history and literary references to the white hart village inn

Below you will be able to find information on the rich and varied history of our beautiful and sensitively restored 16th century property.

henry VIII, jane seymour and oliver cromwell

	Located in the beautiful Usk Vale, this historic inn was originally built in the 12th century for Cistercian monks. In the early 1500s it became the property of Henry VIII as part of Jane Seymour's wedding dowry and a century later Oliver Cromwell is reputed to have used it as his headquarters in Gwent. The interior still retains its original 12th century fireplaces, no fewer than 11 other fireplaces from the 1600s, a wealth of exposed beams, original tudor plasterwork and and even a priest hole.
	For years, students of English literature were mystified by a couple of lines in the poem 'Usk' written by the most famous poet of his day, TS Eliot: "Do not hope to find The white hart behind the white well...". Only recently has it been established that Eliot was referring not to an animal but to The White Hart Village Inn. Touring Wales in in 1935 the poet had visited the old hostelry which does indeed stand not far from the village well, once painted white and now in ruins.
	We have included some media links below relating to this relatively recent discovery in 2003: -