Our Story
Two and a half centuries of open fires, full glasses and a warm welcome beside the River Eye.
The Copper Beech began life in 1783 as a coaching inn on the old wool road, watering horses and travellers making their way between Oxford and Cheltenham. The great copper beech tree on the green — planted, so the story goes, to mark the coronation of George III — still shades our garden today.
For generations the inn passed between village families, serving as taproom, post house and, during the war, a billet for airmen from the nearby aerodrome. In 1998 the Whitmore family took on the tenancy, and three generations have looked after it since — restoring the flagstones, planting the walled kitchen garden and coaxing the kitchen to three AA Rosettes.
What we care about
Local first
We buy from the farms, orchards and smallholdings around us, and grow what we can ourselves.
Proper hospitality
No airs, no rush. Just good food, comfortable beds and people who remember your name.
Looking after the valley
Solar hot water, refillable everything, and a kitchen that wastes as little as it possibly can.
Meet the team
Rosalind Whitmore
Head Chef & Owner
James Whitmore
Innkeeper & Cellarman
Meera Chandra
Restaurant Manager
Come and be part of it
Two centuries on, still keeping the fire lit
Whether it's your first visit or your fiftieth, there's always a warm welcome and a good pint waiting.
Plan Your Visit