As mentioned in my last post about Chagford, I omitted to mention some important key businesses and historical sites of the town, namely the ‘watering holes’. But that was deliberate as I did not want the information lost in a too-lengthy post about all things relating to Chagford. So here is a special post that involved quite a bit of practical ‘research’ on Mick’s part.

There are four pubs in the centre of Chagford – the Three Crowns, the Ring O’Bells Inn, The Chagford Inn and The Globe Inn – all offering accommodation and meals. During one Friday afternoon, Mick and I attempted to visit all four, but sadly we failed. The Chagford Inn’s opening hours did not support our allocated time for the task. But, you never know, we may get there before our house sitting assignment comes to an end.

The pub with the most interesting history, and the best beer according to Mick, is the Three Crowns Hotel, depicted here in this old photo that is proudly displayed on one of the pub’s walls.

The early Tudor building which dates back to the 13th Century, was originally the home of  Sir John Whiddon. Sir John was a Justice of the Queen’s Bench during the reigns of Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I. He had one child with his first wife, and then eleven with his second – this large building obviously provided lots of space for such a clan but they eventually moved to Widdon Park – less than 2 miles outside of Chagford.

I do not know exactly when the home became a pub (but at least since 1642), and it has had several different names since then.

Today it is the most up-market of the pubs on offer in Chagford, complete with a beautiful restaurant offering well-reviewed fare. But Mick and I are unable to comment on the food, as we were there to check out the ambience and the beer only.

Part of the pub’s interesting history is linked to one of Sir John’s daughters, Mary.

One day in 1641, Mary Widdon travelled from Widdon Park,  to Chagford church for her wedding. As Mary and her newly married husband emerged from the church, Mary was shot dead by a jealous suitor. There is a memorial to Mary in Saint Michael’s Church. It is believed that this terrible disaster inspired part of the novel “Lorna Doone”. The climax of that book involves a shooting, but unlike poor Mary, the heroine survives.

This room on the right is one of the tastefully renovated rooms for patrons in the Three Crowns, and it is very high up there on the ‘ambience scale’. But, of course we were there for the beer.

Mick was delighted to see Proper Job (ABV 6.5%) was on tap, and at £3.85 a pint it was well within the range for a fair price.

But for me, I thought this was a funny sight – standing at the same bar, just to the left of the taps were two people from a well-known local business. I hope the photo is not too dark so you can read the name of the business on their navy sweatshirts.

Yes, “Proper Job” – what a coincidence!

But this Proper Job has nothing to do with beer. In fact it is one of the UK’s first community reuse centres, launched in 1995. In Chagford’s town square there is a very interesting shop selling many salvaged items rescued and restored by these people.

We are a Charity that aims to keep reusable items away from landfills, by putting them on sale in an Aladdin’s cave of pre-loved treasures.

The Three Crowns also boasts its own ghost, and it is not that of Mary Widdon.  Her ghost is supposed to be haunting Widdon Park.

In this photo, Mick is standing in the porch of the Three Crowns. And it is here that poet and Cornwall MP, Sidney Godolphin, (who was a Royalist) was shot and killed in1643 in a skirmish between Royalists and Parliamentarians during the English Civil War. It is said that Godolphin’s ghost haunts the pub – but with time for only one beer on this occasion, Mick swears he neither saw nor heard him. (Mick did volunteer to return to see if he could meet this ghost on a later occasion, and I think it will involve quite a few more beers than one).

The second-best pub based on Mick’s research in Chagford was the Ring O’Bells, not so much for its ales, but because of the ambience.

It promotes itself as a dog friendly pub and Mick was sorry we did not bring the dog we are currently caring for along with us for this activity. Not so much me!

The bar is only small, and at the time of our visit, there were a number of locals enjoying an afternoon ale. Here Mick chose to have a pint of Dartmoor Ale (ABV 4.5%) – one he has tried before and one that is brewed in Dartmoor National Park, in Princetown. Dartmoor Brewery claims to be the highest brewery (above sea level) in England and…

“since brewing our first pint of popular beer Jail Ale in 1994, we’ve grown to become Devon’s second largest brewery”.

Mick was unsure how much a pint cost here because he handed over a £10 note and placed the change in his pocket before he could work it out, but he thinks it was about £3.50. He really needs to take this job a little more seriously.

The locals in the Ring O’Bells at the time of Mick’s research were extremely friendly and once they knew Mick was Australian, they were keen to discuss the impact of the terrible recent bushfires on the Australian biodiversity.

Mick really enjoyed the displays on every wall in this pub. In this photo there is a taxidermy fox head (and tail) along with a horn used during fox hunts.

There has been an inn on this site in Chagford since before the 16th Century, and records show that the inn/s were burned down at least twice. As part of the Ring O’Bells’ building history goes, it appears the front part of it was once used as a Stannary Court – dealing with matters relating to the taxing and sale (including weighing and assaying) of tin found in Dartmoor. The middle section was once used to house prisoners overnight on their way to Okehampton, while the rear of the first floor was once used as a mortuary.

It was a bit like having a beer in a museum – each room was filled with memorabilia.

The third watering hole was The Globe Inn – and this was filled with a few surprises.

Quite a handsome pub, directly opposite the church and closest to the town’s parking area – so a lot going for it in terms of location.

As soon as we walked into this pub it was obvious this was where the older locals drank. Mick and I were actually under (average) age.

We sat at a table next to these fellows and watched as they finished up a game of dominos.

Mick loved the rocking chair and wondered if it was only for this particular patron’s use. Thankfully he did not test that idea out.

It was here Mick made a mistake in his choice of ale – he ordered a pint of Otter, just to be different, and then he noticed it only had an ABV of 3.6%, and at £3.90 for the pint, it worked out to be the most expensive shout of this activity. In this photo he is pointing to the engraved otter on the glass – perhaps that’s why it was more expensive.

At this stage of the proceedings, it was necessary to make a visit to the ‘restrooms’. Mick returned with the news that they were the cleanest pub toilets he had ever used, and that I must go and check out the hotel’s display in the back rooms. The Globe Inn obviously has a theme related to the film industry – posters, newspaper clippings and portraits of (old and now deceased) famous movie stars and idols like Frank Sinatra were everywhere. But it was this that surprised Mick – he was slightly concerned about the political correctness of it all.

While we were there we noticed a poster advertising the screening a Six Nations Rugby game on Saturday in The Globe Inn theatre room – upstairs.

As the game was to start at 2.15pm, Mick decided he would like to go, so we walked into town the following day, and the dog and I left Mick at The Globe Inn before we walked back home. Mick was psyched up to watch a good game of rugby with the locals. And, he had already decided he would not be drinking any more Otter, but instead would stick to Dartmoor Ale. (Sadly this pub does not sell Proper Job).

When I drove back into town to collect Mick around 4pm, although he had had a good time, he was disappointed by the very one-sided game between Wales and Italy. Wales had thrashed Italy by 42 points to nil. However, the greatest disappointment, not only for Mick but also for the publican, was the fact there was only one other person watching the game, and he was Welsh. Mick could not understand a word he said!!

By the time we had visited three of Chagford’s four pubs on our pub crawl day, I needed to add some more money to the parking meter (and coincidently, it was almost 6pm), so we decided to try our luck at getting a park closer to The Chagford Inn.

As I said at the start of this post, the opening times of this place did not work in our favour. It is open from 12.00-3.00pm every day, and then re-opens at 6pm.

Although the pub was just about to open for evening trading, there was not a park to be found, so we continued on our way home.

This photo of the inside was borrowed from the internet, where I also learnt that The Chagford Inn has been a pub for more than 200 years. And during that time it has had three different names: the Bakers’ Arms, Buller’s Arms and, since 2014, the Chagford Inn.

Mick and I may well get there for a pint yet. We have our son and his girlfriend visiting next weekend and I am sure there will be a visit to one of more of these pubs during their stay.