Overlooking the pub courtyard, The Townshend is a spacious room with a unique king size bed, with a headboard made from one of the original pub doors, goose down duvets, and ensuite bathroom with shower.
Henry Townshend (c. 1602-1663) was a Worcestershire gentleman who lived in Elmley Lovett, a village ten miles north of Worcester. He was the son and a half-brother of men who had sat in parliaments under Elizabeth I and James I, but he himself never became an MP. He was instead prominent in the government of his county. Just before 1640 he began to copy documents on aspects of public administration, and in 1640 he began to keep a diary.
After the outbreak of the civil war in 1642, Townshend became a pillar of royalist administration, and the man concerned about heavy taxes was obliged to levy rates and taxes on behalf of the king. His scribal community was now the king’s party in Worcestershire, and he started to copy other kinds of material relating to the war effort. He also went on to keep a vivid diary of the siege of Worcester in 1646, when he was holed up in the city by the New Model army. The Diary and Papers of Henry Townshend, 1640-1663, edited by Stephen Porter, Stephen K. Roberts and Ian Roy was published in 2015 and mentions meetings held here at The Cardinal’s Hat.
"Great, Proper Pub"
Great, Proper Pub. An absolute gem of a pub. Great beer, staff and atmosphere all in the centre of Worcester The scotch eggs are something else too! Highly recommended.