New Hall Inn (The Hole in t' Wall)

In the picturesque town of Bowness, on Lake Windemere in Northwest England, the New Hall Inn has been in continuous operation since 1612. Early on, a common brick wall separated its pub from the blacksmith’s shop next door. At one point, someone knocked a hole in the wall so the pub could serve the blacksmith a beer while he was working, earning the pub its nickname, “The Hole in t’ Wall.”

The pub has since expanded into the area that was formerly occupied by the blacksmith’s shop. As you can expect of a pub of that age, it has a list of celebrity visitors, including Charles Dickens. According to the owners, little has changed since the 1600s, with the exception of adding modern requirements of central AC, plumbing, electrical, and the like.

Today, the cozy pub serves a variety of ales (including those made by the Robinson Brewery, which now owns it) and dishes such as curry and pork pie, both inside as well as on a lovely outdoor patio.