Inklings Bookshop was opened in 1995, the name inspired by the informal literary group known as “the Inklings,” which consisted of C. S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and several other writers and friends in the Oxford University community. We had often imagined adding a coffee shop, so when the adjacent restaurant space was vacant, our family decided to open the White Hart Café in the summer of 2007.

The White Hart is a name frequently used in England for some of that nation's oldest pubs. The image of the white hart or white stag is found in the Arthurian legends, as well as legends from Celtic and other cultures. In some of the stories the animal may appear as a reindeer or a unicorn. The appearance of a white male deer is said to be symbolic of the presence of the divine. The legends of the conversions of St. Eustace and St. Hubert include an appearance of a white hart displaying an image of a cross between its antlers. Readers of The Chronicles of Narnia will remember the appearance of a White Stag at the end of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  King Richard II used an image of the White Hart in his arms: see King Richard's Arms.

The White Hart offers organically grown and fairly-traded coffee; our pastries are made in our own kitchen using organic ingredients. Our meals are carefully prepared from fresh ingredients and our kitchen space is relatively small, so please allow a little extra time for preparation of your order.

Live music also has an important place at the White Hart. We host a bi-monthly Celtic music open jam and a monthly old-time music session. We have live music performances most Friday and Saturday nights, and host an open mic about once a month. We are especially interested in promoting local acoustic music performances, though we regularly have touring musicians from around the country, and even occasionally from other nations.

Names you may know who have played here include Paddy Keenan (Irish piper), Jim Malcolm (Scottish singer), Greg Ginn (formerly of Black Flag), Heather Berry (Bluegrass), Eli Cook (Blues) and Stephen Bennett (harp guitarist).  We have hosted artists from Austin, Atlanta, Nashville, New Hampshire, San Francisco, and even Sweden.

We hope the Lynchburg Community will enjoy the White Hart as a place to meet friends, enjoy good food and drink, find an interesting book, and hear good music. Please let us know how we can better serve you.

If you would like to keep up with events at the White Hart and Inklings Bookshop, send us an email to be on our mailing list, or join us on Facebook.