Named in honour of Shrewsbury's famous son, this Grade II* listed Sandford House, moments from the Severn towpath, has evolved into a B&B full of Darwin references, with animal and plant wallpapers, maps and natural history objets.

A Tudor black-and-white coaching inn once known for its medieval banquets, this gastropub has taken a leap into the 21st century with smart designer bedrooms and sophisticated cooking of local and home-grown produce.

Amid rolling hills, where Shropshire nudges Herefordshire, Pippa and Willem Vlok's restaurant with rooms comprises a picturesque set piece of medieval and Georgian farm buildings.

The gardens are the great glory of John and Sue Cushing's Georgian manor house deep in dairy country, with abundant home-grown produce featuring on menus, and light summer lunches served on the rose garden terrace.

After standing empty for almost nine years and falling into decay, this handsome village pub was rescued by the community a decade ago and thrives today as a friendly local and smart pub with rooms.

You can dine well in historic splendour in the old drapers' guild hall at this singularly atmospheric restaurant with individually styled rooms.

Debra and Phil Wright's village pub-with-rooms on the Welsh borders 'puts to shame places that charge twice as much', writes a regular Guide reader.

Behind a Georgian facade, this 16th-century coaching inn in the historic town centre has cool, casual-chic interiors, warm and friendly service, innovative cooking in the restaurant, and real ales, wine, cocktails and tapas in next-door Ernest & Co Wine bar.

A dog-friendly and intensely characterful B&B filled with antiques and original artworks, Victoria House is in the centre of a lively market town, with its back garden overlooking the 11th-century church. On-site Jemima's kitchen café serves light lunches, cakes and pastries.

A fabulously photogenic, Grade I listed Jacobean building in the heart of this foodie town is home to a dog-friendly hotel where modern bedrooms with rainfall showers sit happily with original features, while guests can dine casually from a lounge menu, or more formally in the restaurant.

This red-brick Georgian coaching inn on the Oakly Park estate, 10 minutes from foodie-central Ludlow, has been smartly updated, with country-chic bedrooms, and field-to-fork menus in the breezy open-plan bar and restaurant, using produce from the walled garden.

Chaucer bedroom has a veray parfit private terrace, Eliot a river view, Milton a reading corner, at this Georgian townhouse B&B and one-time library beside the Severn, with a book-lined sitting room and log burner, terraced garden, and breakfast room hung with Victorian oil paintings of prize cattle.