The Bull Hotel

The History - Built in 1450 by a wealthy Wool Merchant, The Bull Hotel has been a Inn since 1570. It is set on the longest high street in East Anglia in the fascinating village of Long Melford. Known as the antiques Capital of the Region Long Melford was famously used as a setting for the TV series ‘Lovejoy.’ Originally the House was built as a rectangle with two wings extending rearwards from its extremities. It is thought that at the rear of the building the workmen were engaged with weaving the cloth which gave the original owner and much of Long Melford fame and fortune. Historians delight in pointing out that the Bull was a well known house before the discovery of America and at a time when the last battles of the Wars of the Roses had not yet been fought. When the original House became an Inn many alterations were done to bring it up to date and fit for its new role. Over the next 100 years more alterations were undertaken to make the Inn a better place for the new coach trade and to house the Ostler’s and Horses required by Britain’s newest travel revolution. Standing halfway between London and Norwich, Long Melford became a natural coaching centre, The Bull was the principle coaching inn, and by 1807 the Bull was also the only Posting House in the Village. In 1929 Trust House Ltd acquired the Hotel and shortly after began major renovations. It had been thought that the original timber and plaster exterior had been removed during the last century, but in 1935 workmen discovered it intact underneath a nine inch thick plain brick wall which was removed to reveal the frontage that is much admired today. More recently the Hotel, part of the Old English Inns estate until 2001 was purchased by Bury St Edmunds based Brewer Greene King.
The Surrounding Area - Long Melford is a prime area of interest for the traveller, not only for its own Halls, fine Church and antiques shops , but also for the areas of historic interest in the neighbourhood. Villages such as Lavenham, Cavendish, Clare and Boxford all lies within easy reach and the ancient towns of Bury St Edmunds and Colchester are nearby.