History
A Proud Past in the Heart of Wye
Set in the heart of the Kent Downs, the New Flying Horse is a Grade II listed country inn with centuries of history behind it.
Originally established as a posting house on the road to Canterbury, the pub has served travellers, locals and passers-by for over 250 years. Timber beams, tiled gables and open fires hint at its 18th-century origins, while the warm hospitality carries through the spirit of old England with a modern touch.
Our inn stands in Wye, one of Kent’s most historic villages - once a royal Saxon manor, later home to Wye College, founded in 1447 by Cardinal John Kempe. Kings stayed here. Rebels were tried here. Scholars, clergy, and farmers were educated here for generations. On the hillside above, the Wye Crown, carved into the North Downs by students in 1902 to celebrate the coronation of Edward VII, still watches over the valley.
A Chelsea Flower Show Legacy
In May 2006, the New Flying Horse became the permanent home to something extraordinary: a piece of living history.
‘A Soldier’s Dream of Blighty’ - an award-winning Chelsea Flower Show garden designed by Julian Dowle - was faithfully recreated in our pub garden. The original show garden, created with the help of Chelsea Pensioners, won Best Show Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show 2005, and was designed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
Set in 1945, the garden featured:
- A Dig for Victory vegetable patch
- A pond and tranquil seating area
- A field of poppies
- A miniature English pub, representing the dream of homecoming in the form of a thatched building
On May 10, 2014, we were honoured to welcome six Chelsea Pensioners to mark eight years since its installation.
The main feature of the garden, the thatched cottage, remains and is well maintained having been fully re-thatched in 2023. It now serves as an art studio for local artist Lorraine Hawkins.
Honours and Hospitality
The New Flying Horse has continued to thrive in recent years, winning Shepherd Neame’s Wine Pub of the Year and being named overall Shepherd Neame Pub of the Year in 2023.
Wye: A Village Steeped in History
To understand the New Flying Horse is to understand Wye itself.
This medieval market village has been many things: a Roman ironworking site, a royal Saxon estate, a judicial centre, a site of Reformation trials, and later a hub of agricultural science. It even had a racecourse drawing 20,000 spectators before closing in 1975.
But despite its history, Wye remains modest - a place of somewhereness. With its ancient street plan, Georgian shopfronts, and tight-knit community, it blends timeless charm with forward-looking hospitality. Today, it’s regularly ranked among the best places to live in England.
Visit the Past. Stay for the Present.
Whether you’re walking the North Downs Way, raising a glass in the shadow of the Wye Crown, or exploring the living tribute in our garden, the New Flying Horse offers more than a meal or a night’s rest.
It offers a connection - to people, place, and history.