Before the arrival of the London and South Western railway, Wimbledon was all up the hill in what is now Wimbledon Village and so were the best pubs. Young's Brewery, founded in 1831, took over the Dog & Fox a few years later to exploit the passing stagecoach traffic, much of it bound for Portsmouth. It must have been a busy, manure-perfumed place back then. Now, guests at the 17-room hotel, which opened early this summer, are greeted by a friendly receptionist in a small but smart lobby that opens in to a very spacious pub-cum-restaurant. Upstairs, staff flats have been turned into bedrooms of varying sizes, from the Fox suite, which takes up the whole of a curving corner, to pokier but quieter ones at the back.
Decorated in bold, warm colours and a mix of rescued and bespoke furniture, it's on a country lodge theme tartan here, houndstooth carpet there, statues of horses and beagles, faux fur throws
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