Swan Hotel
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The present Swan Hotel was built in 1900 on the site of an inn dating from the 1760's.
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HISTORY OF THE SWAN
1770 - A small In & Alehouse was mentioned in Walter Leigh's Manorial Map
1880 - Rebuilt entirely to its present form
1900 - Stars such as Stewart Rome stayed at the Swan Hotel. The hotel appeared in many Hepworth films.
1910 - American songwriter Jerome Kern met and fell in love with Eva, daughter of the licensee.
The Swan gets its name from the annual ceremony of "Swan Upping" performed every year since the 12th Century on the Thames. The object is to count and divide mute Swans between the Crown and the Companies of the Dyers and Vintners. Each bird is taken up with a long pole and marked on its bill. The Uppers still stop at the Swan on their way to Staines in this yearly round up.
1770 - A small In & Alehouse was mentioned in Walter Leigh's Manorial Map
1880 - Rebuilt entirely to its present form
1900 - Stars such as Stewart Rome stayed at the Swan Hotel. The hotel appeared in many Hepworth films.
1910 - American songwriter Jerome Kern met and fell in love with Eva, daughter of the licensee.
The Swan gets its name from the annual ceremony of "Swan Upping" performed every year since the 12th Century on the Thames. The object is to count and divide mute Swans between the Crown and the Companies of the Dyers and Vintners. Each bird is taken up with a long pole and marked on its bill. The Uppers still stop at the Swan on their way to Staines in this yearly round up.
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.JEROME KERN AND HIS ROMANCE AT THE SWAN
The Swan Hotel was the venue for a charming romance. In 1909, Jerome Kern - the American composer - was cruising on the Thames. He moored at Walton, had a drink in the Swan and fell in love with the landlord’s daughter, Eve Leale. They married in St. Mary's Church Walton-on-Thames on October 25th 1910.. The couple lived at The Swan when in England Jerome Kern wrote more than 700 songs including 'Ol' Man River', 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes' and 'The Way you Look Tonight' There's a full biography of Jerome Kern on Wikipedia. |