25/10/2026
Take a seat beside the roaring fire…
Hanging above the hearth framed is a reminder of how much the world has changed since our ancient inn first stood in Hardraw.
When the Green Dragon's story began in the 13th century, knights still rode into battle beneath the banners of kings, and England was a land of castles, kingdoms and bloody conflicts.
Over the centuries, our old inn would witness the world beyond its walls change beyond recognition.
In the 15th century came the Wars of the Roses, when the Houses of York and Lancaster fought for the English throne. Here in Yorkshire, the white rose became a symbol of the Yorkist cause, and even the Green Dragon's name has been linked through local legend to the banners of those turbulent times.
Centuries later, in 1815, came the Battle of Waterloo.
Among the most famous moments of that battle was the charge of the Royal Scots Greys, a regiment of British heavy cavalry who thundered across the battlefield on their grey horses, helping to break Napoleon's infantry formations before suffering terrible losses themselves.
The painting above our fireplace evokes that age of thundering hooves, scarlet uniforms and cavalry charges.
And through it all, life continued in our little corner of the Yorkshire Dales.
We can only imagine the conversations that have taken place beside this very fire over the centuries. News of distant battles, tales of returning soldiers and travellers carrying word of a world forever changing.
