The Black Lion, Long Melford, Suffolk – hotel review

This inn in a pretty, historic village has had a slick refurb but remains resolutely old-fashioned – in a very good way

Locals just call it Melford but in the village’s full name, Long Melford, rarely has an adjective been so apt. Its pretty high street runs for three miles, flanked by well-preserved, centuries-old houses built for wealthy cloth merchants. People have also been living here for a long time: its inclusion in the Domesday book is a relatively recent notch on a timeline that stretches back 10,000 years, taking in an extensive Roman settlement along the way.