The Cartford (formerly Cartford Hotel and Cartford Arms and Cartford Inn) is a boutique hotel and restaurant with rooms in Little Eccleston-with-Larbreck, Lancashire, England. The property comprises a restaurant holding 2 AA Rosettes and a listing in the Michelin Guide, thirteen individually designed bedrooms, an on-site deli, and an art gallery. It stands on the southern banks of the River Wyre, just off the Cartford Bridge, one of the few remaining toll bridges in the United Kingdom, with views to the northeast of the Forest of Bowland.
The Beaumé family have owned the property since 2007,"Stunning new additions at the Cartford Inn in Little Eccleston" - Lancashire Life, 10 November 2017 after they purchased it from John Smith.The Cartford Arms at Geograph.co.uk Julie Beaumé was born in nearby Blackpool, while Patrick Beaumé was born in the Médoc, Bordeaux.
History A former coaching inn, the first record of "The Cartford Inn" name was in 1839. It had become the Cartford Hotel by 1853. A landlady in the 1960s was known as "Dirty Annie".
The establishment changed name in the 1980s to the Cartford Arms.A History of Blackpool, the Fylde and South Wyre – Nick Moore (2018), p. 258
Recognition In 2024, when operating as an inn, it was named AA Inn of the Year for Great Britain."Lancashire's Cartford Inn named AA Inn of the Year 2024" – Lancashire Evening Post, 12 July 2024 When operating as an inn, it was also included in the Top 50 Gastropubs list and in the Condé Nast Johansens guide. Its restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide.Cartford Inn - Little Eccleston - Michelin Guide official website
The Cartford has been awarded an AA five-star rating.Sleep - The Cartford official website Before the AA became the licence holder of the quality assessment schemes, it also received five stars from VisitEngland.
The Daily Telegraph described it as a "quirky yet stylish boutique hotel with a modern British-French restaurant".
The Times described it as "a great foodie find in Lancashire".
It was named the UK's 2020 Pub of the Year by The Daily Telegraph."This north west pub has just been named in the best in the UK" - Manchester Evening News, 8 September 2020
Food and drink The restaurant's menus are built around seasonal Lancashire produce, with a noted French influence. The food is the work of head chef Chris Bury (formerly of The Fat Duck), who took over the head-chef position from Ian Manning in 2016.
The restaurant was reviewed by The Guardians Jay Rayner in 2017"The Cartford Inn, Lancashire: 'Long may it flourish' – restaurant review" - The Guardian, 12 November 2017 and The Caterers Brendan Coyne in 2015."Better Business: The Cartford Inn" - TheCaterer.com, 16 January 2015
Also on the property is the two-storey River House,Private events - The Cartford official website which was formerly John Smith's Hart Brewery."Alan's a diamond geezer" - Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 6 September 2002History - HartBrewery.co.uk
Accommodation There are thirteen individually designed rooms in the main building. There are also two cabins―named Ziggy and the Robins Nest— on the property.
Gallery
References
External links Official website of The Cartford "North west pub installs greenhouse-style dining pods ahead of reopening" - Manchester Evening News, 17 June 2020 The Cartford Inn at Geograph.co.uk