Gainsborough Hotels: Where to Stay in Lincolnshire

Gainsborough is a Lincolnshire market town on the River Trent with a short list of places to sleep. This guide covers the hotels in Gainsborough we could confirm from two or more sources: a town centre Travelodge, a small restaurant hotel on Cox’s Hill, and a Grade II listed hotel on Lord Street. We also name nearby bed and breakfasts and flag the gaps. Rates change daily, so we quote none. Phone ahead to confirm any detail before you pay.

Compare Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England hotels on Expedia

Hotels in Gainsborough: Where to Stay in Lincolnshire

Travelodge Gainsborough

Travelodge is the easiest option to confirm. The hotel stands at 1A North Street, Gainsborough, DN21 2HP. The Travelodge website lists the booking line as 08719 846537.

Check-in starts at 3 PM. Check-out ends at 12 noon. Travelodge lists air conditioning, Wi-Fi, tea and coffee in the room, and snacks and drinks at reception around the clock. Pet-friendly rooms exist, so ask the chain about the pet terms before you travel.

The Lincolnshire World newspaper reports the hotel opened in November 2018 with 56 rooms. Covid rules closed the hotel in early 2021, and the doors reopened on 17 May 2021. Both sources agree the hotel sits in the town centre, near a car park run by the council.

Travelodge says the site lies a one minute walk from Marshall’s Yard. The same page puts Gainsborough Central station under half a mile away. Parking carries a charge and spaces go first come, first served, so check the current terms on the Travelodge page.

Pick this hotel if you want a standard room, a central base, and no need for a restaurant on site.

Hickman Hill Hotel on Cox’s Hill

Hickman Hill is a small hotel with a restaurant and a bar. The address is Cox’s Hill, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, DN21 1HH. The hotel website lists the phone as 01427 613639 and the email as info@hickmanhill.co.uk.

The Mayflower 400 tourism partner site lists the hotel as a Grade II listed building with 10 en suite bedrooms, a restaurant, and a bar. The hotel website also lists free parking, disabled access, and a bridal suite. The site promotes weddings and events, so ask about event dates when you book a weekend.

An Expedia listing gives check-in as 3 PM to 9 PM and check-out as 10:30 AM. The same listing says the front desk keeps limited hours, from 10 AM to 9 PM. Guests who plan to arrive after 9 PM should call first. We could confirm those times from only one source, so treat them as unconfirmed and ask the hotel.

The Expedia listing also says service animals are welcome but regular pets are not. Confirm the pet rule by phone as well.

Our old guide called the building a converted schoolhouse. We found no source for the claim, so we removed the claim. The Expedia listing gives a build date of 1795. We could not match the date to a second source.

Pick Hickman Hill if you want a small hotel with a dining room on site.

The Gainsborough Hotel on Lord Street

The Gainsborough Hotel stands at 49 Lord Street, Gainsborough, DN21 2DD, according to the CAMRA pub database. CAMRA lists the building as a former coaching inn. The listing notes the venue works as a hotel, so the bar serves residents only.

A student accommodation site describes a Grade II listed building near the market square on a pedestrian street. The site lists tea, coffee, and toiletries in the rooms. The same site gives a three minute walk to Gainsborough Old Hall, a two minute walk to All Saints Church, and a five minute walk to Gainsborough Central station. We treat those walk times as the listing’s claims, not our own measurements.

We found no phone number, check-in time, or amenity list from the hotel itself. Look up the current number on a booking site and phone to confirm room types, breakfast, parking, and arrival hours before you pay.

Pick this hotel if you want a historic building near the market square and you are happy to confirm details first.

Bed and Breakfasts and Guest Houses Near Gainsborough

The Mayflower 400 partner site lists several smaller places in the countryside around the town. Each carries a single listing in our research, so we flag all of them as unconfirmed.

The Black Swan Guest House is a Grade II listed former coaching inn, about 5 miles from Gainsborough according to the listing. Brampton Dales Farm sits in a 26 acre country setting about 4 miles from the town. Grayingham Lodge is a traditional farmhouse bed and breakfast. The Grange at Kexby is a Victorian farmhouse bed and breakfast the listing rates at four stars.

Hemswell Court is a former RAF officers mess in the same listings. The Mayflower 400 pages group the building with event venues, and also list the building among bed and breakfasts. We could not settle which use applies today, so call before you plan a stay there.

We found no addresses or phone numbers on those pages. Search each name, find the owner’s own page, and confirm the rooms and the location before you book. Rural places often need a car, so ask about parking and the walk from the nearest bus stop.

Old Listings We Dropped: Holiday Inn Lincoln and West Retford Hotel

Our earlier guide included Holiday Inn Lincoln and the West Retford Hotel. Both hotels exist, but neither stands in Gainsborough. The Holiday Inn is in the city of Lincoln. The West Retford Hotel is in Retford, in Nottinghamshire.

Wikipedia places Gainsborough 18 miles north west of Lincoln. We found no sourced distance to Retford, so we make no claim on the gap. A reader who wants a hotel in Gainsborough itself should skip both and use the three hotels above.

If rooms in Gainsborough run out, Lincoln gives you a larger choice of hotels. Trains link Gainsborough Lea Road with Lincoln, so a base there still works for a trip to the town. Check the current timetable before you plan around a train.

Things to Plan Around: Gainsborough Old Hall and Marshall’s Yard

Gainsborough Old Hall is the main sight. The address is Parnell Street, Gainsborough, DN21 2NB. English Heritage runs the hall and lists the phone as 01427 677348. English Heritage says tickets stay valid all day within opening hours. Check the English Heritage page for the current days and hours, because we could not confirm them.

Sir Thomas Burgh built the Old Hall between 1471 and 1484, according to Wikipedia. Burgh entertained King Richard III there in 1484. Henry VIII visited in 1509 and again in 1541 with his fifth wife, Katherine Howard. The kitchen is described as possibly the most complete medieval kitchen in England. Sir Edmund Bacon gave the hall to the nation in 1970.

The hall also matters to the Mayflower story. After William Hickman bought the hall in 1596, he sheltered Puritan dissenters including John Smyth and Thomas Helwys. They later went to the Netherlands and helped found the Baptist tradition. The tourism site Mayflower 400 lists the hall as a Separatist site.

Marshall’s Yard is a shopping centre at Beaumont Street, DN21 2NA. The centre lists stores such as Next, The Range, and M and S Simply Food, along with Costa Coffee and Prezzo. A health club and a landscaped plaza complete the site. The centre lists 330 parking spaces. Opening hours on the site run 9 AM to 5:30 PM Monday to Saturday and 10 AM to 4 PM on Sunday, though individual stores vary.

All Saints Church has a 90 foot medieval tower with eight bells, according to Wikipedia. The town also inspired George Eliot’s novel The Mill on the Floss, which appeared in 1860. Eliot visited in 1859. Gainsborough Trinity Football Club plays in the Northern Premier League, so match days can be another reason to book a room.

Getting to Gainsborough and Getting Around

Wikipedia places the town on the east bank of the River Trent. The town lies 18 miles north west of Lincoln, 16 miles south west of Scunthorpe, and 20 miles south east of Doncaster. The A631, A156, and A159 roads serve the town. Stagecoach Lincolnshire runs the buses.

Two stations serve Gainsborough. Gainsborough Central lies in the town centre. Gainsborough Lea Road sits on the southern edge of town. Wikipedia says Northern Trains runs an hourly weekday and Saturday service between Lincoln and Leeds through Retford and Sheffield. East Midlands Railway runs five trains a day between Doncaster and Peterborough through Lincoln and Sleaford. Sunday service differs, so check the timetable.

The student accommodation listing for the Lord Street hotel gives Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport as 18 kilometres away. We could not confirm the figure from a second source, so check a map for the route and the drive time.

Visitors who stay in the town centre can walk to the main sights. Anyone who books a country bed and breakfast should plan to drive.

How to Choose Where to Stay in Gainsborough

Rail travellers and anyone who wants a central bed should look at Travelodge. The hotel stands near Marshall’s Yard and under half a mile from Gainsborough Central, according to the chain.

Couples and anyone who wants dinner on site should call Hickman Hill. The hotel lists a restaurant and a bar and has only 10 rooms. Book early for a weekend, because the hotel also hosts weddings and events.

History fans should look at the Lord Street hotel. Its listing puts the Old Hall and All Saints Church within a short walk. Phone first, because the hotel’s own details were hard to find.

Drivers who like quiet countryside should call the farmhouse and guest house options. Ask about parking, breakfast, and the best route from the main road.

Before you pay, confirm the property name on the door, the cancellation terms, the parking arrangements, and the hours of the front desk. Ask for the total with taxes and fees. Compare the total on two booking sites and by phone.

What We Checked and What We Could Not

We checked Travelodge details against the Travelodge website and the Lincolnshire World newspaper. We checked Hickman Hill against its own website, the Mayflower 400 tourism site, and an Expedia listing. We checked the Lord Street hotel against the CAMRA database and a student accommodation site. We took Old Hall details from English Heritage and Wikipedia, Marshall’s Yard details from its own site, and the town and rail facts from Wikipedia.

We could not confirm current rates, the Old Hall opening hours, Hickman Hill’s own check-in times, any phone number for the Lord Street hotel, or any detail for the country bed and breakfasts beyond one listing each. Phone numbers and policies change. Confirm each detail with the property before you travel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Hotels in Gainsborough form a short list, so book early and confirm details by phone. Travelodge gives you a standard room in the town centre. Hickman Hill gives you a small hotel with a restaurant. The Gainsborough Hotel gives you a historic building near the market square. Plan a visit to the Old Hall and Marshall’s Yard, and check hours on the official pages before you go.

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