History of Macdonald Compleat Angler

The Compleat Angler started its life, as a very small Inn owned by
Wethereds Brewery and was known as the "Riverside Inn", which boasted
some six rooms. Izaak Walton is believed to have written his world famous
book on angling in and around Marlow in 1653 and it is from his book
that the name of the Inn was later taken. The Compleat Angler was always
a very popular and fashionable place frequented by the artists and
intellectuals of the period - Edgar Wallace, Dame Nellie Melba,
J.M. Barrie, Phil May, the famous Punch artist, Scott Fitzgerald,
Noel Coward, Nancy Mitford and Tallulah Bankhead, plus many others.
In 1888 the landlord of The Compleat Angler was Mr Robert
Kilby who, subsequently, bought the hostelry from the brewery in 1923.
Mr Kilby was responsible for adding the restaurant on the site, which
was vacated when the old wooden bridge was demolished and
replaced by the suspension bridge built by Tierney Clarke.
After Mr Kilby's death, Mrs Kilby continued to run The Compleat Angler,
but in 1928 she sold it to Alfred Yarrow, the founder of Yarrow shipbuilders.
On his death in 1932 he left the hotel to his daughter Lady Dawson,
whose husband was then the king's physician. As Lord and Lady Dawson
had no interest in running the "pub", their recently married daughter,
Lady Bowater and her husband Sir Ian Bowater, persuaded Lord and
Lady Dawson to let them "have a go". They continued to run and expand
the hotel until June 1980 when they sold it to Trusthouse Forte
Limited. In 1996, Trusthouse Forte sold The Compleat Angler to Granada,
who then sold it in 2001 to Macdonald Hotels.
Internationally renowned for its beautiful location and high standards
the Compleat Angler remains a hotel frequented by royalty, celebrities
and film stars - which have included the late Princess Diana, Omar Sharif,
Clint Eastwood and Naomi Campbell, to name a few.
On Thursday 24th June 1999, The Compleat Angler made history when
Her Majesty the Queen ate out, for the very first time at the public restaurant outside London - albeit at a private function. His Excellency, Arpad Göncz, the President of Hungary
invited the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles, to be his guests at The Compleat Angler. The hotel was chosen not only because of its powerful reputation for
quality coupled with absolute discretion, but also because of its unrivalled view
of Marlow Bridge. William Tierney Clarke who designed Marlow bridge also
designed the Széchenyi chain bridge that spans the Danube linking the twin cities of Buda and Pest.
They are in fact the only two surviving suspension bridges that Clarke built.