This artwork at Angel & Royal Hotel features famous Grantham faces

A specially commissioned painting hanging on a wall in Grantham's oldest hotel has become quite the talking point.

Featuring some of Grantham's most famous faces, the painting takes pride of place at the Angel & Royal Hotel, which opened on Monday for the first time under the ownership of Grantham-born Dean Harrison.

Dean – an experienced hotelier who worked in the Angel's kitchen to gain work experience as a teenager – bought the 13th century hotel, one of the oldest in the world, during the Covid pandemic.

As such, Monday was a momentous day for Dean and his team as they opened the doors for the first time.

Dean told the Journal the painting was getting much attention.

He added: "A friend of mine in London painted it, along with one of kings and queens who were purported to have stayed here.

"We put something on Facebook asking for names of people we could include and there were many more, we couldn't get them all on there.

"It's a big talking point."

Readers will no doubt be able to identify many of the faces featured...but others are not so easy!

Grantham-born first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher stars, as does physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton.

And we're pleased to see that Journal cartoonist, and Grantham treasure, Terry Shelbourne is also pictured. Terry passed away last year after contracting Covid-19, just days after turning 90.

The scene in the painting is set in the King's Room of the hotel, where it also hangs.

A soft launch has been hailed by Dean as a success, with some upcoming functions already sold out.