bar in the summer of 2003. The BBC has also filmed reports for BBC Breakfast News in the hotel.

Today the hotel, restaurant and pub are as busy and colourful as ever. The hotel has 12 bedrooms and the restaurant can seat up to 30 covers. There is also the Bistro for more informal dining. The hotel also has meeting facilities and a cosy bar area.

The White Hart Hotel, High Street, Nettlebed

Tel: 01491 641245 or email [email protected]

www.whitehartnettlebed.com