The Candover: A Hampshire Coaching Inn Reborn

In the village of Preston Candover, near Alresford and Winchester, an old coaching inn has been given a new life. The Candover is a relaxed country pub with rooms, saved from becoming a private house by three friends from the valley who wanted to keep their local at the heart of village life. Timber and stone floors, limewashed walls, antique furnishings and a bar warmed by log fires make it the kind of place you settle into without a second thought. The kitchen cooks honest British food over an open grill, and the cellar draws on the region, with beer brewed nearby and English sparkling wine from a neighbouring vineyard.

We were pleased to supply the stone and tile throughout. Outside is our Wychwood porcelain paving, a reproduction of the popular Wychwood limestone. It keeps the soft, fossil-flecked look of the natural stone but adds the practical benefits of porcelain, being hardwearing, weatherproof and slip-resistant, which suits the terrace and pub garden beautifully.

Indoors, Trusloe limestone runs underfoot. Its tones are soft and muted, yet the stone itself is famously hard, and the riven surface is smoothed and then seasoned to give the worn, settled look of a period country-house floor. It is the quiet foundation the rooms are built upon, handsome but never showy.

In the bathrooms, our Maroc tiles bring a little artisanal warmth. A homage to the ancient Moroccan Zellige tradition, each tile has a gently undulating, glossy surface that catches the light, with subtle shifts in tone that give a wall the character of something handmade. Against the pale stone and limewash, they add colour and depth without breaking the calm.

The Candover is a rare place to stay in this quiet corner of the county, and we are proud to have played a part in bringing it back to life.

The Candover opened in spring 2026 in Preston Candover, Hampshire.