 The inn was built in 1895-6 by John Davison, whose previous hotel building, a converted parsonage, was destroyed by fire.His business's importance to the local economy was underscored by the town's decision to exempt the property from taxation for ten years if he rebuilt, and it set a reward for the capture of the arsonist who is thought to have set the fire.Originally called the "Central Inn", it was soon renamed the Holderness Inn.