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The White Hart was situated on the Market Place. This pub is now used as an Iceland store.

Source: Neil Woodman

This was the premier coaching inn from at least 1548 until 1850. The magnificent Georgian façade serves as a reminder that Chippenham was once a major stop on the route from London. The central arch was the coach entrance into the rear courtyard where horses were changed and passengers alighted. It was one of the great coaching inns on the Great West Road from London to Bath and Bristol and, as such, had many historical figures staying there—from Oliver Cromwell to the MP Robert Peel. In 1649 Oliver Cromwell passed beneath the arched lintel, probably on horseback, seeking dinner and refuge for the night. The arrival of the railways killed their trade and it was sold in 1850 and divided up among different retail outlets. Only the façade remains. The Wiltshire & Swindon Archives holds this account in relation to a Mrs Davenport of the Talbot family of nearby Lacock: “Bill for horses, expenses on journeys (from Chippenham to Swansea), wages on back of bill for dinner and negus from John Goulter, Chippenham" As can be seen by the above advertisement he also made available “neat post chaises, able horses and careful drivers” [Negus: a hot drink of port, sugar, lemon, and spice]

Judith Bush (August 2025)

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