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Summary

Originally a coaching inn possibly dating to the 15th century, although listing dates the building to the 18th century. Continued in use as a hotel / inn until a fire in 1997. Now (2016) partly functions as a café; the rest of the building is residential.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1207944: THE LONDON INN

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX76NE/165
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• INN (XVIII to XIX - 1701 AD? to 1835 AD (Between))
• RESTAURANT (Altered, XX - 1997 AD? to 1999 AD (Between))

Full description

Department of Environment, 1973, Ashburton, 41 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV300597.

No 11 (London Hotel), West Street. 18th or early 19th century, three storey, stucco, lined and painted. Rusticated quoins, right. Two sash windows at 1st and 2nd floors now with centre glazing bars only. Entrance with consoles and segmental pediment, and separate entrance with fluted pilasters.

Quick, T., 1992, Dartmoor Inns, 65-66 (Monograph). SDV359976.

London Inn is a 15th century fomer coaching inn, ideally situated on the busy Plymouth to London turnpike road. Passengers would alight here whilst horses were changed from the stables at the rear of the building. The inn consists of two bar areas, separated by a thick stone wall punctuated to two large openings. UP to 1980, when the inn was refurbished, these were doorways giving access to the then separate bars. The two impressive stone fireplaces were restored to their original glory after having been covered up and substituted by eklectric fires for many years. Joining on the lower end of the bar is the restaurant. Supporting the oak beams on the ceiling are two wooden pillars. The one in the centre of the room is placed upon an old mill stone, taken from the nearby Town Mill when it closed down.
A brewery was set up on site by the landlord in 1981, using the room beside the ballroom on the first floor and later expanding and moving into the recently converted stables at the rear.

Webb, P., 1995, The Pubs and Inns of Ashburton, 29-30 (Monograph). SDV347208.

The London Inn, West Street.
15th century coaching house on the main London to Plymouth turnpike. The stables were originally at the back, where the restaurant now is. History of the inn/hotel given. Once had a bad reputation but is now an often busy and popular inn (with its own brewery) run by the Thompson family (since 1979). The brewery began upstairs in 1981 but later housed in the stable buildings at the rear.

Google, 2017, Google Streetview (Website). SDV359965.

Image dated August 2016 shows the 'Moorish Café and bar' now occupies the lower floor of the former London Inn on the right hand side. Rest of the building assumed to be residential.

Ordnance Survey, 2017, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359962.

Building is depicted on the modern mapping.

Historic England, 2017, National Heritage List for England, Accessed 23/01/2017 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359963.

SX7569 WEST STREET 849-1/10/185 (South side) 10/05/73 No.11 The London Inn (Formerly Listed as: WEST STREET (South side) No.11 London Hotel) - GV II
Public house. Early C18, remodelled and refronted in mid C19. Solid rendered walls. Slated roof. Rendered chimneys.
Plan: Double-fronted and probably double-depth, with long rear wing to right. 3 storeys. 2 widely spaced windows wide, the left side of frontage with a slight projection.
Exterior: Main entrance has 4-panelled door, the 2 lower panels flush; fluted pilaster with foliated capital at either side. Second doorway (now a window) to right has panelled pilaster-strips at either side. Above the whole ground storey runs a prominent moulded cornice supported at each end and flanking the doorways by large consoles; above the right-hand doorway it develops into a wide segmental pediment. The 3 ground storey windows and all those in the upper storeys have 2-paned sashes in moulded frames. Raised quoins at right-hand end of front. Deep bracketed eaves-cornice. Right side wall has similar sashes, but without frames; instead most of them have bracketed sills and vermiculated keystones. The keystone of the ground storey window nearest the front is moulded with the inscription 'HILLS LONDON HOTEL'.
Interior: ground floor wholly altered in late C20. Early C18 (probably c1720s) features to upper floors include part of closed string stair with heavy turned balusters, panelled doors in moulded architraves, one pedimented and a pair set under scrolled broken pediment with central pineapple finial; moulded cornicing; main chamber with fielded panelling, fluted pilasters framing bolection-moulded overmantle over fireplace, box cornicing and shell alcove with shelves to china cupboard.
Listing NGR: SX7557969845.

Unknown, 2017, The Lost Pubs Project, http://www.closedpubs.co.uk/devon/ashburton_londoninn.html (Website). SDV359977.

Images from 1910, 1950, 1997 and 2012.
The London Inn was situated on West Street. A 15th century coaching house, landlords included the Angel family, up to 1866, William Hill until 1894, and Arthur Cove from 1919. Sold by Symons Brewery in 1958 it became a free house. Landlords from 1979 until it was closed by a fire in 1997 (see photo below) were the Thompson family. They also ran a brewery, Thompson's Ales, in the old stables.
James Lloyd purchased the London inn in 1786 and the New Inn in 1787. James died in 1808 leaving the London Inn and New Inn to his widow, Mary who subsequently sold the London Inn when she purchased the Golden Lion (Citing Gordon Lloyd, December 2016).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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