Hangleton Manor Inn

Hangleton Manor Inn is a historic pub, restaurant and hospitality venue in Hangleton, an ancient settlement now incorporated into the city of Brighton and Hove in Sussex, England. The business occupies a group of historic buildings that includes Hangleton Manor, the adjoining Old Manor House and a separate seventeenth-century dovecote. The complex combines heritage architecture with contemporary food-and-drink operations and is run as a tied house by the Dorset-based brewery Hall & Woodhouse. The site has medieval and earlier associations. Hangleton manor was recorded in the Domesday survey of 1086, when the wider manor was connected with William de Warenne, first Earl of Surrey, and held by William de Wateville. The medieval parish covered a substantial area of downland and grazing country northwest of Brighton. Over subsequent centuries, ownership and tenancy passed through several prominent Sussex families, including the de Cockfields, de Poynings, Bellinghams and Sackvilles. The principal manor house was substantially rebuilt in the sixteenth century by Richard Bellingham, who served for a period as High Sheriff of Sussex. Materials from Lewes Priory, dissolved in the 1530s, were incorporated into the building and remain visible in parts of the structure. The adjoining Old Manor House contains significant fifteenth-century fabric, although it was modified during later rebuilding and was historically used for stables, servants' accommodation and farm-related purposes. The buildings retain features associated with Tudor and late-sixteenth-century domestic architecture, including flint construction, mullioned and transomed windows, carved details, panelling, a decorated ceiling and a substantial staircase. Agricultural use continued for centuries, but the surrounding manor estate declined as a working farm during the twentieth century. By the mid-twentieth century, the separate farm buildings had disappeared and the Old Manor House was later adapted for residential use. The main building had meanwhile been converted into an inn and hotel, known for a period as the Hangleton Manor Hotel. In 1968, the buildings were acquired by Hangleton Manor Ltd and converted into an inn operating under the Whitbread banner. Renovation work was also undertaken during the late 1980s. Hall & Woodhouse acquired the premises in September 2005 for a reported sum exceeding £1 million, although the available reference material does not provide a primary financial source for that figure. The company subsequently operated the venue as Hangleton Manor Inn. Its facilities have included two bars, a restaurant with capacity for approximately 50 diners, gardens and on-site living quarters. The venue's distinctive proposition is the combination of a traditional brewery-operated pub and restaurant with a nationally significant historic setting. The manor and Old Manor House were jointly designated Grade II* listed buildings by English Heritage in 1956. The separate dovecote has Grade II listing. The dovecote, built of flint and traditionally associated with the estate, was restored by volunteers during the 1980s and formally reopened in 1988. Local folklore holds that a monk cursed the structure because of the birds' droppings and that ghostly pigeons have been seen there. This legend contributes to the site's visitor appeal but is not a verified historical event.

The history of Hangleton Manor Inn is inseparable from the history of Hangleton manor, a historic settlement on the downland northwest of Brighton. The manor has Saxon origins and appears in the Domesday survey of 1086. At that time, the estate was associated with William de Warenne, first Earl of Surrey, and held by William de Wateville. The medieval parish covered roughly 1,120 acres of grazing land and chalk downland. Its settlement pattern included a village, St Helen's Church and the manor house. The village later declined, probably through a combination of enclosure, agricultural change, fire and epidemic disease; by the early seventeenth century only one house besides the principal manor and another manor house was recorded in the parish. The manor passed through a succession of local and aristocratic families. Members of the de Poynings family held it for approximately two centuries, and in 1538 it came into the possession of Richard Bellingham of nearby Newtimber. Bellingham, who served at one point as High Sheriff of Sussex, rebuilt the principal part of the house during his fifteen-year tenure. Stone from Lewes Priory, dismantled during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, was reused in the building and remains visible in the east wall. Further alterations followed later in the sixteenth century, including new windows, a porch doorway, a grand staircase and the reconfiguration of the eastern range. The adjoining Old Manor House is a long, low wing with fifteenth-century origins. Although later adapted, it retains an original doorway and evidence of early window openings. It was initially associated with stables and servants' accommodation, then became part of the estate's agricultural buildings. From 1601, the Sackville family held the manor for more than three centuries. They leased the farm and associated buildings to William Hardwick, a Brighton exciseman, whose family continued the tenancy through later generations. The complex is built mainly of Sussex flint, with stone and ashlar dressings and clay-tiled hipped roofs. Its surviving interior features include late-sixteenth-century panelling, floor tiles, a decorated ceiling, carved inscriptions, Corinthian-style pilasters and a winding staircase. One room may have served a religious purpose, based on its piscina and other ecclesiastical references, although the precise original function is uncertain. The agricultural phase ended during the twentieth century. By the middle of the century, most separate farm structures had been demolished, while the Old Manor House was eventually converted into a residence. The principal building was adapted as an inn and hotel, operating for a period as the Hangleton Manor Hotel. In 1968, Hangleton Manor Ltd acquired the buildings and converted them into an inn under the Whitbread banner. Renovation work took place in the late 1980s. A circular seventeenth-century dovecote stands in the grounds. Constructed from small flint cobbles, it originally accommodated more than five hundred birds. The structure fell into a ruinous condition, with deteriorating walls and a collapsed roof, before volunteers restored it over several years. The work was completed in April 1988 and the restored dovecote was formally opened by the mayor of Hove the following month. Local folklore says that a monk cursed the dovecote because of the birds' droppings and that ghost pigeons haunt it. The manor and Old Manor House received joint Grade II* listing in 1956, while the dovecote received separate Grade II listing. These designations protect the buildings because of their national architectural and historical interest. In September 2005, Hall & Woodhouse acquired the premises and has operated the venue as a tied house. The present business combines pub and restaurant services with the historic character of the manor, its gardens and its listed buildings.

• 2005

  Hall & Woodhouse acquires the venue

  [1]Hangleton Manor Innen.wikipedia.org

  Hall & Woodhouse purchased the premises in September and began operating the venue as a tied house.

• 1988

  Dovecote restoration is completed

  [1]Hangleton Manor Innen.wikipedia.org

  Volunteer-led restoration of the deteriorated dovecote was completed in April, followed by a formal reopening in May.

• 1968

  Conversion into an inn under Whitbread

  [1]Hangleton Manor Innen.wikipedia.org

  Hangleton Manor Ltd acquired the buildings and converted them into an inn operating under the Whitbread banner.

• 1956

  The manor and Old Manor House receive Grade II* listing

  [1]Hangleton Manor Innen.wikipedia.org

  The principal buildings were jointly listed at Grade II*, a designation reserved for especially important historic buildings.

• 1950

  The dovecote receives Grade II listing

  [1]Hangleton Manor Innen.wikipedia.org

  The historic dovecote was separately listed for its architectural and historical interest.

• 1601

  The Sackville family begins a long period of ownership

  [1]Hangleton Manor Innen.wikipedia.org

  The Sackville family acquired the manor and retained it for more than three centuries, leasing agricultural operations to tenant families.

• 1538

  Richard Bellingham acquires the manor

  [1]Hangleton Manor Innen.wikipedia.org

  Richard Bellingham of Newtimber took possession of the manor and later rebuilt the principal house during his ownership.

• Hangleton appears in the Domesday survey

  [1]Hangleton Manor Innen.wikipedia.org

  The manor was recorded in the Domesday survey, linking the site to the Norman landholding system after the Conquest.

A heritage-led pub and restaurant offering food, drinks and hospitality within a Tudor-period manor complex and landscaped grounds.

• Hospitality

  Pub and bar service

  The venue operates as a traditional brewery-linked pub with two bars. Its drinks offer is associated with Hall & Woodhouse's tied-house model, although the available reference material does not specify a complete current beverage list.

• Food service

  Restaurant dining

  Hangleton Manor Inn includes a restaurant reported to accommodate approximately 50 guests. Dining is provided within a historic manor setting and forms a central part of the venue's hospitality proposition.

• Heritage hospitality

  Historic-site hospitality

  The business offers a hospitality experience built around a listed manor complex, gardens, historic interiors and a restored dovecote. The heritage setting distinguishes the inn from a standard modern pub or restaurant.

• 2005

  Hall & Woodhouse takes ownership and operationM&A

  Background

  The venue had operated through different licensees after its inn conversion.

  Action taken

  Hall & Woodhouse acquired the premises in September 2005 and operated it as a tied house.

  Aftermath

  The inn became part of Hall & Woodhouse's brewery-operated pub estate while retaining its Hangleton Manor Inn identity.

  Source

• 1968

  Convert the manor complex into a branded innStrategy

  Background

  After centuries of agricultural and residential use, the historic buildings were acquired by Hangleton Manor Ltd for hospitality purposes.

  Action taken

  The complex was converted into an inn operating under the Whitbread banner.

  Aftermath

  The conversion established the site's modern hospitality identity and later enabled its development as a pub, restaurant and hotel venue.

  Source

1. 1Hangleton Manor Innen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Hangleton Manor Inn official websitethehangletonmanor.co.uk