The Old Auctioneer

Banbury. Established in 1596 and surviving the Great Fire of 1628, this is the third oldest building in town. It was formerly known as the Flying Horse, and in the 1830s was a coaching inn, with as many as 53 coaches departing weekly for London (a seven hour journey). It is considered a living museum of Banbury's history and contains numerous unique artifacts. The bar is built from fort doors sourced from Fort Saint-Andre, Avignon. The wood paneling in the restaurant and the stairwell was salvaged from WWII American ammunition crates. The floorboards at the front of the building are original, as are the beams above, sourced from a wrecked Spanish Galleon. The Foreign Exchange sign above reception came from Coutts Bank in the Strand, and the spotlights on the restaurant wall came from the Queens dressmakers alteration fitting platform owned by Dir Norman Harnell and illuminated the Queens Coronation Dress. The large beer garden out back features quite a mix of tables and chairs, including seats from an old cinema which are bolted into place. They were a comfortable place for me to sit and enjoy a pint of an old favorite, Timothy Taylor's Landlord (West Yorkshire).