Explore nostalgic photos of Havering’s historic hotels and inns, revealing their stories and transformations through time.
The Bell Inn was in Rainham. It appears in a photo from around 1890. This inn sat across from the New Angel Inn. The Bell Inn opened in the early 1700s. It was both a hotel and a pub. It became The Bell Hotel later in 1892.
The King Harold Hotel opened in 1868. It served Harold Wood’s travelers. The Moore family managed it for years. Martha Moore took over in 1891. Her son, Thomas, ran it until 1901.
The Phoenix Hotel was also in Rainham. It dates back to at least 1716. Before that, it may have been the White Hart. It hosted events and a telegraph office. A fire destroyed it in 1891. But it was rebuilt and is now a pub.
The Golden Lion stood in Romford. It was first noted in 1482. Its history goes back to the 1500s. It worked as a hotel and pub. Road plans almost destroyed it in the 1960s. It became a listed building in 1979. Today, it is a Greene King pub.
The Unicorn Hotel was in Gidea Park. It was first written about in 1679. It got rebuilt in the Tudor style in 1938. George E. Woodley ran it back then. Soldiers visited it during World War One. They came from a nearby training camp.