The Bell Hotel is an AAThe hotels AA listing /ref> 3-star hotel in the English town of Thetford within the county of
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
.''OS Explorer Map 229'' - Thetford Forest in The Brecks. The hotel has been a Grade II listed building since 3 April 1951.
Location
The hotel is located on the corner of King Street and Bridge Street in the centre of Thetford. The hotel is south of
Thetford railway station
Thetford railway station is on the Breckland line in the east of England, serving the town of Thetford, Norfolk. The line runs between in the west and in the east.
Thetford is situated between and , from London Liverpool Street via . The st ...
.County A to Z Atlas, Street & Road maps Norfolk, The hotel is south-west of the city of
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
. The nearest airport is also at
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
and that is north-east of the hotel.
History
Documentation shows that there has been an Inn on this site since 1493. The premises served as a principal
coaching inn
The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of tra ...
on the
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
to
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
mail
The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
route. The two storey timber framed building which faces on to King street is the oldest part of the present building. With the arrival of the
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
connections to Thetford, Norwich and wider Norfolk the inn then was turned into a hotel. In the 17th century and 19th century further wings and extensions have been added with the west wing constructed in the late 20th century. The hotel is reputedly haunted by the ghost of its 18th-century landlady Betty Radcliffe. Actors associated with the BBC comedy show Dad's Army, stayed at the hotel when filming on location