The Spread Eagle Hotel, Midhurst

The Spread Eagle Hotel stands on South Street in Midhurst and claims a history stretching back to 1430, making it one of the oldest coaching inns still trading in England. The original medieval building was extended in 1650, and the two wings together form the timber-framed, tile-hung frontage you see today, with tall brick chimneys, leaded windows and a jettied upper storey overhanging the pavement.

Inside, the character of centuries of continuous use is preserved in low beamed ceilings, oak panelling, wide inglenook fireplaces and worn flagstones. The Jacobean dining room is the showpiece, with heavy carved beams and a collection of Christmas puddings hung from the rafters, a tradition said to date back decades. Other rooms display period fittings, coaching-era prints and a Queen Elizabeth I stained glass window, a nod to the monarch's stay here in 1591 during a visit to nearby Cowdray House.

The inn served travellers on the London to Chichester and Portsmouth road, and its cobbled courtyard, archway and stable block survive from its coaching heyday. Guests over the centuries have included Hilaire Belloc, who mentioned the hotel in his writings, and it remains a working hotel and restaurant. Even without staying, you can step in for a drink or a meal to see the interiors, and it sits directly opposite the market square, a short walk from the ruins of Cowdray and the South Downs.