Now owned by Alex Polizzi, best known from Channel 5’s The Hotel Inspector, and her interior designer mother Olga, The Star in Alfriston acted as a place of safety for pilgrims and even fugitives.
The Grade II listed building was originally built as a religious hostel in 1345 and was run by monks from Battle Abbey.
Friars and pilgrims sheltered at the hostel, which is in the tiny Saxon village’s high street, as they journeyed to the shrine of St Richard in Chichester.
Historic England says a wooden “sanctuary post”, which can still be found in the bar today, is said to have given fugitives instant church protection.
The Star became an inn in the 15th century and was known as the Star of Bethlehem until around 1520.
Wooden figures depicting George slaying the dragon feature on the inn’s front.
And a lion figurehead, which still stands at the front of the now 30 room hotel, is thought to have come from a Dutch warship that sank in the English Channel.
Read more: The tiny Sussex village that has become a magnet for the rich and famous
Historic England said: “It is believed that the lion was washed ashore in Cuckmere Haven and then brought into Alfriston by a gang of well-known local smugglers. The figurehead was restored in 2003 by the local rector and re-positioned on the opposite corner of the hotel.”
The Polizzis said the inn provided food and drink to the large number of troops stationed in the village during the Napoleonic Wars.
Alex Polizzi bought the building with her hotelier mother Olga in 2019 and set about a £2 million refurbishment.
Some of the work included fixing dodgy boilers, stripping mossy roofs as well as repairing old windows.
The extensive renovation featured in an episode of Polizzi’s My Hotel Nightmare.
It reopened in 2021.
Olga, 78, also owns Friston Place with her writer and broadcaster husband William Shawcross, who inherited the 16th century manor house from his father Sir Hartley Shawcross.
Sir Hartley was a British politician, barrister and was the chief prosecutor for the UK at the Nuremberg trials.
Speaking about their venture at the time of purchase, Olga said: “My home is in this part of the world and I’ve always longed for the opportunity to open a hotel in Sussex.
“When The Star Inn came on the market, Alex and I were immediately interested in the project. We want it to be an integral part of the community and provide a welcoming environment for all, from walkers to opera goers.”
Source link
[Featured]
[Just In]
