History of the Macdonald Swan's Nest Hotel

Situated on the south side of the river Avon, the Hotel's history dates from the late 17th Century. Brick was not in common usage in Stratford-upon-Avon except for chimneys until the early 1670s. One of the two earliest brick houses in the town, its bricks were said to be made on site.

A local nobleman, Sir Hugh Clopton, who was an extremely successful businessman, becoming Lord Mayor of London in 1492. He built a “great and sumptuous” stone bridge with 14 arches across the river to replace the old wooden one, which still carries heavy traffic some 450 years later. The land which the, Hotel occupies, belonged originally to his family and the inn started life as The Bear in 1662. Shortly before the construction of the current building, Sir John Clopton enlarged the old house, in 1673 as part of a scheme for developing the navigation of the river. After a period of use as a warehouse, it was re-opened as The Shoulder of Mutton; the name Swans Nest is comparatively recent.

An interesting view of the Hotel in the early 20th Century has been passed down verbally from Albert Rose, whose family still run the boating business on the River Avon. Albert inherited The Shoulder of Mutton from his father, George. The Boathouse opposite the Inn had been used as a warehouse and the boats were first provided as a facility for the guests staying at the Inn. Albert Rose took great pleasure in what is now the Bar area, but then was his private Billiard Room.