This is a very special place, and perfect spot to understand why we say 'sleep tight'. Most people drive through Bilsdale barely noticing its treasures - the Sun Inn is one of them, but it's not a pub... If you're waiting for inspiration for your next novel or film - here it is! Or just take a break from the modern world and go back in time, experiencing a magical otherworldliness that stays with you. You can visit from Easter to October, and just absorb the incredible atmosphere.
It's a rare example of a cruck-framed building, dating to about 1550. Originally a farm cottage called Spout House (there'a spring nearby), it became licensed and known as the Sun Inn in 1714. The licensee continued farming by day.
It was a popular inn: by 1914 a new Sun Inn was built next door and the old one simply left, which is why it's so special. The North York Moors National Park has taken steps to care for the building, such as with a new thatch, but otherwise left the furniture in place. It feels as if the owners simply stepped out for a moment, leaving you in charge, ready to cook on the ancient range or fetch a jug of ale for a thirsty traveller. (you can't actually do this, but you can in your imagination...)
You can see the hollows made by feet on the floors and bottoms on the chairs, and climb the precarious steep steps to imagine sleeping in one of the beds and swatting away the insects lurking in the open thatch above.
The beds don't have springs or slats - they were a simple construction made from a wooden frame and ropes. If the ropes slackened, the bed would sag and be uncomfortable, hence the expression: 'sleep tight and mind the bed bugs don't bite'. Seeing these beds you can really imagine the bed bugs biting...
The Sun Inn is associated with much local lore and great stories. There are tales of beer supplies coming from Tadcaster in the 1760s, using horse and carts to bring them up Sutton Bank. Sometimes they got stuck (familiar story even with motorised vehicles now!) and the barrels had to be rolled uphill instead