The Swan (The Gun)

The Swan was an ancient pub; it first appears for certain in records in 1783 and seems to have been known as The Gun for some time too. The form of the building according to old photos and drawings was that of a medieval inn, and the building could well have dated back to the 1500s. It had a cross-wing at one end and a central coaching arch leading to a court yard behind.

There is an inn called the Swan recorded from 1478 until at least 1611, and it is possible that this was the same building - the name could have been changed briefly to the Gun in the 18th century before being changed back.

In 1611 a case was bright before the Privy Council regarding the daughter of the landlord, Miss Francis Pawle, and a man who had presumably taken advantage of her, John Camber. The landlord and his friends had planned to kidnap John Camber and force him to marry Francis. It seems that they did manage to successfully kidnap him and obtain a marriage license, but he later reported the crime and the case was brought before the Privy Council. The outcome of the case is not known.

It remained a well renowned coaching inn and does not seem to have been too badly affected by the arrival of the railway in 1840, which meant that visitors were more interested in finding hotels around the station than old inns on the high street.

The old building was pulled down in 1930 and replaced by a new building the following year.