Built to house the growing number of ne’er-do-wells attracted to Galena in its heyday as a lead-mining town, this imposing fortress-like building would have been the last place you would have wanted to stay the night. Occupants were thrown unceremoniously into a cold, bare, stone cell, with ten other ruffians and given only a bug-ridden straw mattress for comfort.
Thankfully the present owners take a very different attitude to hospitality, and a stay here is about as far from punishment as it is possible to get. Welcoming, cosy and homely is now much more the order of the day.
Extensive as the 2015 refurbishment was, they have preserved just enough of the building’s original features to retain its character: the 45 cell-block windows (some nine feet tall), the gargantuan curved brick ceilings and exposed wooden beams. The inn also features a yard with a garden view to enjoy a glass of local wine after a busy day taking in the local sights.
