The Ormonde Guesthouse (Chester, United Kingdom)

About The Ormonde Guesthouse

Former Railway Tavern public house, later renamed as the Ormonde tavern. Late 19th, early 20th century. Two storey, 3 bay semi symmetrical arrangement with projecting terminal end bays, timber framed gables to projecting bays. Slate roof, 1st floor timber framed. Ground floor Ruabon brick with stone dressings to window heads, cheeks and cills, casement windows with leaded transome lights. This building is now the Ormonde Hotel. "Ormonde" (1883–1904) was an English Thoroughbred racehorse, an unbeaten Triple Crown winner, generally considered to be one of the greatest racehorses ever. He also won the Champion Stakes and the Hardwicke Stakes twice. At the time he was often labeled as the 'horse of the century'. Ormonde was trained at Kingsclere by John Porter for the 1st Duke of Westminster. His regular jockeys were Fred Archer (who features on the sign outside the hotel in the correct colours) and Tom Cannon. After retiring from racing he suffered fertility problems, but still sired Orme, who won the Eclipse Stakes twice. It has been suggested that "Ormonde's" sire was the model for "Silver Blaze" in the Sherlock Holmes story of the same name, first published 1892. In the same way, "