The History of The Meadow Lark in Trumpington

The Meadow Lark may be a new name above the door, but the story of this spot on Church Lane stretches back centuries.

We’ve inherited a pub that has been The Unicorn and The Lord Byron Inn, and through every name it has been a place for the people of Trumpington to meet, eat and drink.

From brewery sales to village bowls matches, this corner of Church Lane has seen it all. It’s a story we’re proud to inherit, and we can’t wait to write the next page.

16th and 18th centuries: the Trinity Hall years

  • 1540s: Deeds held by Trinity Hall show a building on our site going back to at least the 1540s. That makes our plot more than 400 years old, even if the pub itself came later.
  • c.1801: An early map shows the property as a private house, still owned by Trinity Hall. Church Lane has always run quietly away from the main road, and ours is the only pub in the village that doesn’t sit on it.

Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

19th century: The Unicorn

  • 1840s: The pub is believed to date from around now, when it opened as The Unicorn.
  • 1858: The Unicorn is recorded as a beer house, the first firm proof we have of its life as a local.
  • 1860s to 1880s: A photograph, probably from the early 1880s, shows nearly 100 men gathered outside the thatched pub. The Trumpington Brass Band is out front and the Amicable Brotherly Friendly Society is behind them. It tells us this was a place for clubs, music and neighbours long before it was a place for dinner.
  • Victorian landlords: Isaac Bryant is recorded in 1861, 1869 and 1879. Frederick Jones followed in 1883, George E. Morgan in 1891 and Charles Clement Williams in 1892.

Keith Edkins / Sign of The Unicorn, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

20th century: breweries, bowls and landlords

  • Early 1900s: Trinity Hall still owned the pub and leased it to Bullards. Edward T. Rogers was publican in 1901, then George White in 1904 and Thomas Pawsey in 1916.
  • 1920: Trinity Hall sold The Unicorn to Dale’s Brewery. A photograph from the early 1920s shows the pub advertising Dale’s beers.
  • c.1920 to 1953: Trumpington Bowls Club played on the green beside the pub until it moved to the village playing field in 1953.
  • 1934: William and Eileen Smallwood were living at The Unicorn. They are among the many people who made the pub their home as well as their livelihood.

Footpath on Trumpington Meadows by Mr Ignavy, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

21st century: The Lord Byron Inn

  • 2008: The pub was extended to offer bed and breakfast, so visitors could stay as well as raise a glass.
  • May 2012: After around 170 years, The Unicorn became The Lord Byron Inn. The name nods to nearby Byron’s Pool, where the poet is reputed to have swum while studying at Trinity College.

Three channels above Byron’s Pool by John Sutton, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

2026: a new chapter as The Meadow Lark

In February 2026, we took on this historic spot on Church Lane, our first Heartwood Inn in Cambridgeshire, and began refurbishing it from top to bottom ready to open in December 2026.

The result: a warm bar, relaxed dining and lounge spaces, a spacious rear terrace and garden and 19 bedrooms, all with our usual design touches.

Sources

  1. Trumpington Local History Group. “Trumpington Public Houses: The Unicorn (The Lord Byron Inn)“. trumpingtonlocalhistorygroup.org.
  2. Trumpington Local History Group. “Evolution of Trumpington Village. From 900 AD to Today“. trumpingtonlocalhistorygroup.org.
  3. Trumpington Local History Group. “200 Years of Trumpington, 1801 to 2001“. trumpingtonlocalhistorygroup.org.
  4. Trumpington Local History Group. “Sport in Trumpington in the 1920s“. trumpingtonlocalhistorygroup.org.
  5. Trumpington Local History Group. “Trumpington History Trail 4: East of the Village Centre“. trumpingtonlocalhistorygroup.org.
  6. Trumpington Local History Group. “Trumpington History Trail 6: Trumpington Meadows Country Park and Byron’s Pool“. trumpingtonlocalhistorygroup.org.
  7. Trumpington Local History Group. “History of Trumpington Parish Church“. trumpingtonlocalhistorygroup.org.
  8. Museum of Cambridge. “Unicorn / Lord Byron, Church Lane, Trumpington“. Capturing Cambridge.
  9. Museum of Cambridge. “Byron’s Pool, Trumpington“. Capturing Cambridge.
  10. “Parishes: Trumpington“. A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 8. Victoria County History, 1982. British History Online.
  11. “Day out: River Cam and the Grantchester Meadows, Cambridgeshire“. Countryfile.
  12. University of Cambridge. “The Trumpington Cross burial: The face of an Anglo-Saxon teen VIP is revealed with new evidence about her life“. cam.ac.uk.
  13. “Heartwood Collection acquires Cambridge pub“. Pub & Bar, 25th February 2026.
  14. “Heartwood Collection Acquires The Lord Byron, Trumpington“. Hospitality & Catering News, February 2026.