Above: The main entrance to the White Hart Hotel today.
Once known as the ‘White Hart Inn’ the establishment is now called a ‘Hotel’. Although it boasts that it was a coaching inn, there is little written evidence to support its claim. However there are other details to be spotted around the building which all point to more tangible evidence.
The White Hart Hotel stands at the junction of two Roman roads in Braintree. How far back the site goes as an inn is not known. The name and emblem of the inn dates from the time of Richard II who inherited a badge with a white hart (or deer) from his mother – Joan of Kent. The insignia appeared all over Essex as an expression of gratitude for the ending of Edward III’s reign. Braintree is not far from Castle Hedingham, home of the de Vere family, who were great supporters of Richard II.
County records list a ‘Court’ held on 2 November 1591 in an upper room ‘at ye signe of ye Hart, Bocking’. The part of the town where the hotel stands is on the Bocking side of Braintree.
Most of the front of the inn dates from the 16th century as do some of the timbers within the building – particularly the lounge and the bar. There have extensive modifications to the building over the centuries.
The long iron bar in the ceiling of the archway entrance was used to hang meat and game in a place of a constant draught of air, which kept it in prime condition.
Days as a Coaching Inn
There must have been considerable alterations to the building the 18th century when the White Hart became a coaching inn and posting house.
A stage coach service, passing through Braintree, is mentioned in the ‘London Stage Coach Directory’ published by John Cary, in 1828. It related to a service from Norwich to London, taking 14 hours, using a stage coach called ‘The Times’. It passed through ‘Braintree, Halstead, Sudbury, Long Melford, Bury St Edmunds, Bottesdale [Suffolk] and Scole [Suffolk]’ arriving finally at the Swan with Two Necks, Lad Lane [City of London]. Just imagine being on the coach for the entire journey, taking 14 hours and with no heating at all in the middle of winter!
The White Hart has several unusual features relating to the days of being a coaching inn.
The hotel entrance, with its double doors, is gained by walking under a large archway. That was originally open and used horse-drawn coaches which were led through to a large yard with stabling for those horses.
Under the entrance archway is the blocked-up door which once gave access to the night porter’s room.
One of the finest features of the hotel is the large dining room, with its high ceiling and large windows on either side. It is typical of an 18th century room, built onto the back of the original inn to cater for the large number of passengers needing to be fed either before or after a long coaching journey.
Above: Detail of the old entrance arch where a ‘coach and four’ originally entered the hotel and passed through to the large yard now used as a car park.
Above: Part of the original yard of the inn. Now used a car park, it would have been where the coaches were stored overnight, along with stabling and hay-lofts for the horses. On the left is on of the outer walls of the large Georgian dining room.
Above: The interior of the elegant dining room with its large windows, probably dating from the 18th century. It was photographed at Christmastime to match the painting below.
Below: A painting of a similar room showing passengers having breakfast before boarding their coach (which can be seen through the window on the right of the image).
Note: You can click on the two images above to bring up a larger version.
Coaching Routes in the Area
To give a better idea of coach travel in other parts of Essex, we will look at the details of coaches to and from Colchester.
In 1637 carriers went to London on Thursdays, lodging at the Cross Keys in Gracechurch Street [City of London], and returning on Fridays. By 1748 a coach went to London and back every day except Sundays. In 1767 the stage coach took six inside passengers to and from London on six days a week, leaving the White Hart [Colchester] at 5 am and arriving in London at 2 pm in time to dine, another coach making the return journey; the Colchester fly took four inside passengers to and from London twice a week from the same inn. Two common stage wagons each went to London and back once a week taking two days each way. Other coaches and carriers passing through Colchester provided services several times a week to Norwich, Ipswich, Stowmarket and Harwich.
It is known that in 1764 there was a coach service plying between London and Ipswich. It is unlikely to have called at Braintree because its route would have been along what we now call the A12. In 1791 there were three daily coach services, and a wagon service four times a week, between Brentwood and London. In 1839 coaches were passing through Brentwood almost every hour, to or from London, Chelmsford, Southend, Ipswich, Norwich, and Bury St Edmunds.
In the early 19th century Colchester remained an important staging post for coaches travelling to and from London, many of which carried mail. In 1822 from the Three Cups Inn [Colcherster] six coaches went daily to London, others left for Yarmouth, Harwich, and Ipswich, and every night two mail coaches left for Norwich and Yarmouth. Every day a coach from Yoxford [Suffolk], Saxmundham [Suffolk] and Ipswich called at the Red Lion [Colchester] on its way to London, as did another doing the return journey. Coaches to Braintree and Cambridge ran from the Angel. Colchester was an important centre for carriers serving the surrounding areas.
In 1848 there were five horse-drawn omnibuses operating between Colchester and Braintree, Sudbury, Halstead, Walton, and Brightlingsea, but road transport faced increasing competition from the railways. Horse-drawn services were replaced from 1904 by motor buses, the first one running between Colchester and West Mersea.
The Coming of the Railway
The Maldon, Witham & Braintree Railway Co proposed a branch line which was given Royal Assent in June 1846. The company was purchased by Eastern Counties Railway and the line opened in 1848. The opening of a railway line usually signalled the end for stage coach services and it is likely that no coaches ran after about 1860.
The White Hart Hotel Today
Today the inn, now called a hotel, is as busy as ever. Its clientele are mainly in two categories. There are the daily visitors, enjoying food and a drink at the bar or in the restaurant. There are also those who come to stay, having arrived on foot from the railway station or by car. Others come to stay because the the hotel is near to Stanstead Airport where they can catch a flight.
-ENDS-
Travels Outside London 