The claim
Owned by the National Trust since Lola Taplin bequeathed it in 1977, the Fleece is a medieval longhouse that became a pub only in 1848. Its flagstoned rooms still hold pewter, settles and chalked witch circles on the hearth. Restored after a fire in 2004, it hosts an asparagus festival and morris sides.
What the records show
The half-timbered longhouse is documented as early 15th century, but it was a farmhouse and was first licensed in 1848. Its age as a building is sound; its history as a pub is Victorian.
| Year | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1400 | Claimed founding | The pub |
| 1848 | First record of a drinking house here | CAMRA |
What to look for inside
- Owned by the National Trust
- Apotropaic witch marks preserved by the hearths
- Hosts the Vale of Evesham asparagus festivities
Visiting
The Fleece Inn is in Bretforton, England, at Bretforton, Evesham, Worcestershire. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleece_Inn
- www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/worcestershire-herefordshire/the-fleece-inn
- camra.org.uk/pubs/fleece-inn-bretforton-153816
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/685847
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
Run this pub? There is a badge for it
Free to put on your own site, no permission needed. It shows what the pub claims and what the records support, and it changes when the data does.
How to use it, and how to change what it says — if you have a document we have not seen, we would like to read it.




