"Tintern's fame came thanks to its inclusion in travel writer William Gilpin's 1782 book Observations on the River Wye. Gilpin's writing about the picturesque landscapes that inspired art through their rugged beauty was so popular in the late 18th century that the Wye Tour was created to meet tourist demand, one of the first package trips in British travel history."
"It's interesting that the Royal George, the beautifully renovated coaching inn that has recently reopened in the village after a two-year refurbishment, takes local history and craft as its inspiration rather than leaning into the area's national reputation."
"A building has stood on the hotel's location since the 16th century—it was originally the village forge owner's home—but the renovation has opened under the name the Royal George because that's what local people have always called it."
Tintern Abbey in Monmouthshire holds profound cultural significance, inspiring renowned artists including Turner, Gainsborough, and Palmer, as well as poets Wordsworth and Tennyson. The site gained prominence through William Gilpin's 1782 book on picturesque landscapes, which sparked the Wye Tour—one of Britain's first package trips. Allen Ginsberg visited in the 1960s, continuing the Romantic tradition. The recently renovated Royal George coaching inn, located on a site with 16th-century origins as a forge owner's home, deliberately emphasizes local history and craft rather than the area's celebrated literary heritage. The inn's name derives from HMS Royal George, a warship that sank in Portsmouth in 1782.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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