The Godwins Hotel in Bartestree,

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

, England, is a building of historical significance and is Grade II listed on the English Heritage Register. It was built in 1879 by William Henry Godwin the owner of the famous tile manufacturing firm of Messrs William Godwin and Sons. These beautiful, multi-coloured tiles are still covering floors, fireplaces and wall boarders at the hotel.

The Godwin family

William Henry Godwin (1841-1925) built The Godwins (then called “The Ferns”) in 1875. He was born in 1841 in Ledbury and was the son of William Godwin who founded the tile manufacturing tile firm of in

Lugwardine Lugwardine is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, to the east of Hereford. It lies on the north-east bank of the River Lugg, which gives the village its name. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 Census was 1 ...

in 1848. The factory’s location can be seen on the map. William joined the family company and became quite wealthy. Ad for Godwin tiles 1863

Godwin tiles were highly regarded and used extensively in many buildings. In 1890 the journal “Building News” made the following observation. :''"Godwin paid particular attention to the reproduction of medieval patterns in their entirety – both to facsimile of form and ornament and antique appearance. Of surface. He therefore attracted the attention of the late

Sir Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...

who was so well satisfied with his productions that he invariably specified that Mr Godwin’s tiles be used in the many works with which he was connected… Mr Godwin’s tiles have been used to pave no less than ten English, one Scotch, three Welsh, and two Colonial Cathedrals besides many thousands of churches and secular buildings."'' In 1865 William married Elizabeth Tyler who was the daughter of Richard Tyler of Weston Beggard. The couple had five children, three sons and two daughters. William took an interest in community affairs and for some time represented the

Division on the

Herefordshire County Council Herefordshire County Council was the county council of Herefordshire from 1 April 1889 to 31 March 1974. It was based at the Shirehall in Hereford. It was created under the Local Government Act 1888 and took over many of the powers that had pr ...

. He also became a renowned breeder of pedigree cattle and sheep. The Australian newspapers often mentioned the quality of his sheep. In 1889 “The Australian Town and Country Journal” said that the Chief Justice "had imported one ram and ten ewes from the well-known flock of W. H Godwin of the Ferns." They added "Mr Godwin is a famous breeder of sheep and the introduction of some of his stock to the colony is an important event in the history of pastoral pursuits." In 1914 the house was advertised for sale and sometime later was bought by John Herbert Berrow who lived with his two unmarried sisters Emily and Laura at nearby Pomona Farm.Kelly's Directory of Herefordshire, 1913
Online reference
/ref> William and his family moved to Porch House in Lugwardine. Elizabeth died in 1922 and William died in 1925.

The house today

The Ferns was converted to a hotel is now called The Godwins. It is a traditional country pub offering restaurant and accommodation facilities.

References

External links

The Godwins Hotel website
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