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Pub History
We offer you two versions,
the first from a card produced by Mary and Wilfred Fry who were running the
pub in the mid 1950s. Today, the internal layout of the pub is quite
different to that described by the Frys:
 "Dear Friends,
May we tell you something about this Inn?
Built in the year 1100, when thatched roofs were the fashion, it was first
used as a Chantry House for the Monks. The ground floor consisted of a
Chapel, Great Hall - now the lounge and passage-way - and a Workshop - now
the Dart Room. The walls are made of reeds (brought from Slapton Sands) and
plaster.
In 1327, during the reign of Edward III, the Abbot and Monks handed the
Chantry House over to the poor.
In June, 1950, it passed out of the hands of the Church for the first time,
and when the plaster was removed from the ceiling fluted beams of mellow oak
were found to be part of the Great Chamber wherein those early monks would
foregather for a glass of wine. Plaster also covered a very fine old oak
screen in the passage, and experts acclaim it as one of the oldest complete
screens in the country.
Two lattice windows in the lounge (or Great Chamber) are of hand-made glass,
and here again the experts judge these to be the first glass made in the
13th century.
In the entrance hall is a Tudor Window Frame, which was hidden at the time
of the "Window Tax," and beside this is an original map by Robert Morden,
dated 1694, which shows Harberton plainly, but makes no mention of its
neighbour Harberton Ford.
Such, dear friends, is the history of this very old Inn. No ghosts with
blood-curdling screams to disturb your slumbers, but only a peace and
contentment that was such a big part of the lives of those early monks.
Sincerely your Host and Hostess,
MARY AND WILFRED FRY Telephone : TOTNES 3360"
The following text was
prepared for a Flower Festival held in St. Andrew's Church around 1990.
"Until 1450 AD the nave
of the church was the centre for all village activities from the weekly
market to the wedding breakfast. Around 1450 AD the church authorities
decided the church would only be a centre of worship and so 'Church Houses'
came into being. These then became the forerunner of today's parish halls or
community centres. Built by money raised by the church wardens, church
houses were not inns, but on feast days 'Ales' were held to raise money for
the Church or a village cause.
With the ascendancy of the Puritan Movement, church houses were threatened
as the Puritans saw most of daily life as being intrinsically evil. By 1600
AD the force of the Puritan Movement had closed all the church houses.
Villagers lost their community centre and were left with a drab life of all
work and no play. The Church also was affected whereby even Christmas was
not allowed to be celebrated. The protests of some Bishops to keep the
church houses open led to their imprisonment.
Over the years some church house buildings became the poor house of the
parish and much later some were opened as inns.
We are fortunate in Devon to have the largest number of remaining church
houses - 64 in all. 18 of these are pubs.
Our Church House Inn is a particularly fine example of a village centre
which continues in the tradition of welcoming visitors to Harberton."
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