Our History
The Falcon Hotel has stood at the heart of Bromyard for centuries, and the building we see today carries evidence of many different periods in the town’s long history.
In the early 16th century, Bromyard itself was reportedly in a poor state of repair, possibly following outbreaks of plague. The Bishop of Hereford instructed that parts of the town should be rebuilt at around the same time that Henry VIII’s Reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries were beginning to transform England.
It was during this period, around 1535, that the earliest parts of The Falcon are believed to have been built, although it may not originally have been an inn.
The Early Falcon
The original building was probably two storeys high, with substantial cellars and unusually generous ceiling heights. Its steeply pitched timber roof would originally have been thatched.
The grand room on the first floor, now known as the Oak Room, retains some of the building’s most remarkable historic features, including its medieval fireplace, decorative plaster ceiling and oak-panelled walls. Some of the panelling may itself have originated elsewhere.
There is also evidence of another substantial fireplace in the corridor near Room 2, directly opposite the Oak Room fireplace, together with the fireplace in the lounge bar below. All appear to share the same substantial chimney stack.
A Growing Coaching Inn
During the 17th century, the roof appears to have been altered. Thatch was replaced by slate or tiles, the pitch was reduced and the roofline raised to create an additional storey. The lower ceiling heights of this later addition can still be clearly seen in Rooms 6 to 10.
It may have been during this period that the building became an inn.
The Falcon is also thought to have been extended towards the rear, creating areas that now form part of the bar and rear entrance. Although parts of the rear are now faced in brick, the older building and its extensions retain the half-timbered structure characteristic of the period.
Bromyard was ideally positioned as a coaching stop. Hereford, Leominster, Tenbury Wells, Worcester, Malvern and Ledbury were all within roughly 14 miles, making the town an important stopping point for travellers.
The Falcon was one of several coaching inns in Bromyard, alongside establishments including the Bay Horse, Hop Pole, Queens and Kings. Between them, these inns would once have accommodated hundreds of horses.
The Ballroom
The next major addition was the Ballroom block, which opened with considerable ceremony in 1760.
Before its construction, there appears to have been a ground-floor passage running from Broad Street between The Falcon and the neighbouring building, perhaps providing access to a well beyond. This route later became the Broad Street entrance to the Ballroom.
It was probably around this time that much of the older timber-framed building was covered with lath and plaster. The historic timbers were hidden for generations before being exposed again during the 20th century.
From Stables to Cinema
Another fascinating part of The Falcon site is the building running alongside Pump Street.
Its precise age is unknown, but it appears originally to have consisted of two neighbouring buildings. These were eventually joined to create a large stable capable of accommodating around 60 horses, with a hay loft above and accommodation for an ostler at the end nearest The Falcon.
As horse-drawn travel declined, the building was converted into a garage.
Then, in the final days of February 1947, heavy snow caused the corrugated steel roof of Bromyard’s town cinema, on the site now occupied by the police station, to collapse. In response, The Falcon Ballroom was temporarily pressed into service as the town cinema while a new venue was created from the former garages.
The resulting Plaza Cinema opened in 1949 and remained in use until 1979. In later years the building became a nightclub and snooker venue before eventually falling out of use.
Today it has been given a new life as a dramatic events space, with the atmosphere of a medieval hall, an impressive musicians’ gallery and its ancient roof timbers once again forming part of its character.
An Older Building Beneath The Falcon?
Perhaps the greatest mystery surrounding The Falcon is what stood here before the present building.
Bromyard has been an important ecclesiastical settlement since early times. Its ancient church has undergone many changes over the centuries, and even today the pattern of the surrounding streets reflects its importance at the centre of the town.
During work on The Falcon bar in 2005, part of what appeared to be a 12th-century stone pillar was uncovered. It seems to have formed part of a fireplace at some point in its history and also shows evidence of having spent time exposed to the elements.
This discovery raises the intriguing possibility that parts of the site are considerably older than the Tudor building above them.
The cellars provide further clues. Their foundations appear to belong to an earlier structure, with walls more than a yard thick in places and tapering below ground. They are far more substantial than would have been necessary simply to support a relatively lightweight timber-framed building.
What stood here before The Falcon remains uncertain.
Perhaps further beneath the building lie traces of one of Bromyard’s lost structures, possibly connected with the town’s monastery, nunnery or another building whose story has yet to be rediscovered.
The Bromyard History Society has carried out considerable research into the history of the town and The Falcon, but many questions remain unanswered. That uncertainty is part of the fascination of a building that has continued to evolve for almost five centuries, while preserving tantalising traces of an even older past.