By Angela Green: Jane Austen’s local reopens doors as a pub with rooms.
Following an extensive £4 million refurbishment by the team at Heartwood Inns, one of England’s oldest coaching inns, The White Horse has reopened its doors.
The historic Grade II-listed building, located on Dorking’s high street, has been transformed into a cosy pub with rooms in the heart of the rolling Surrey Hills.
The venue, which was frequented by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, is now home to 56 rooms and a cosy, 100-cover food-led pub, where head chef Ganesh Devadiga creates menus that change with the seasons and offer an elevated take on classic British pub grub.
The White Horse now boasts a sheltered courtyard for outdoor dining and drinking, in addition to bike racks for cyclists and a dedicated dog shower for muddy paws. The 13th century inn has several dog-friendly rooms and a ‘stick library’ – allowing pups to select their favourite stick to chew on from a collection picked up from the nearby countryside and a book swap in the pub for humans.
Guests will be able to choose from a range of rooms, from a ‘Snug’ room (starting at £100 per night) to a ‘Really Fancy’ room, starting from £149 per night for a midweek stay. Each room has been individually designed and features rainfall showers, coffee machines, all-natural Bramley bathroom products – and personal touches in Heartwood’s signature warm style, such as home-baked treats on arrival.
Family-friendly rooms are also on offer, coming equipped with trundle beds and activity packs to keep kids busy.
Richard Ferrier, CEO at Heartwood Collection, said of the opening: “We’ve taken incredible care when restoring this important building; it dates back to the 13th century and is believed to be where Dickens wrote his first ever novel, the Pickwick Papers.
“We know it’s a cherished local pub on the high street, so it was hugely important to us to do it justice. We hope people in Dorking and beyond will fall in love with it all over again once they come and get settled in for a Sunday roast, a pint or a stay.”
The team behind The White Horse has put together a week-long list of activities to celebrate the reopening of the venue and its storied history. This includes pup portraits for dog parents with a photographer, wine tasting with local vineyard Denbies, gin sampling with Dorking-based Silent Pool Gin, live music, and more.
The celebrations kicked off with the official launch party, held on Monday 26 February, which saw a coach and white horses travel the streets of Dorking and guests serenaded by a Victorian choir.
With 22 cosy pubs across England, the award-winning Heartwood Collection has been awarded a three-star rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association in recognition of its commitment to sustainable cooking using seasonal ingredients and trusted, caring suppliers.
The White Horse is the Group’s first pub with rooms under its ambitious plans to grow to over 60 sites by 2027 with a turnover of £133m. Heartwood has already confirmed four other pubs with rooms sites are to open in 2024. These are:
The Rope & Anchor, Emsworth – summer 2024
The Coat & Bear, Newbury – summer 2024
The White Hart, Lewes – autumn 2024
The Royal Forest, Epping Forest – autumn 2024
