Welcome! Guests often wonder about the stories hidden within these walls. The building you are standing in has a rich history stretching back centuries, serving travellers, farmers, and now, our guests.
The property stands at the junction of the main road from Lincoln to Gainsborough and Tillbridge Lane—a former Roman road that once stretched all the way to Doncaster via a River Trent ford.
Long before the current building existed, an ancient tavern called the Black Swan Posting House stood on this very site. The oldest surviving part of the property is the cellar. Look closely at its red bricks; this style of brickwork was highly popular before the 18th century. By the mid-1700s, Georgian fashion changed, dictating that bricks should be a lighter, stone-like colour instead.
The property we see today was constructed in three distinct phases:
According to the 1841 census, the final innkeeper of the Black Swan Coaching Inn was a farmer named John Abraham. He lived here with his wife Ann, their four children (Elizabeth, Ann, John, and Mary), two servants, and two guests.
By 1851, the coaching era was drawing to a close. The property stopped trading as an inn and was renamed Manor Farm, operating as a working farm for over 140 years.
In 1985, the building’s architectural and historical importance was officially recognised when it became a Grade II Listed property. Finally, in 1993, the historic farm was fully and lovingly renovated, reopening its doors to travellers once again as the Black Swan Guest House.
